Cannabis yoga event being held in Waterloo Region for the first time

The legalization of pot has created new business opportunities and for the first time, Waterloo Region is hosting cannabis yoga.

Jessi Del Rosso, Owner of Enhanced Yoga, is bringing her brand of yoga to the studio space at Big Bliss in Kitchener on April 14.

A second class being held at Sekond Skin studios in Waterloo, set for April 20 (also know as 4/20).

The event are being billed as a yoga class “where we will flow, slow and low to eccentric chill wave style music, focus on our breath and explore free movement throughout the body.”

Participants are welcome to bring and use cannabis-infused oils and edibles during the class, while smoking and vaping has to be done outside in accordance to the Smoke Free Ontario & City of Kitchener By-Laws.

According to Del Rosso, there are a lot of studies on the impact of cannabis on anxiety and depression, and more studies connecting it to activities as well.

“Like nature walks, yoga and meditation, and combining that to get even higher benefits from those practices.”

Del Rosso has a cannabis medical licence to treat her own anxiety and depression, and in her own experience, found that yoga and pot go well together.

“I find that my body responds in a much more relaxed way. I'm able to connect with the postures and the yoga movements a little bit more deeply. My mind quiets a little bit better, so when I'm incorporating meditation into my practices, I can connect with that a little bit more.”

This isn't the first time someone has thought to combine yoga and pot.

In fact, Del Rosso had reached out and connected with the original Cannabis Yoga teacher, Dee Dussault, when putting together her class.

However, her brand of yoga is a little different due to legalization. Most practitioners operated out of homes and private residences, while Del Rosso moved hers into the studio space.

Although, she says she found it difficult to find studio owners open to hosting the event.

Del Rosso says the region is still rather “conservative” in some ways when it comes to pot.

“A lot of people came back to me with the idea of, 'oh we're just not sure how this would work,' or 'we're not sure that this is our clientele,' or ' we love what you're doing, but we just don't think it's for us,' so it was really discouraging trying to get this going.”

She eventually ended up with Big Bliss and Sekond Skin as venues, and according to her, the first event sold out within 24 hours

Del Rosso hopes to do classes on a monthly basis.