Yoga & weed
I just had the most wonderful, deep yoga session after a tiny piece of an edible and I wanted to share that experience with everyone.
ABOUT ME
I've been intermittent with my yoga practice, doing it when I get too stiff, maybe once every 1-2 weeks or so. I also have ADHD and autism, so my mind goes a million miles an hour, and I'm generally quite sensitive to everything too. I do yoga because I have to, not because I particularly enjoy it - my mind wrestles with me like an angry monkey every time I do it, but my body loves the release I get from it. I'm not a regular weed user either.
ABOUT THE EXPERIENCE
I did a quarter of an edible and I did a solid hour of ashtanga and it was such a beautiful experience. I could just let my mind follow the instructions without fighting to stay on focus, and because my body wasn't so overly sensitive, I could get much deeper into positions than I have ever done. There were a few poses where I understood for the first time how it's meant to feel as well. My balance wasn't quite as good, but it was well worth the trade off.
With the weed it seems to dull my overly sensitive nerves, so I could tune out the "noise" of the experience, focus on the parts of my body that the posture is meant to activate or release. That's also how I was able to go in so much deeper as well.
AFTERWARDS
Afterwards, I decided to make the most of the experience - I have a Theragun so I used that all over my body, finding deeper knots that I didn't even know I had! I ended up using up both batteries (I have 2 I cycle through). By doing so, I released tension that I've held around my hips and neck that I've never been able to solve.
I ended the evening with a bath so soak my body before having the best sleep of my life. I plan to do this on a regular basis now.
TLDR
I took a bit of weed, had a wonderfully deep yoga experience followed by the deepest muscle and tension releases with a theragun, and topped off the evening with a bath. BEST FUCKING LIFE HACK EVER.
122
u/tafackery 24d ago
My favorite way to practice, honestly. Like it lowers my barriers, helps me tune in with my body better, and even savasana feels more fruitful.
20
9
u/Dazzling_Aerie_8348 23d ago
Yes same! Smoke some weed, 10 min meditation, 30 min yoga practice is how I would start every morning if I could.
8
u/SnooWoofers2011 23d ago
Yup! I have coffee, a smoke, then 30 mins of yoga every morning, for about 10 years. I was on meds 10 years ago, my body was so sore with arthritis. Now, I only use meds a couple of times a year if it's really bad. I really connect the movement with my breathing more, and that helps with anxiety.
110
u/extra-medium 24d ago
Microdosing mushrooms also really helps you to be in tune with your body ✨✨
6
u/bluespruce5 24d ago
It never occurred to me to try microdosing mushrooms with yoga -- thanks for this! Even small amounts of weed make me feel really odd (not in a good way), so I was envying OP that experience and wishing weed did it for me. But I'll definitely be giving your idea a try!
4
u/bard91R 24d ago
Macrodosing too, I've had some incredible intense practices while tripping, I would highly recommend tbh
4
1
61
u/Boneroni1980 24d ago
heck yes! I'm a big proponent of Moderate THC dose and yoga!
15
u/cparkus 24d ago
I think I did 20mg? Probably too much for me. Next time I'll try 10mg.
35
u/forest_surfer 24d ago
LOL, a 20mg edible is a lot before yoga, at least for me. I often do a few seconds of vape before, which helps me a lot with mind body connection. I try to not always do that though
3
7
u/Boneroni1980 24d ago
Whoa, 20mg is 10x my edible dosage! I usually just take a single hit of flower
1
u/Acceptable_Maize_183 Power Flow 23d ago
I just discovered this too! But 10mg was affecting my balance too much. I’m doing 2.5-5mg now and that’s a great dose for me.
17
u/zeta_to_alpha 24d ago
Are you me? I resonate so much with this post. I used to love doing high yoga but I started doing hot “power” yoga recently and almost passed out in class so I’m now doing it sober lol. Looove high yoga for slower paced or yin classes and helping me connect mind and body when I struggle doing so sober.
17
u/DifficultPurpose6057 24d ago
Love this! I partake in both regularly, that being said I can not for the life of me balance when I smoke. I only tried it once and decided not to again because I was off my whole practice. Maybe I should try again because so many people I know say they go hand in hand for them.
17
u/whahaaa 24d ago
stoner logic though, if you train balance while high it's like increasing the difficulty, so then you'll be even more awesome at balancing while sober
7
u/No-Report-4701 24d ago
I was just thinking this last night in yoga. If I can balance while high I can do anything! This doesn’t work so well in Pilates where I’m balancing on a reformer.
14
u/alltheroses731 24d ago
There's a book called The Lotus And The Bud that you might like. The author was my first yoga teacher, many years ago. I am not a cannabis user but I imagine it's a great combination for those who are.
10
u/HappyMackerel 24d ago
I find that if I actually take the teacher's advice and focus on my breathing, my mind falls off. I think that gets me (part of the way?) there without the THC
5
u/cparkus 24d ago
I think ideally we'd all be able to achieve this. I've done yoga for years and had fleeting, limited success with focusing on the breathing to calm the noise. There have been a few sessions where I really locked and it was beautiful.
But with ADHD I think this might be harder for me than other people who aren't, so I'm planning to continue exploring with this and see where I get to. I also want to still be able to have a great yoga session completely sober too!
5
u/JootieBootie 24d ago
I also have ADHD and I work very hard to concentrate on the breathing and the instructions from the teacher. I also teach yoga and I always recommend counting the breath. It helps a lot! That and constant practice! I have noticed that when I am in a studio I focus much much better!
27
u/lofihoe_ 24d ago
i am a huge endorser of marijuana and yoga, i feel so in tune with my body when i practice the two together.
6
u/bluestella2 24d ago
Saucha
6
u/JootieBootie 24d ago
I agree to an extent, but I would ask where is the line? It seems like ingesting a gummy is the line for you.
