by Emily Volk
This year has brought a ton of new challenges to everyday life, work-life balance, health, and overall wellness of the body and mind. No wonder, folks are turning to more natural and balanced remedies to find relief. Both CBD and yoga have impressive benefits on their own, but when paired they can work together in harmony to calm the mind making us more aware of our bodies and present in our practice. Whether you’re new to yoga or a seasoned pro, adding CBD to your practice consistently can have a ton of surprising benefits.
Benefits of pairing CBD and Yoga
By now you know the benefits of CBD on its own and how it can help with muscle fatigue, provide stress relief, reduce nausea, aid sleep, and more. But those of us new to yoga might wonder what it can do to benefit the body. During your practice, yoga can help to calm the mind and bring awareness to your body, but there are benefits that continue off the mat like better sleep, increased blood circulation, and even an uplifted mood. When combined, CBD and yoga work together seamlessly to round out your practice with increased focus, muscle relief, and more. Here are the many benefits of pairing the two and what ways you can use CBD to balance your practice.
Yoga requires strength, focus, and balance. If you’ve ever busted out the yoga mat after an extended hiatus, you know what comes next; sore muscles and perhaps even less range of motion and stiffness. Pairing CBD with your yoga practice can not only help alleviate your aches and pains but help calm your mind, leading to a more balanced and fulfilling practice.
How yoga and CBD affects your ECS
Before we get into how pairing CBD and Yoga works with your endocannabinoid system, let’s recap how CBD alone affects your ECS. Your ECS is a biological system in your body that involves three main components: endocannabinoids, receptors, and enzymes. One of the main ways CBD interacts with this system is to help the body achieve and maintain homeostasis. When issues arise in your body, your ECS will respond by releasing messengers (or eCBs) to restore balance. Outside sources like CBD will actually work with your ECS to tackle issues such as chronic pain, muscle fatigue, stress, and more.
When incorporated into consistent practice, yoga works in a similar way. One of the natural chemicals that your ECS produces is called anandamide aka the “bliss molecule” which feels very similar to the more common feeling of runner’s high or that post-workout uplifted feeling you can achieve after a successful workout or yoga session. The more focused and present you are in your practice the better chances that your body is producing more anandamide which helps keep your uplifted mood longer even after your session is complete.
CBD oil for easing stress and increasing focus
Yoga is all about centering your body and your mind, but let’s face it, there are so many things that demand your attention and can distract you during your practice. To ground yourself and prepare for your session, try taking CBD tincture 30-90 minutes before your practice starts (time varies from person to person).
Whether you’re taking it by itself or adding it to your food or drink, there are a ton of flavors to choose from here.
Drink your CBD before your morning practice
Another great option of pairing your practice with CBD is to drink it before your morning practice. Feeling a little groggier than usual and need an extra kick to get you to the mat? Strava’s CBD coffee might be just your speed. Not wanting caffeine or want a calmer session? Try Oleo’s raspberry rooibos tea mix.
Topical CBD for muscle relief
CBD works overtime to suppress the response your body can have when working out by stimulating the production of regulatory cells, and as a result manage pain. You can apply CBD topically to help ease muscle pain. We have a ton of topical CBD options to choose from including Social CBD’s cooling mint muscle balm and muscle rub for those achy post-practice muscles.
The bottom line, including CBD into a yoga practice is beneficial to every level of yoga, whether a seasoned yogi or beginner. Not only can it aid in relieving pain, but it can extend the benefits of calmness even after you leave the mat. At Stone and Leaf, we have a wide array of products to try out and see for yourself.