By Allessandra Inzinna
Club Space bustles with both the sober and intoxicated every Saturday at 4:20 p.m. Dozens of yogi, or people dedicated to the practice of yoga, surround TiffTopia as she starts off the class.
“What a beautiful space to do yoga in and be able to be in our element, together, with a like-minded community,” she said, at the beginning of a live-streamed lesson on Feb. 25.
TiffTopia, or Tiff Levy, is a yoga enthusiast, founder of 420 Space Yoga, mindful-based stress reduction professional, and a leader of retreats across the globe. Based in Miami, her weekly yoga classes take place there, whether on a beach or in the iconic venue Club Space.
Levy started practicing yoga in college to help with general stiffness and body pains. As she graduated and transformed into an, as she says, “extreme corporate girly,” yoga and cannabis became her calm, safe space. Prone to an overactive mind–once tousling with the nickname “ADD”–both cannabis and yoga provided Levy with tools to unclench her body and mind. The prescription drugs just weren’t helping.
“The journey started with wanting to find ways to help myself move without pain and how to release traumas,” Levy said. “The medicines that they give you these days – sorry – they just don’t help as much.”
In 2016, a little over 20% of U.S. adults, about 50 million people, suffered from chronic pain. A few studies found that cannabis is particularly helpful in treating discomfort from damaged nerves, but more studies are needed about cannabis becoming a tried and true alternative for pain management, according to the CDC.
Some, like Levy, stepped ahead of the studies.
Before Levy became TiffTopia, she worked with local municipalities, hospitals, and businesses as a business-to-business saleswoman. Her days were filled with pressure, looming quotas, and never a true minutes’ rest, except for yoga. Through meditation and mindfulness, she reached an epiphany.
“How I ended up turning my business into a business is realizing that you don’t have to be one thing,” she said.
Almost a decade ago, Levy took her health into her own hands. With yoga and cannabis, she was able to look inward and decide what she wanted her life to look like.
“[Weed] can be one of those things that just takes you from super hyper to super relaxed so you can focus,” she said. “You pause and think it through because you’re on THC.”
Studies show that pure THC, the psychoactive component in cannabis, decreases anxiety at lower doses and increases anxiety at higher doses. For Levy, the relaxation it provides puts her in a deeper mode of reflection and meditation–perfect for practicing yoga.
“Yoga and THC have definitely been my calm and my peace, it’s the right combo for me,” She said. “Doesn’t mean that it’s for everybody.”
The scientific research on combining weed and exercise is a bit wishy washy, with limited studies shown on whether it hinders or promotes athleticism. The general reasons for using cannabis while exercising is equally indecisive. A study in the Journal of Cannabis Research found that participants reported using weed as a tool to both increase body awareness and decrease body awareness, though more reported an increase in awareness and focus. Many studies on the subject call for the same thing–more research.
But, for Levy, combining the two into one cohesive class just made sense.
Levy founded 420 Space Yoga in 2016 with a meager group of about 10 friends. Attendance has grown spectacularly in recent years, with the entirety of Club Space stacked with 300+ yoga mats every Saturday.
Whether participants smoke before, during, or after the session is completely up to them. But Levy prefers that they have a moment together to toke, talk and share with each other before or after. She walks in, ready to teach, and waves hello to participants she recognizes. Then, the room slowly clouds with smoke.
“I get teary-eyed thinking about it. Just to fill people in the room, unclench their bodies and their jaws and just smile and to understand that they’re normal,” she said. “We’re all going through this crazy human experience.”