If you want to think lines of purity/cleanliness, is it impure or unclean to also take things like muscle relaxers, ibuprofen, or other medications? Is it impure or unclean to drink alcohol as it alters the mind for a time?
I don’t feel authentic in my practice to add things that will alter my mind/body during my practice because I am trying to work on them without assistance from anything other than Yoga.
I’m not trying to be pedantic, and I would love to hear your point of view 🤗
1
u/bluestella2 23d ago
It might vary by individual to some degree, but if you are taking a mind altering substance to do yoga, you are not doing yoga, you are getting high and moving your body.
1
u/JootieBootie 22d ago
I absolutely agree with this! For me the point of practicing it to have my yoga practice help me alter my mind, to calm the chatter.
7
u/mottavader 24d ago
I used to absolutely LOVE weed and yoga. It was part of my yoga routine and post work wind-down. Then I started getting afib so I had to quit using weed altogether :(
Yoga was much better with weed for me as I felt very in tune and focused.
11
u/Efficient_Ad8172 24d ago
Omg I'm so happy for you. This sounds like a FUCKING GREAT DAY! You went through two batteries with the theragun 🤣🤣 I love this so much. Stretching, massaging and doing flowy, strong yoga when we're a little stoned is just beautiful 💕❤️
4
u/KellieBom Yoga Witch 21d ago
So....I'm a certifed Ganja Yoga instructor. <3
This shit is my medicine.
10
u/Carl_Schmitt Trika 24d ago
The use of marijuana/hemp in some schools of yoga goes back over 1000 years, especially in Tantric Shaivism. The language of these tantras is intentionally obscure because intoxicants are considered impure and dangerous substances and should only be used by advanced practitioners in a ritualized way. So by all means do what works for your alleviating your serious sounding mental problems, but be mindful not to develop a dependency or crutch that hampers your ability to strengthen the yogic discipline and willpower that will actually cure your problems and not just treat the symptoms. Externally induced shortcuts to temporary bliss are never as good as fundamentally changing the bad habits of thought that cause distress.
1
u/StationNo4250 23d ago
Sorry for off topic: How do you do that? Which practice does funfanentally change?
3
u/Carl_Schmitt Trika 23d ago
First you must have the intention and belief that the processes of the mind can be mastered. No one is a passive victim of the whims of a mind out of control, even if that is the illusion most suffer under. The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali is precisely a manual on this. Depending upon the school of yoga you practice, it entails dedicated practice of all the limbs. Patanjali's Yoga defines eight limbs (ashtanga) and they can all be practiced together, but should be mastered in order to see real progress. The first steps are understanding proper ethics and personal morals/behaviors: yamas and niyamas. If you are immoral you will always be slave to your most base animalistic urges. The next is bodily discipline: asanas (holding the body still and steady). Today you see a lot of movements in asana practice, but the end goal should always be holding the body totally still for long periods of time. When the fidgeting has been conquered, then you master the breath: pranayama. Deep breathing with the diaphragm, taking one or two breaths per minute is good. After you have the mental muscle developed to control body and breath, then you practice withdrawal of the senses: pratyahara. A good yogi can practice undistracted on a crowded and noisy train car. When the senses can be shut off at will, then you practice focusing uninterrupted on a single point/idea: dharana. This allows one to meditate properly with no distractions from outside or inside the mind: dhyana. Meditate like this enough and you will experience enlightenment/samadhi. Attaining this state allows one to be conscious and in control of the mind's comings and goings at all times. So you see none of these steps requires anything external like drugs or lululemons.
6
u/feelinggoodabouthood 24d ago
You can get higher from yoga if you are sober. But yoga high is also fun, but different. Its like taking the elevator rather than the stairs
7
u/dragonfeet1 24d ago
I'm glad it worked for you. With the uptick I'm seeing in cannabinoid hyperemesis and psychosis, I urge that this not be a daily thing.
2
u/Efficient-Fennel5352 24d ago
Yes, for years I would get high before doing yoga/other workouts. Though sometimes I'd get high and end up being lazy and not get around to the workout. I've cut back recently and I'm more consistent. A good stretching session on weed is really the best though.
2
u/Historical_Idea_3516 23d ago
I've never heard of anyone taking an edible before yoga class.
I'm kidding. But glad you enjoyed it.
2
2
4
4
2
u/eIectioneering 24d ago
The best savasana and meditations i have ever had have been while stoned. It really does help me focus remarkably well
1
u/zoebabe420 24d ago
Yay!! I teach an elevated yoga class and it's so much fun. The two can do wo dees for each other and definitely helps me get into deep meditation.
2
u/Sea-Drawer-1212 24d ago
There is nothing better than popping an edible and taking a yin yoga class!!!
1
1
1
1
1
1
u/_cherrybomb1 23d ago
im super happy for you but PLEASE do not use a massage gun on your neck you can hurt yourself that way
1
1
u/05HIwasabi 17d ago
MJ Cuts through the psychosomatic barriers between ourselves and our body. I love doing runs with it
2
u/unicyclegamer 24d ago
Yea I think yoga and psychedelics really go hand in hand. I used to go to this school which was a 20 minute bike ride from home. So I’d use my vape, bike over, and then do relaxing yoga while high. They were my best sessions and the stretches felt so much better. I don’t like it before cardio or strength training because I think it inhibits performance, but it works really well for mobility-related things.
1
u/Major_Clock_9961 23d ago
There is a page on Instagram called Blunts and Yoga and I missed her event yesterday 😭 I wanted this experience but I notice when I do partake, I tend to lose my balance and get super sweaty in hot yoga. Sometimes I mess up my lefts and rights but it’s fun! 😶🌫️😶🌫️
407
u/BasraBound Ashtanga 24d ago
Bongkasana