Cannabis and Yoga May Shape the Acute Cannabis Experience, Small UBC Dissertation Finds
A 2023 doctoral dissertation from the University of British Columbia suggests that what people do after using cannabis may influence how they experience its effects. In a small within-person study, participants reported greater state mindfulness and mysticality after completing yoga than after spending the same amount of time on their usual activities.
The research, “Cannabis Under the Influence of Yoga: The Impact of Mindful Movement on Well-Being Outcomes After Cannabis Use”, was conducted by Sarah Elizabeth Ann Daniels. It examined the idea of “set and setting”—a person’s mindset, surroundings and behavior—as a potential influence on cannabis-related outcomes. While these factors are widely discussed in psychedelic research, Daniels noted that they have received less attention in studies of cannabis use.
Forty-seven participants self-administered cannabis during two sessions held about a week apart. After using cannabis, they completed a 45-minute yoga practice during one session. During the other, they spent 45 minutes doing their usual activities while intoxicated, such as watching television, eating, socializing or doing household tasks. Because the same participants took part in both conditions, the researchers could compare each person’s responses across the two sessions.
After each session, participants completed measures of state mindfulness, mysticality and state affect. State mindfulness refers to moment-to-moment awareness of thoughts, feelings and bodily sensations. The mysticality measure captured experiences such as tranquility, altered time perception and feelings associated with eternity or the infinite.
The yoga condition was associated with significantly higher scores for both state mindfulness and mysticality. The researchers reported no significant difference in participants’ overall affect, meaning that yoga did not produce a measurable change in mood compared with usual activities during the study.
Participants also commonly described becoming more aware of their bodies and movements while practicing yoga after cannabis use. Seventy-two percent said they would be interested in combining cannabis and yoga again. That response indicates that the activity was broadly acceptable to this group, but it does not establish that the combination is beneficial, safe or appropriate for everyone.
The findings are best understood as evidence that context may affect the short-term subjective experience of cannabis—not as proof that cannabis and yoga improve mental health. The study was small, participants chose and administered their own cannabis, and outcomes were measured immediately after single sessions. It did not test whether the practice reduced depression, anxiety or other diagnosed conditions over time, nor did it show that yoga caused lasting therapeutic effects.
The dissertation nevertheless raises a useful research question: could intentional, body-focused activities influence the effects people seek from cannabis? Future studies with larger and more diverse samples, standardized cannabis doses, better controls and longer follow-up would be needed to answer that question and to determine whether any benefits outweigh potential risks.
Yoga itself may support general wellness and may help some people manage stress or symptoms of anxiety and depression, although the evidence varies by condition and type of practice, according to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. Cannabis, meanwhile, can impair attention, coordination and judgment. Health Canada’s overview of cannabis health effects provides information on those risks and on factors that can affect a person’s response.
For now, the UBC research supports a cautious conclusion: the setting and activity surrounding cannabis use may shape how an experience feels, but yoga should not be presented as a proven treatment for cannabis-related or mental-health problems.
