At the CBD Garage we are always looking for ways to help our customers enhance the use of our products. Many of the top uses of CBD include stress relief, better sleep and less aches and muscle discomfort. And you guessed it, practicing yoga each day can help with each of these health issues and much more. Hopefully we can convince you to add a yoga practice as part of your New Year’s resolutions!
Is yoga on your New Year’s resolution list?
For many, the practice of yoga is shrouded in mystery and mystique. And it’s also associated with many misconceptions. The most common misconception is that many think yoga can only be practiced by very flexible women in tights chanting the sound of “Om”. On the contrary, yoga can be practiced by anyone, of any ability, flexibility, and age. Yoga means, literally, in Sanskrit to join or connect. Yoga is about joining breath with motion, flexibility with strength and is often thought of as moving meditation. Practicing yoga can be a lifelong habit, as each day and each practice is different from the last. Although yoga was only introduced to the western world about 100 years ago, it has been practiced by other cultures for close to 5000 years.
The practice of yoga dates back to 3500-1500 BCE
The health benefits of yoga are numerous. Just like the way our Endocannabinoid System (ECS) supports our body’s desire to maintain a balanced state, yoga, as written in ancient scriptures is a balanced state of the body, mind, emotions, thoughts, intellect, and behavior. Could yoga be one of the first applications to tap into our ECS, just like taking CBD? Experts theorize that yoga can activate our ECS by stimulating the production of our endocannabinoids producing and activating its receptors.
Yoga produces a cannabinoid-like effect
Feeing stressed out? Yoga, just like CBD has been shown to curb anxiety and promote relaxation and calm. They both work by helping to address our reaction to stress or mitigate our “fight-or-flight” response. Even non-life-threatening stressors such as traffic jams, work pressure, and family difficulties can set off a cascade of stress hormones. Over time, repeated activation of the stress response can contribute to many health problems.
Yoga is a wonderful way to reduce stress
Yoga helps to regulate mood through focused breathing and postures, as well as by focusing the mind on physical experience rather than anxious thoughts. It also helps to reduce stress hormones, stimulating a relaxation response helping the body enter a relaxed state. Just like CBD, yoga also interacts the body’s ECS helping to produce a sense of calm.
Improving sleep quality is one of the top three reasons (right behind stress and pains) relief people take CBD and other cannabinoids. If you experience sleep issues, you have probably run through the many of the recommended suggestions to help you fall asleep more quickly or remain asleep. While there are many ways to help promote better sleep, people who practice yoga experience better sleep quality. Yoga is great for winding down and lowering stress levels after a busy day. In addition, yoga can relieve muscle tension, joint pain, and those night-time aches.
Yoga can improve your sleep quality
As an anti-inflammatory, CBD is most notably used to reduce aches and pains. Yoga can also help address some of the underlying causes. Yoga can help by relieving tight muscles and strained ligaments causing discomfort. Proper stretching can help align the body reducing inflammation of the joints. As mentioned previously, yoga can help reduce stress, which is responsible for making our perception to pain worse.
One of the most natural ways to address aches and discomfort.
When starting yoga, it is important to start slowly and work with a qualified instructor. There are also tons of instructors and classes online. My favorite way to practice is through the Downdogapp. Rather than siting through a pre-taped class you can design your own routine through their artificial intelligence program. And, they usually have a sale at the beginning of the year!
And, of course, contact our resident expert if you have any questions!