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Yoga is one of the most mindful methods of getting in touch with your body and mind together. It is an exercise that can be modified to challenge those of any fitness level. If you are looking to broaden the mind-body connection that yoga can provide, you may want to consider getting your Missouri medical marijuana card and making cannabis a regular part of your yoga practice.
A Mindful Connection
Yoga and cannabis make a lot of sense as complementary practices. The pain relieving properties of medical marijuana, combined with the increased level of focus that THC provides are natural enhancers to a yoga session.
Yoga is a practice that requires the mind and body to work together. The word, “yoga,” originates from the sanskrit word “yuj,” which means “to unite.” Yoga is all about uniting the physical and mental, creating a holistic approach to exercise that requires total focus.
Cannabis can increase a person’s ability to concentrate, which pairs especially well with the practice of yoga. Medical marijuana allows the body to go into an enhanced state of relaxation and stay in the moment, which is ideal during a yoga session.
Simply put, medical marijuana can help you to fixate your attention on your breathing and experience less pain. If you are someone who suffers from chronic muscle pain or headaches, cannabis may also relieve those symptoms, making it easier for you to experience the mindfulness that is often the goal while doing yoga. In a nutshell, it makes yoga easier.
Many Yoga Experts Recommend Cannabis
Many high level practitioners recommend combining cannabis and yoga. Christopher Kilham has been teaching yoga, meditation, and natural health since the early 1970’s, with extensive research spanning 5 continents that has led to his expertise being sought after by such outlets as The New York Times, The Dr. Oz Show, and CNN.
Kilham recommends cannabis as an enhancer for those practicing yoga and also notes that marijuana can help with meditation as well. He is just one of many experts who are championing cannabis as something that can enhance mindfulness practices.
In his book, The Lotus and the Bud, he explains how cannabis can help with areas such as respiration and pain control in ways that can enhance the practice of yoga. In a profile for Forbes Magazine, Kilham went on to praise the way that medical marijuana can help those who suffer from sore muscles and stiffness ease into yoga movements in a way that they might not be able to without the pain relieving powers of cannabis.
Marijuasana is a company that combines cannabis and yoga in pop-up “Infused Yoga” events that occur throughout the United States. They also provide a 200 hour yoga training course and an array of resources on yoga and marijuana.
The company was founded by Stacey Mulvey who believes that yoga and cannabis help the body in similar ways, by allowing us to focus and relieve pain by being in a physically and mentally balanced state.
Start Low and Go Slow
When combining yoga with medical marijuana, remember it may take some trial and error to find the right dosage and exercise difficulty level. If something doesn’t feel right, trust your instincts and make adjustments. We recommend starting with a low dose and pairing it with slower movements, while incrementally adjusting your dosage and movement difficulty.
If you are concerned about being impaired, you may want to consider micro-dosing cannabis, which can still give you the focus and pain relieving elements that medical marijuana provides without getting too high.
Track Your Progress and Make Adjustments
Remember, you may not get it right the first time, and medical marijuana affects everyone differently. Keep track of your cannabis experience when you add it to your yoga practice. We recommend keeping a medical marijuana journal. Then, when you find combinations of cannabis strains, dosages, and specific yoga practices that work for you, you’ll be able to refer to it later on.
Using Medical Marijuana In a Non-Marijuana-Friendly Environment
I do want to remind you that cannabis is medicine. If you are using medical marijuana to enhance your yoga practice, you have nothing to feel ashamed of. You are taking your medicine and making a healthy exercise choice.
That being said, some yoga studios may not be marijuana-friendly, due to a century of stigma surrounding cannabis consumption. Here are some tips for those using medical marijuana when going to a yoga studio:
Don’t arrive smelling like weed. If the other people in the studio ARE going to be judgmental, you don’t want to give them anything to complain about. Luckily, we’ve got you covered. CLICK HERE for tips to avoid smelling like marijuana.
Be smart about your dosage. Don’t show up totally blazed. Like we mentioned above, start low and go slow.
Don’t mention that you are using cannabis to enhance your yoga practice unless you know the studio is cool with it. On the other hand, if they’re not cool with it, you may want to take your business elsewhere and find a less narrow-minded yoga studio. That may not always be easy in Missouri, though.
Start by doing yoga at home until you find the dosage that works for you. Then, stroll into your yoga studio with confidence, ready to get in touch with your mind-body connection.
Ready to Add Cannabis to Your Yoga Practice?
If you are ready to increase your body-mind connection by adding medical marijuana to your practice, you’ll need a Missouri medical card. If you need some help getting your card, that’s what we’re here for! Our doctors are standing by to take you through a quick and easy evaluation to see if you qualify. Schedule an appointment with a marijuana physician online by CLICKING HERE, or give us a call at (877) 303-3117 to talk to a patient support representative.
Doctors Who Care.
Relief You Can Trust.
At Missouri Marijuana Card, our mission is helping everyone achieve wellness safely and conveniently through increased access to medical marijuana. Our focus on education, inclusion, and acceptance will reduce the stigma for our patients by providing equal access to timely information and compassionate care.
Call us at (877) 303-3117, or simply book a medical marijuana evaluation to start getting relief you can trust today!
Check out Missouri Marijuana Card’s Blog to keep up to date on the latest medical marijuana news, tips, and information. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to join the medical marijuana conversation in Missouri!