cannabis curious…
I’ve been clear about the medicinal benefits of low dose cannabis for years. Actually more than 50 years. But here’s the deal: I’m firmly on the elder side of life and even though younger folk assure me times have changed, I feel a bit of trepidation writing publicly about this topic. Yet I’m clear that for some yoga students and physical therapy patients, a cannabis-supported session holds possibility. For healing. And I am all about that. And it feels irresponsible to continue to withhold information and opportunity.
So maybe the personal backstory is the best place to embark. Imagine southern California circa 1968. You’d have to be living in a closet to remain marijuana-unaware. Cannabis back then was super low potency. And it was all about recreation, an alternative to alcohol. Yes, I inhaled. And I survived, excelling at UCLA then accepted to the UCSF physical therapy program. Fast forward to 1971 when cannabis transitions from recreational to medicinal.
Typical days were spent just like this one: a four hour anatomy lab dissecting a hamstring muscle followed by an afternoon palpating the muscle’s origin, belly and insertion on fellow students. Feeling texture, observing how it bends a knee, extends a hip. How a hamstring feels when offered resistance, appreciating the sit bone attachment and myriad ways to stretch. I loved learning this stuff!
School days were long. Sometimes I’d wind down with a toke or two in the evening. But something happened on this hamstring night. I remember it like yesterday. I was aware of the length and breadth of my hamstrings like never before. A felt experience of living breathing anatomy, available in an expansive way light years beyond my classroom experience. It was like sensing through a magic gateway. This experience initiated a life long love affair with the wealth of my internal awareness, the treasure of my own deeper being. A portal permanently opened that night in 1971.
Over the years I’d dip in and out of personal use. For way too many years I’ve known it might be of benefit for particular patients and students. But there was a prohibitive legal stumbling block. And now there is not.
Who might benefit?
· Those challenged to feel what is happening on the inside, frustratingly unable to access internal experience. Cannabis can create heightened sensitivity to where tension is lodged and how to release holding patterns.
· What about pleasure? Duh! Cannabis can create an amplified sense of feel good joy. We all know that self-care requires discipline. But if self-care feels yummy, if it opens us to creative fun, we’re drawn to our mats.
· Mega-research has shown that for some, cannabis delivers an easing of pain and discomfort.
It is not for everybody. In this last year I’ve incorporated low dose cannabis with a handful of patients. In May 2024 I held 14 yoga students in a group experience. These sessions confirm what I have always imagined, delivering the benefits listed above.
Curious about some other takes on the subject? Love this NY Times story: Reaching A New High During That Workout. And of course, there is the classic read, Ganga Yoga, by Berkeley-based Dee Dussault. A short interview with Caroline Dorsen of NYU details stories from 15 facilitators of journeys for 1000’s of people using a variety of plant medicines. Maybe medicine would support your healing journey. Happy exploring!
And so if you're with me so far, I am excited to partner with Summer Moon, a studio that has experience in this type of offering. A studio that is in alignment regarding the ritual way in which it will be held. A studio that appreciates that an elder is holding this unique space. You can read more about how that will flow: scroll down to WORKSHOPS on this page.
❤️Bella