High On Yoga: California Teacher Integrates Marijuana Into Class

SAN FRANCISCO, CA --A San Francisco yoga instructor is taking the physical and spiritual practice to a new high. Dee Dussault is the founder of Ganja Yoga, a class that incorporates marijuana into the practice.

Dussault, 38, said she began incorporating marijuana into her practice the moment she became a certified yoga instructor in 2007.

“I found, for me, with my personal yoga practice, cannabis really enhances the connection to my body,” said Dussault, who has been practicing the ancient exercise since her teen years. “I go deeper into the stretches. It helps me feel more present instead of multi-tasking.”

Dussault’s Ganja Yoga classes are two hours long, with the first 30 minutes dedicated to smoking cannabis. She said she provides locally-grown marijuana to her students, but they’re also encouraged to bring their own to share.

“We smoke at the beginning,” Dussault said. “Once we’re in our enhanced state then we do the practice.”

Dussault said her classes have attracted people from throughout the world, but many of her students are also high-power Silicon Valley executives looking to relax from their daily, stressful jobs. Prior to this year when the recreational use of marijuana became legal, students were required to have a medical marijuana license.

“A lot of people have said it’s the most relaxed that they’ve ever been,” Dussault said. “The combitionation of the two modalities, yoga and cannabis, can really help them destress. It’s become the highlight of their week.”

The popularity of Dussault’s classes have launched her into the national spotlight with book publisher HarperOne approaching Dussault to write about cannabis and wellness. “Ganja Yoga: A Practical Guide to Conscious Relaxation, Soothing Pain Relief, and Enlightened Self-Discovery” has sold thousands of copies since it was released in 2017, Dussault said.

Dussault has also launched a Ganja Yoga teacher training program, a certification course for current yoga instructors looking to incorporate cannabis into their classes. Dussault said her first training program, which is certified under Yoga Alliance, attracted 18 people from throughout the country to San Francisco. She plans to teach another training in Los Angeles before traveling the rest of the U.S. for more trainings.

“We’re breaking some misconceptions about cannabis,” Dussault said. “Many people see it as a drug similar to other illegal drugs, but it’s a medicine. We’re changing the global attitude toward the plant.”

For more information about Ganja Yoga or Dee Dussault, go to deedussault.com.

--Photos courtesy of Dee Dussault