Needless to say, it’s been weird this last year or so. If you’re feeling stressed about the pandemic, venturing back to “normal,” embracing your new permanent work-from-home lifestyle, or heading back into the office, don’t worry—you’re not alone! We’re all adjusting to life post-COVID, and we just barely adjusted to life during COVID, so it’s okay to feel off. We all do. Fortunately, the United Nations started a yearly celebration that can help all of us find some calm—International Day of Yoga on June 21.
The International Day of Yoga was proposed to the UN by India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014. It was backed by a record 175 member states because, well, the benefits of yoga are undeniable. Study after study shows that it not only helps the body, it helps the mind. Some benefits of yoga include:
- Encourages relaxation and sleep
- Benefits heart health
- Increases energy and boosts mood
- Promotes self-care
- Eases back pain
- Improves balance, strength, and flexibility
Yoga originated out of India and is believed to have started with the beginning of civilization, before any religions or belief systems came into play. All these years later, the goal of yoga has remained the same—uniting the body and mind in harmony. It sounds like a lofty goal, but if you practice yoga long enough (or even just once), you certainly start to feel it. It’s easier said than done in today’s fast-paced, technology-ridden world, but that incessant noise is all the more reason to give it a try!
And if you still find it hard to escape the chatter of today with just yoga, consider enjoying some cannabis with your yoga practice. Cannabis also has the ability to bring you into the present moment, if you let it. And expanding into the moment through cannabis can help you get deeper into your yoga meditation, compounding the benefits.
So today, instead of chalking one up to another Monday, consider adding a little stretching and mindfulness to your routine. The UN is hosting an international celebration live on UN WebTV from 8:30-10 AM EST that will feature messages from the President of the United Nations General Assembly and the Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, as well as demonstrations of yoga exercises and a panel discussion on “Yoga for well-being,” this year’s theme. And if you miss it in the morning, or you want to experience it again, you can always watch the recording.
Together, the world collectively endured, and continues to endure, COVID-19. If we can do that together, we can certainly enjoy some sun salutations and meditation together. And hopefully, someday soon, we can all enjoy cannabis together too.
Until then, we can at least enjoy cannabis and yoga together as Arizonians! If you’re in the Sun City, Tempe, or Scottsdale areas, swing by your local Sol Flower cannabis dispensary to get your supplies for a mindful yoga practice. Because every day should be lived with sol.
