Move Over Lotus: There’s a New Flower on the Yoga Scene

What is CBD yoga?

Modern Americans have found plenty of reasons to roll out their mats and practice the ancient discipline
of yoga. In our age of constant over-stimulation and stress, it has become one of the great cultural tools we’ve found in our coping toolboxes. Above all, it helps us muster the courage to recharge or minds and bodies while rejuvenating ourselves amidst the chaos of life in the twenty-first century. While some people practice yoga to ease pain, anxiety, or depression, others show up for increased strength and flexibility. Whatever the reason, most people who do yoga recognize that a regular practice provides significant benefits. 

There’s just one problem for some of us: distraction. Let’s face it. It’s tricky to suddenly shift gears from our busy day-to-day routines in order to enter the zen-like state that we seek in yoga. Ultimately, this can inhibit our practice and leave us with the feeling that we didn’t get as much as we could have from our time on the mat. This is where the auspicious hemp flower comes into our story.

How do we learn to surrender to our intentions?

How many of us have stretched into our downward dogs only to get caught in a mental treadmill of self-doubt and worry. When can I get the dryer fixed? Will I have enough time to pick up my son’s shin guards before soccer practice? Are my thighs getting fat? Can I pass the exam? It’s endless: that constant buzz of anxiety that forms the background music of so many of our lives. So much so that sometimes we just can’t seem to quiet our minds and bodies enough to surrender to our higher selves. 

But what if there was a way to reach our savasana more efficiently? What if we could boost the benefits of our practice so that we could get the most out of our yoga experience and fully enjoy ourselves? Well, some would say this secret is right under our noses: the CBD-packed hemp flower. This powerful bud has blossomed onto the yoga scene like a master teacher. At long last, her bloom offers secrets that can help the frustrated yogis rise above restlessness and distraction. But how can a mere flower do all this? 

Cannabidiol (or CBD) is one of the most prevalent compounds found in the hemp flower. Unlike its psychoactive cousin THC, CBD doesn’t get you high, but has a whole host of therapeutic benefits when inhaled, ingested, or even absorbed through the skin. 

CBD and yoga: the long-lost twins of mind/body balance 

Lucky for those of us who find the pursuit of nirvana elusive, a new yoga trend has emerged; one that promises an easier entrance into our practice. Let’s call it a breezeway of CBD. Through this breezeway, many aspiring yogis have found a whole new level of healing. According to experts, CBD has the potential to provide many of the same benefits as yoga: relaxation, pain relief, and relief from inflammation. When the two are combined, something quite special happens. 

Perhaps the best thing in self-care since goat yoga, CBD yoga is not just for the uber-trendy. In fact, it’s for anyone who needs a little boost to get in the zone of yoga. This wonder of botany (CBD) combined with this other wonder of culture (yoga) happens to go together like volleyball and beach time. Already, social media is abuzz with hashtags and sensational memes about it, replete with passionate testimonials about yoga breakthroughs. 

Scientists weigh in 

Still, internet hype alone is not enough to initiate important decisions about your health and wellness. That’s why it’s also vital to understand both yoga and CBD from a scientific point of view in order to be fully informed. To learn more about the scientific perspective of CBD, read some of these studies included on Blue Ridge Hemp Company’s information page. 

As for yoga, its burgeoning popularity in recent decades has sparked myriad studies that prove just how beneficial it is for both the mind and body. One of these studies, published in Complementary Therapies
in Medicine, reveals the extent of how much “stress, anxiety, and quality of life scores improved” for people practicing weekly yoga sessions. Additional research points to yoga’s ability to help people with pain and inflammation. 

Ditch opioids and benzodiazepines for CBD yoga 

Scientists say much the same thing about CBD that they do about yoga. In fact, the cannabinoid du jour has garnered near superhero status for pain and anxiety sufferers. Anecdotal reports, as well as clinical studies, indicate that it provides significant relief from a wide range of maladies without the controversial side effects of opioids or benzodiazepines. Though it’s hard to believe that one simple flower can promise such medicinal power, the science behind it validates these reports. 

“CBD is a potent anti-inflammatory agent,” says registered dietician Melissa Groves and owner of Avacado Grove Nutrition and Wellness. “We have cannabinoid receptors throughout our immune system, so targeting those receptors can help reduce inflammation.” Furthermore, she explains, “CBD is an effective treatment for anxiety and insomnia. It just helps calm the body down in general.” 

Become an edgy, twenty-first-century yogi 

Because of the mounting success stories attributed to CBD, more and more people choose to invite the essence of the hemp flower into their yoga routines by way of a puff or two. (Of note, the most efficient way to utilize the pharmacological benefits of the CBD contained within these flowers is by smoking or vaping it.) Though some may be shocked by the idea of pairing any kind of smoking with the practice of yoga, many folks are delighted by the salubrious benefits of the unlikely combination. What’s more, it’s fun to see people’s facial expressions when you mention you need a smoke break before your yoga class. 

All jokes aside, there’s a lot to be said for this edgy new trend in the yoga world. The reality of physical and mental harmony suddenly appears that much closer. And it’s not really cheating, as some might argue, unless enjoying a cup of coffee before yoga is also cheating. It’s just another tool. And we twenty-first-century humans need all the tools we can get. 

Smoke only hemp from reputable sources 

The important thing is, (and this cannot be stressed enough), if you decide to explore CBD yoga, be sure to purchase your flowers from the highest quality of sources like Blue Ridge Hemp Company before seeking enlightenment on the mat. The last thing you want in your CBD product is a harmful contaminant that fly-by- night hemp vendors may unknowingly try to sell you. Please be careful. And remember, CBD doesn’t make you high. It just helps you slow down and enjoy the wonders of your own existence. And what could possibly be wrong with that?