Maximum Yield Cannabis USA March/April 2019 | Page 30

“When you get present, you get closer to the divine
source in you. That’s when you start connecting with
who you really are. This practice helps you activate that
centering in all areas of life. It’s especially helpful when
things get a little chaotic,” says Starr, adding before prac-
tice she recommends asking herself some questions.
“Why am I taking this? What is my intention and how do
I want to feel? I call on protection and guidance. Because
we are more energetically open when we use cannabis and
other mind-altering substances, we need to be mindful. It’s
very important that the environment we are in is supportive
of our intentional journey with the plant.”
Cannabis Yoga Training
Teachers come to be instructors through different paths.
Most teachers of cannabis, yoga, and meditation practice
have been using cannabis and learning yoga and medi-
tation on their own for several years. State governments
do not require yoga instructors to have a license. Yoga
organizations like the Yoga Alliance do not certify instruc-
tors. They register individuals who have completed a
certain number of hours in teaching and training others.
Introductory classes in cannabis yoga and meditation typi-
cally cost between $15-$30 a person for a 90-minute session,
with private instruction running close to $100 per person.
Amber Demers, a San Diego-based instructor, teaches
Ganja Yoga, a form of cannabis-enhanced yoga that origi-
nated with Los Angeles-based instructor Dee Dussault.
“I began practicing yoga as a young athlete. About three
years ago, I started using cannabis for lower back pain as a
medical patient. A couple months later, I learned and intro-
duced meditation into my daily life. I realized that when I
would use cannabis as part of my meditation practice, I was
able to reach a deeper level of focus and relaxation. I became
a 200-hour certified yoga instructor in November 2017, and then
attended Dee’s first Ganja Yoga Teacher Training program in
January 2018,” says Demers.
Jessica Clark, an instructor at The Soul Shack Yoga Studio
in North Hollywood, says she has been meditating since
she was a child.
“I started yoga when I was 19 because I suffered from bad
back pain. I went for physical reasons, but instantly after the
class I noticed the mental effects. Nineteen, coincidentally
enough, was also the age when I first started using cannabis.
After a month or two, I thought of combining cannabis and
yoga. Then I went to India and studied yoga at an ashram. In
2010, I became certified as a yoga instructor. I’ve been practic-
ing cannabis-enhanced meditation and yoga in my own prac-
tice as well as with private clients since 2014. I began offering
cannabis-enhanced classes to the public in 2017,” Clark says.
What Practice Can Do for You
A healthy session should leave you relaxed, energized, and
mindful. Do not be surprised if you rest or sleep as part of the
session. The point of combining the three elements is not to
achieve a set goal, but see where the cannabis, movement,
and meditation take you.
“You can use cannabis to tune out or really tune in. What
I learned about myself is I definitely had not been using
cannabis the right way in the past. Maybe I had even been
abusing the plant. Now, by combining cannabis, yoga, and
meditation, I’ve brought about a complete paradigm shift in
my own health and understanding of plant communication.
Being an instructor helps me share the healing with
others,” says Carlevale.
“The point of
combining the three
elements is not to
achieve a set goal,
but see where the
cannabis, movement,
and meditation
take you.”
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