Here at HeyHelloHigh, we’re endlessly curious about the health and wellness benefits of integrating cannabis into various parts of our life. One particular practice we’ve been super into? Cannabis-enhanced yoga.

We sat down with Minelli of Yoga with Minelli to chat about her journey with cannabis, yoga, and meditation, and some helpful tips about how to integrate weed into your own practice.

Hi Minelli, thanks so much for taking the time to chat with us. Tell us a little bit about you! Where are you from, and how did you first start practicing yoga?

Thank you for having me! I’m originally from London but have been living in Los Angeles for 14 years now.

I started practicing yoga about six years ago, mostly because I wasn’t very physically active and wanted to do an easy workout to make me more flexible and stress-free.

Turns out yoga isn’t easy at all, but I’ve definitely been feeling more relaxed than ever since I started.

For a woman that’s curious about enhancing her yoga practice with weed, what are a few pro-tips you can share to get her started?

Take a strain/consuming method that you know and love, and practice somewhere you’re comfortable with – ideally at home or at your regular studio. Setting and intention have the greatest influence on what your experience will be so making sure you’re comfortable is key.

I’d also suggest consuming less cannabis than you’re used to because your high, while doing yoga and meditating, is going to be much more amplified than your regular high when you’re resting at home.

And my biggest pro tip would be to get super friendly with CBD! It’s good to be prepared mentally and intentionally for your weed and yoga practice, but just if you ever find yourself too high for the situation (like taking a much more intense studio class than you expected) having a CBD tincture on hand can relieve anxiety and mellow out your high in literally 30 seconds.

Do you have favorite strains for different practices? If so, what are your faves for vinyasa, hot yoga, and meditation?

I have way too many favorites! For vinyasa and hatha yoga I love Sativa strains like Pineapple Express, SFV OG, or Space Queen because they increase my awareness without exacerbating anxiety, so it’s a wonderful experience of yoga high and energizing Sativa high.

I also love OG Kush, Skywalker, Blackberry Kush, and most heavy Indicas for meditation and restorative styles of yoga because they bring deep awareness to my body and it’s sensations. My practice tends to be more on the chill side so I haven’t tried hot yoga before, but I’d try a little hit of Sour Diesel before giving it a go.

You have an incredibly strong community on Instagram & your blog, and you stay so active in connecting with them! Can you tell us a bit about #WeAreBGY and what experiences you gained from co-hosting in the challenge? 

The social media community is so unreal. #WeAreBGY was an Instagram yoga challenge I was invited to co-host and was a platform for black women and women of color to reclaim space and take ownership of their wellness through this daily yoga challenge and the reflection it encouraged.

Most of the participants weren’t familiar with the styles – there was Kemetic yoga, yoga Vivastra, and cannabis-enhanced yoga to name a few – but this was another aspect of the challenge, to step outside of your comfort zone.

The experience reminded me of the many different reasons people come to yoga and helped me find an even deeper connection with teachers and yogis just trying to feel and share the benefits of a mindfulness practice.

 In your opinion, what’s the biggest challenge facing women that use cannabis today? Any ideas on how we can collectively continue to break the stigma? 

The cannabis industry is thriving with women-owned business and the reinvention of cannabis as a lifestyle product, but there is still racial injustice against black and brown women who aren’t able to experience this plant without being criminalized, which is a huge challenge and problem.

Right now women are running more businesses in cannabis than any other industry, creating wellness-oriented products for women’s health and breaking down the stigma every day. I think if we continue to grow in this light while collaborating and lifting each other up, we’ll break the stigma for all women.

—

Thank you to Minelli for sharing her story with us! Have a question or story about integrating cannabis into your yoga practice? Leave her a comment below 👇🏽 and be sure to connect with Minelli on instagram & check out her blog here.