Enhancing Highs with Exercise
There are many ways to incorporate cannabis into health and wellness; ganja yoga may be one of the most synergetic trends to hit the industry so far. Combining cannabis and yoga is nothing new. Practicing ganja yoga not only affects spirituality, but the physical body too.
Today, more and more people are choosing to include cannabis into their workout routines; reported benefits include increased focus and pain management, resulting in longer periods of exercise. For these reasons, athletes have become candid about their use of cannabis while training. Cannabis friendly gyms and yoga sessions are becoming increasingly popular throughout the world. Ganja yoga meetups have popped up in cities like London, Toronto and in San Francisco.
Dee Dussault, certified yoga instructor and author of the new book, “Ganja Yoga,” said that it is natural marriage to combine the powers of yoga and cannabis. While she may not be the first to discover it, she is the first to offer ganja yoga classes in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Dussault began infusing cannabis into her yoga classes in 2009 in Toronto, where she taught for four years before moving to California in 2012. Since the passage of Proposition 64 in November 2016, she has seen a significant increase in class sizes.
Twice per week, she conducts two-hour long ganja yoga sessions for all levels, which include 30 minutes of getting high and getting to know classmates, followed by 90 minutes of yoga. “When I ask people what brought them here, most people [say they] get high and do yoga anyway,” she said, “but now we have a place where we can do it all together and we don’t have to hide it.”
Dussault allows cannabis consumption during her classes, and permits students to smoke or ingest before or throughout each session. For those who find cannabis soothing, she explained, it can help to deepen the relaxing experience that yoga already promotes.
Each of her ganja yoga classes come with complimentary cannabis, which is made possible through sponsors such as Moon Man’s Mistress who provide edibles, Flow Kana which provide indoor-grown flowers, and vape pens from Bloom Farms.
Deepened relaxation is a primary benefit of ganja yoga, though there are many reasons to combine the two, said Dussault.
Practicing yoga regularly can help to combat stress. This is particularly significant because stress-related health issues are responsible for 80 percent of doctor visits, according to a Harvard health study.
The meditation and mindfulness which yoga promotes is particularly beneficial. Mediation is shown to significantly reduce stress, and therefore increase sleep, and even cardiovascular health, among much more. Cannabis is said to intensify and extend the ability to meditate.
Separately, both yoga and cannabis are shown to aid in pain management and anti-inflammation. Combining the two enhances the effects of each. In addition, “Cannabis is shown to enhance creativity, and nonlinear thinking. [It helps students] explore what their body can do – allowing for creative and expressive movement,” said Dussault.
For more information about Ganja Yoga, visit TheGanjaYoga.com or Dee Dussant’s website at DeeDussault.com
Did You Know?
– Doing Yoga daily is said to help ease stress, depression, hypertension, stomach disorders, back pain and asthma. It also aids weight loss and flexibility.
– Yoga can boost your immune system on a genetic level, according to a Norwegian study.
– Research shows that doing Yoga regularly increases mindfulness and can therefore help reduce overeating.
– Yoga is shown to improve sleep.
– According to the Harvard study, titled, “Now and Zen: How Mindfulness Can Change Your Brain and Improve Your Health,” Yoga and meditation programs are becoming more appealing, “Nearly one in 10 Americans practices yoga, and 45 percent of adults who don’t practice yoga say they are interested in trying it. Americans are also using other forms of complementary health therapies, such as meditation (8 percent) and deep breathing (11 percent).”
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