What do CBD and yoga have in common?
On top of that stretching has been shown to activate endocannabinoid receptors in the muscles. Which might help cannabinoids to engage more with the receptors. So with all the symbiosis let’s look at what the research has to say.
Apparently quite a lot.

1) Increased concentration
Davina Alexandra, a certified yoga teacher and founder of YogaWave, shared her experience with us: “I use my CBD oil after a yang practice. When I’m ready for Savasana or meditation I take 2 drops and it’s helping me to calm down and breath deeply even more. When I practice Yin yoga I love to take 1 drop before starting because it stimulates me, even more, to turn the focus inwards.”
2) Faster muscle recovery (reduced inflammation)
When muscles are working harder than usual or in a different way (maybe you are trying to master a new asana?), it is believed to cause microscopic damage to the muscles fibres, which then become inflamed, resulting in muscle soreness or stiffness. After healed muscles then become stronger and bigger.
A 2018 review published in Frontiers in Neurology concluded that CBD is an effective way of improving pain and mobility in patients with multiple sclerosis since it reduces inflammation.
As CBD is believed to be one of the best anti-inflammatory supplements, many athletes use CBD products to fasten their muscle recovery and recovery from injuries. A study points out that “cannabinoids are potent anti-inflammatory agents” and as CBD does not seem to have harsh side effects even taken in high doses it makes a good fit for an active routine.
Another way CBD could benefit muscle recovery is because of the endocannabinoid system (ECS) it is working on. ECS is believed to control the balance in your organism. It is thought to help regulate a variety of functions in humans including sleep, mood, memory, appetite, reproduction, and pain sensation. By aiding the endocannabinoid system, CBD can help the body to function more efficiently as CBD promotes homeostasis, reduces pain sensation and decreases inflammation.

3) Pain relief
Do your muscles feel sore after your yoga class?
Well, you are not alone!
With yoga asanas, people try to go beyond their own limits. And probably that is what yoga is all about. But sometimes going too far ends up in muscle pain or soreness. So how to relieve it?
And as another study has suggested that cannabinoids may bring positive effects on health by decreasing inflammation and decreasing pain. It is quite obvious that something is going on! And for the good of your health!
So CBD might help you “survive” muscle soreness by reducing inflammation and blocking pain. Moreover helping you stay in a positive mindset – as with muscle healing it is the waiting game. All the while CBD was shown to have “antipsychotic and neuroprotective” properties – it can help you stay in a more positive mindset while experiencing muscle pain.

4) Relief from stress, anxiety or depression
While yoga teaches to be here and now – in the present moment and not attached to the past or the future (which is usually clouded by our own anxieties) CBD is there for you.
Did you ever become so stressed and anxious about all the ongoing things in life that nothing helps – even that yoga practice which should have helped you get better. It is a vicious cycle. But don’t worry with CBD you can break out of this Saṃsāra.
Many people use cannabidiol (CBD) to combat anxiety, depression or stress and studies are now backing it up. In one study CBD has been shown to reduce anxiety for 79.2% of participants by supplementing it for a month while also improving sleep score for 66.7%.
In Davina’s words “it’s definitely a powerful tool when you want to focus more on breathing exercises, yin yoga or meditation. Being a very yang person, I’m always very active during the day. My focus during yoga practice is to calm the nerves system, try to let thoughts go and just be in the moment, observing my body. I really feel the CBD oil is helping more and more to release tensions or thoughts that are normally coming disturbing my practice”. She adds “I would surely recommend it [CBD]. Mostly for yin yoga or yoga Nidra.”
And she is right that CBD might help with various types of anxieties. A study found out that CBD is efficient in reducing anxiety behaviours, such as post–traumatic stress disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, a social anxiety disorder.
And as the study concludes that “Yoga has an effective role in reducing stress, anxiety, and depression” these two (yoga & CBD) seems to be a great fit.
The same study states that CBD is safe to use and has no anxiety-inducing effects: “Human experimental findings support preclinical findings, and also suggest a lack of anxiogenic effects, minimal sedative effects, and an excellent safety profile.”
Study results were that “CBD was shown to have anxiolytic, antipsychotic and neuroprotective properties.”
So if you are stuck in anxieties and negative thinking patterns – yoga and CBD can be a great duo to relieve it and help you stay more in the present moment.

5) Better mood (Prolonged bliss)
CBD can also help by prolonging the feelings of bliss after your yoga practice. When we feel good, or even better delighted, our brain produces a neurotransmitter called Anandamide. Ananda?
Isn’t it “bliss” in Sanskrit?
Yeah, you guessed it.
The name is taken from the Sanskrit word “Ananda”, which means “joy, bliss, delight”.
Anandamide, like all other neurotransmitters, breaks down rapidly in your body and that is why you feel only brief moments of bliss.
What does it have to do with CBD?

Conclusion
We now understand why yogi’s in ancient India referred to the Cannabis plant as one of the five sacred ones. Even though more research is needed, from the articles that we have about yoga & CBD we can tell that it is a really promising duo.
CBD can help take your yoga practice to another level. It is not a magical cure, but rather a tool that can help your muscles recover faster, prolong bliss, put you in a better mental state or increase concentration.
Did you try it yet? Here is a video guide we love to get you started:
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