Sanna Ohana Yoga & Wellness held a session of CBD yoga last night at Garden State Hemp in Millburn that was quite educational. In addition to yoga exercises, the event sought to inform people about the benefits of CBD.
“We really do have a system for this plant that offers us so many opportunities for healing,” Sanna Ohana co-owner Estefania Valencia explained to the crowd as she conducted the yoga class. “It switches us from the masculine energy of hustling… to an energy where we go with the flow, a feminine energy.”
Having studied the nuances of cannabis to heal themselves successfully, Sanna Ohana’s owners are big proponents of the plant’s great healing powers. Since these are first and foremost yoga sessions, they might invite more yoga lovers to the session. Then these CBD yoga events could actually perform as a form of CBD marketing for those that may have never tried it before. People could leave their yoga sessions feeling better than they ever have done before because of the additional CBD, causing them to benefit more from the use of CBD products.
Valencia added that even if an individual were eating well and exercising but was under a massive amount of stress, the body isn’t going to work very well.
“It’s so much about mindset. Positive minds, it helps,” Valencia explained. “It’s a great framework to live by.”
The lights were dimmed, and soothing music set the tone as the yoga mats were rolled out and the class began. The tables of Garden State Hemp merchandise were moved to the back.
“Your endocannabinoid system speaks to you every day, whether yore listening or not,” Valencia said. As she taught the class, she explained the reason for the moves and connected them to Eastern spiritual traditions such as Qi Gong.
“Listen to your body. Create a calm state of mind to actually listen. Actually listen and feel. It gives you so much sensitivity,” she advised the class at Garden State Hemp.
Free CBD snacks and oil were available for people to try, along with information on the subject.
Don’t drink your CBD oil,” said Oleg Mary Aces, co-founder of Lock & Key Remedies. “Stomach acid kills 85 to 90 percent of it. It really must be kept under the tongue till it’s basically all absorbed.”
Valencia and her Sanna Ohana co-founder Salam Diri, along with Mary Aces, have exhibited at Canna Popup. Diri and Valencia also performed at Cannademix last year.
CBD Yoga Gurus
Diri and Valencia started dating in November 2017. Shortly after, he tore his bicep and couldn’t get surgery immediately. To make matters worse, Valencia contracted Lyme disease and had a negative reaction to the antibiotics she received.
Prior to getting into CBD Yoga, Diri was a personal trainer and owned a gym in Hoboken. He didn’t have insurance and it took six weeks before he could finally have surgery on his bicep. Doctors didn’t think Diri could recover. Instead of painkillers, he used CBD and cannabis to heal, along with breathing exercises.
Valencia eventually stopped using antibiotics and used CBD, cannabis, and breathing exercises. Before that, her whole leg was quite swollen. Two months later, in January 2018, they started doing hot and regular yoga with CBD and began healing a lot faster.
Valencia had a background in zoology and was a veterinarian before becoming ill. Originally from North Bergen, she has been an enthusiast of both yoga and cannabis since she was 16. When her mother was in a severe car crash, she convinced her to use cannabis brownies to heal. It worked wonders.
Valencia moved from the veterinary field to running a toxicology laboratory department in Bergen County.
“That’s when I saw the real truth of the medical industry. I was seeing kids getting these crazy prescriptions. It was really sketchy,” she said. Changing jobs, she was going through a stressful period, and her knee swelled. It was then Valencia discovered she had Lyme disease that was like contracted through her work with animals. What’s worse, the antibiotics she took caused her to have hormonal, acne, and severe stomach issues, including ulcers. She went from 116 pounds to 90 pounds in two months. Valencia could barely function.
“You’re going to feel like this for the rest of your life. Just take a lot of ibuprofen,” Valencia said, recounting her doctor’s advice.
Dissatisfied with such a terrible diagnosis. Valencia treated herself holistically by studying Eastern philosophy and medicine. Also, she began eating an organic diet, and doing breathing exercises along with yoga regularly. Valencia also began using CBD as well. After a few months, she returned to her normal self.
Once they were healing faster, they decided to learn how to be yoga instructors and teach people to combine yoga, CBD, and cannabis to create balance and heal. Their first event was in November 2018, once they were certified in yoga and acro yoga, even though they were still hearing.
Launching a Yoga Business
“We need to create this company because everybody needed to learn about alternative treatments and alternative ways to heal,” she said. They began doing events at Salam’s gym, starting with 5 to 10 people. It slowly grew to where they had 60 to 70 people.
“Wow, we’re into something,” she said. In 2019, they had their one-year anniversary of yoga, and Eye Witness News did a story on them that aired nationwide.
We get a lot of new people at our events. People that have never done yoga or CBD or cannabis before. They say they want an alternative way to heal anxiety, pain, aches,” Diri explained. “We also think our community atmosphere also helps people heal and connect and creates a wellness community.”
“We like to help you look in and help you connect to other people,” Valencia added.
They have since been invited to speak at conferences and do events in New York, Washington, DC, Baltimore, California, and even St. Croix.
Garden State Hemp launched Thanksgiving weekend and has been doing quite well. They actually put up a billboard recently to advertise the store.