What? Pot is legal?! Crazy, right? Last night voters in both Colorado and Washington voted to legalize the recreational use of marijuana while Massachusetts OK’d medical use joining 17 other states and Washington DC . (Oregon, Montana and Arkansas had it up for vote as well and decided nay). The recreational thing is huge though. It’s like our peace-lovin’, granola eating, hippy yogi living-in-a-commune foremothers and fathers’ dream come true!
Stoner yoga is already an underground thing in LA (sort of, this is LA we’re talking about) and the ghost of Bob Marley knows where else. For decades smoking pot has more or less been a universal symbol of chilling out, letting go, and well, getting high, whether or not it’s metaphorical. Yoga and meditation in their own right have been the chosen path of many to reach that very elevated state. Some cerebral geniuses thought hey why don’t we put them together! Now you don’t even have to pretend to hide it.
So will the new legalization of marijuana in CO and WA open up the gates to pot yoga classes? Time will tell. It’s also been ruled that adult citizens of the states can grow pot as well. We smell supplemental income.
[image via tokeofthetown.com]
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Earlier…
- 420 Yoga, aka Stoner Yoga, is Lighting Up LA
- Because They Got High: Yogis Roll and Smoke ‘Intention Joints’ at Yoga Festival
- Stoga: Hardworking Mommies Get Stoned and Yoga Together
- Yoga Gets Hotter (Like 110 Degrees), Or the Sweat Obsession and the Detox Myth
- Yoga in Top 10 Growing Industries Alongside Hot Sauce, Self-Tanning and Green Stuff
It may, it may not lead to more stoner yoga here in CO. As a teacher in the state I would rather work with people to move to their personal balance without the influence of pot. Besides, I think sugar should be regulated more than pot for our society in general. I voted yes on 64 🙂
You read my mind Madam Yogadork. I already have lots of students who come to my class stoned. This is how it goes:
Me: Step your right foot forward to lunge.
Stoner: Grunts and moves the left foot.
Me: Step the other right foot.
Stoner: What’s her problem?
So looking forward to more.
Hmmm… I don’t know much about this particular topic, but upon first glance I’d think that it would take away from the yoga, but eh, to each their own.
While people should make up their minds whether smoking is a non-violent act towards their body, there are some historic markers that show yoga and pot are not mutually exclusive.
For example, Chapter 4 verse 1 of the yoga sutras say that enlightenment may be reached via the use of herbs. If you have any doubts as to which herbs could be, consider the story of Shiva, the Lord of Yoga, to have shown up to his wedding reeking of cannabis. To this day many people drink ‘Thandai’ (made from cannabis, almonds, and milk) on Maha Shivratri…
yep… mixing pot and yoga is not new…
Back in my college days I smoked. Hell everyone did, as well as everything else. I have great memories, lots of adventures. I have no issues with anyone who still (I’m 37 now) does it, as long as it’s in moderation.
I can understand who stoner yoga has come about, an ex of mine does it every now & then, but I have NO idea how. Wouldn’t you lose strength, balance, focus? I totally get tuning out, but tuning out through yoga and being bent off your tits are two totally different things.
As fond as the memories of my wasted days are, I like what my practice gives me, and how much my life has improved, how much I’ve grown. I just don’t see the point of mixing those worlds together.
Yoga already gets me high without any substances!!
I’m thinking it would be difficult to stay present when you start to get the munchies!
Traditional yogis (as opposed to neo yogis who practice primarily asana) have been smoking dope for thousands of years. It is used as an aid in meditation.
It seems to me that yoga has only been separate from cannabis for a short time… maybe it has something to do with Krishnamacharya saying that householders should practice yoga asanas and pranayama, effectively giving the practice a whole new context. The sannyasin/sadhus back in the day probably smoked all sorts of ganja to help transcend those worldly cares.
And Americans, having picked up on Krishnamacharya’s yoga, are practicing while still being immersed in society’s conditioning as householders. As a result of this trend, I think many American practitioners look down on cannabis. Me personally, I enjoy a little poof of the chronic before my Ashtanga practice. Yoga is about focus and peace… any judgement of cannabis users is a determent from experiencing yoga.
I like this analysis a lot. Smart. 🙂
I, personally, have no desire for cannabis, but don’t see it as problematic (for life or yoga practice). And, as many college essays have informed, the plant is extremely useful in many ways. And, I use hemp seed oil in my salads for the nutrient profile, so I don’t go in for the judgments.
But, it’s true. As a householder, asana and pranayama (as well as meditation, though without cannabis) really save my skin on a daily basis.
I think yoga and pot CAN go together exceptionally well, with the right type of strain. Something too heavy on the Indica side can definitely hinder performance a bit and induce drowsiness and something a bit too heavy on the Sativa side can sometimes be a bit racy. But if you go for something nice and down the middle, this can enhance the spiritual component quite a bit. My favorite pre-yoga indulgence is Golden Goat.