How I Use Cannabis To Improve My Yoga Practice
Tags: Healthy Lifestyle, Mindfulness, Meditation, Yoga, Cannabis

How I Use Cannabis To Improve My Yoga Practice

Photo by Mikita Karasiou on Unsplash

Any yogi will tell you that there is a special kind of calm that comes with embracing a regular yoga practice. After a good yoga session, you will feel like someone came and sucked the tension right out of your body, and that’s pretty amazing. But, what if you struggle to commit to a good yoga practice? What if you’re not the best at focusing on your breathing and really being in the moment? Well, cannabis might be able to help.

Introducing The “I Have No Chill” Yogi

Despite the fact that yoga has countless benefits physically, mentally, and spiritually, it doesn’t always come naturally. I’m a pretty high-strung person. My mind is always going, which can make it pretty difficult to really sink into a calming meditative practice. For a while, I was kind of ashamed of this. I felt like I could never be one of the people who really gets yoga, but then I found a little trick: cannabis.

A Metaphorical Breath of Fresh Air

Cannabis has a notorious reputation for helping people to chill out — and that can come in really handy. If you are the kind of person who struggles to hold a position for thirty seconds without getting bored or distracted, you might just find that you need a little extra boost of relaxation. For me, a little bit of weed was the answer.

I’m not here to suggest that you get stoned before you do yoga (but if that’s your thing, that’s fine too — you know your body). I’m also not going to say that cannabis is beneficial for every kind of yoga. If you’re doing a really active yoga class, a pre-yoga joint might be more detrimental than helpful. But, if you are doing a relaxing yoga class or starting a beginner’s practice, a single hit can go a long way in helping you to stay focused throughout the duration of the class.

The Experience

The first time that you try this approach, you are going to wonder why it took you so long to connect these two. They really do complement each other. For me, a single hit or two of cannabis before yoga can take me from frantic to calm and ready to focus on my body — and it really highlights a lot of those physical sensations, which makes it pretty easy to listen to your body and relax into each new position. Focusing on breathing and the physical presence of your body are fundamentals of yoga, so it is nice to get a little assistance in making this possible.

The most notable difference will be how easy it is to focus on the class (which is why I also suggest using small amounts of cannabis). The goal isn’t to get high before your practice. It is to simply feel relaxed enough to really embrace the calming music and soothing voice of your instructor. You will find that breathing in and out feels more natural. Your breaths will be deeper and the end of the class will feel more complete, like you really embraced your practice instead of just going through the motions. It allows you to step out of your life and into your practice, which some of us need every once in a while.

Find The Right Strain

A big part of finding success with this approach is choosing the right cannabis strains. Personally, I lean towards a Sativa-dominant hybrid for my practices. It allows me to stay alert, but it also helps me to feel really good while I’m practicing. For my practice, I rely on vaping more than edibles simply because edibles can be a little heavier on the body and can make position transitions a little more cumbersome in my experience, but I am of the firm belief that everyone should explore their options and find what works best for them. My body is not your body, so don’t take my word as law.

Final Thoughts

While I think that cannabis and yoga fit together like hot chocolate and oat milk, that doesn’t mean that it is my default approach. Reaching for cannabis is something that I do when I know that I’m a little too wound up, or if I really want to sink into a relaxing practice, but there are plenty of times that I don’t use it. You don’t need cannabis to enjoy yoga, but sometimes it adds a nice little twist.