Why do People try Yoga? Yoga is a practice that can provide a lot of benefits to both your body and mind. Yoga makes people stronger and develops flexibility.
It also helps to become more energetic and concentrated as it requires being focused on rhythmic breathing. Individuals who practice yoga regularly say that it helps them to feel better and function more effectively in daily life.
Yoga is commonly used by people who have such physical conditions as arthritis, high blood pressure, osteoporosis, back pain, and poor blood circulation. Moreover, yoga improves posture through strengthening and opening tight body areas, such as shoulders and upper back muscles.
Also, yoga exercises can help relieve stress, deal with headaches, and even manage depression as they soothe the mind by focusing it on the movements and breathing flow.
Yoga is especially good for people who haven’t done active sports in a while. If you are not in good physical shape or struggle with some medical conditions, you can change yoga exercises according to your abilities and needs. But in case you are fit and want a challenging workout, you can adapt yoga exercises to have an intensive workout.Moreover, yoga can help you decrease the risk of injuries because every yoga pose is supposed to target a specific muscle group and increase its flexibility. Yoga practice helps to develop a mind-body connection. Focusing your mental energy in each movement promotes a better feeling of mind and body working together.
Another benefit of yoga is increased body awareness. Yoga poses require you to contract and relax certain muscles which makes you more aware of your physical strengths and weaknesses.
The Reasons for Using Cannabis
People often view cannabis users as unmotivated and lazy. But recent researches on the reasons why people use marijuana offer a different perspective.
They revealed that most individuals use cannabis because of a rational choice to improve the quality of their life. Cannabis users usually do it moderately and they typically don’t develop physical addiction.
Cannabis has different effects on people. Thus, they use it for three main groups of reasons – social, medical, and spiritual. Read the detailed description of them below.
- Social reasons for using cannabis
People have been using marijuana for social purposes for a long time. They turn to it in order to relax, socialize, and make some activities more enjoyable.
Cannabis users say that it helps them to chill out and get more pleasure from things like listening to music, watching movies, or playing sports. It also helps to concentrate and complete mundane tasks more effectively.
In general, weed helps people to improve the quality of their life.
- Medical reasons for using marijuana
Medical use of cannabis is related to dealing with physical and mental problems. Marijuana can treat a lot of medical conditions, like nausea, appetite loss, pains and aches, inflammation, anxiety disorder, and insomnia (Northern Lights strains are very helpful in this case).
Sometimes weed can be even more effective than some pharmaceutical drugs and cause fewer side effects. Besides, some individuals may use cannabis to deal with side effects or withdrawal symptoms of medications.
- Spiritual reasons for using cannabis
People typically view spiritual well-being as an important element of overall health. Some individuals use marijuana for such spiritual reasons as getting a sense of meaning, connecting with something bigger than themselves, and enlightenment.
Using marijuana and meditation in spiritual practice is getting common as it allows you to relax and look at things in a different way. It’s especially needed in difficult life situations.
Moreover, some people say that cannabis helps them to feel a connection with others and make bonds with each other. This state of connectedness causes a sense of ‘oneness’ which is viewed as a spiritual feeling.
Understanding the reasons why people use cannabis helps to get rid of outdated assumptions and stigma. This way, it gets easier to find methods that increase the benefits of using cannabis and diminish its potential harm.
Why Cannabis and Yoga may be Combined
For some people, yoga and weed are a perfect match. They say that using cannabis is a good way to enhance yoga effects. As yoga is considered to be a holistic type of therapy, some individuals believe that cannabis can be a good supplement to it.
It is said in Yoga Sutra (4.1) that if cannabis is used responsibly, it can calm the mind and promote inner peace. It’s a well know-fact that constant stress damages our Endocannabinoid system because it decreases the levels of endogenous cannabinoids.
Chronic stress lowers the amount of anandamide and 2-AG that are responsible for relaxation. To increase their levels, one may use CBD and practice yoga together with breathing techniques and meditation.
Besides, after taking marijuana, attention to external stimuli gets diminished, so the yogi can better focus on all the sensations. Some individuals practicing yoga argue that weed helps to make their movements more smooth.
Moreover, cannabis is believed to increase the effectiveness of savasana, which is one of the most important poses in yoga practice, as it allows one to emphasize body awareness after the session.
Cannabis combined with yoga is also a way to reduce pain. Another function of the endocannabinoid system is pain modulation. That’s why people often turn to cannabis in order to manage painful sensations.
Another benefit of the yoga and cannabis mix is its ability to reduce inflammation which is the main reason for many diseases.
Beginner’s Experience with Weed Yoga
To experience all the benefits of cannabis yoga, you should practice it in the right way. First of all, you need to focus on breathing as it’s an essential part of the practice. If you take a big dosage before a class, it can be quite challenging.
That’s why it would be better to THC vape juice or an edible prior to the yoga session.
Plan your dose carefully, especially with edibles because they can be quite tricky. Sometimes edibles hit very hard and absolutely unexpectedly and sometimes don’t work at all. So to avoid a high during a class, plan your dose carefully.
If you are not experienced in weed yoga yet, practice balance before your session. Cannabis can put at risk other people surrounding you during the class if you are not good enough at keeping balance after taking marijuana. So try to exercise more and avoid substance overconsumption prior to your practice in a group to keep others safe.
Micro-dosing could be a great option for a good yoga session.
THC and Yoga
THC is a psychoactive component of cannabis that has the following molecular structure: 30 hydrogen atoms, 21 atoms of carbon, and 2 oxygen atoms.
THC is chemically similar to our body’s endocannabinoids which makes it possible for them to interact with our cannabinoid receptors. This interaction influences neurotransmitter release in the brain.
After binding with cannabinoid 1 receptors in the brain, THC consumption gives a high or euphoria feeling. Some individuals using cannabis in combination with yoga practice say that it helped them to get an amazing spiritual experience.
It happens due to the psychoactive properties of THC that cause feelings similar to religious ones. The psychoactive effects of THC also manifest themselves in better self-awareness and a feeling of connection with other people as well as with nature.
THC has some medical benefits for our bodies. It’s scientifically proven that THC can help with pain issues, sleep problems, low appetite, and anxiety disorders. But THC can also cause some temporary side effects.
Consuming THC may lead to slower reaction time, coordination problems, and increased heart rate. Such an impact of THC on the brain is not desirable during a yoga session.
Difficulties with balancing in yoga practice are a negative consequence of using cannabis with high THC levels. In addition, THC may provoke anxiety and memory loss. Taking this into account, you should be careful with mixing yoga and weed.
Last Thoughts about Cannabis and Yoga
Many people love yoga because it helps them to increase their focus on their internal and external world. It calms the mind and contributes to dealing with anxiety (you can try Super Lemon strains for this).
Yoga practice reduces the symptoms of depression and improves sleep. Also, it significantly increases flexibility, and enhances cardiovascular and respiratory functions. Even basic asanas can relieve pain and decrease the inflammation process. All these positive effects of yoga improve life quality and boost self-esteem.
Some people say that cannabis enhances the positive impact of yoga on the mind and body. They report a lot of benefits of combining yoga with marijuana use. For instance, those who struggle with pain and reduced mobility turn to cannabis to make yoga practice easier. So weed may boost the therapeutic effects of yoga, and vice versa.
Some individuals argue that taking cannabis before practicing asanas helps them to be more aware of body sensations. Besides, they are able to focus better on their breath during the session. Also, some yogis can increase the endurance of practice as marijuana makes them more motivated.
A lot of people who mix yoga and cannabis report that it allows them to feel the unity of mind, body, and soul. Moreover, the psychoactive qualities of THC provide them with unforgettable spiritual experiences. So if you want to feel the same, you should consider the combination of cannabis and yoga.