by Dan Ketchum
Your dad’s high was loopy, hazy, groovy giggles on the basement futon or in the back of a VW Vanagon. Your high, though, has come a long way. With well over 700 strains available and highs that can make you feel anything from transcendental to spry, cannabis ascended from the couch decades ago.
So with that in mind, here’s how to have a good high, without a living room in sight.
1. Paddleboard Yoga
You already know that yoga strengthens everything from your heart to your balance to your overall strength, all while helping manage stress levels. Now heighten that action even further with the sensory orgasm of ocean air, lapping waves and gentle bobbing you’ll get with standing paddleboard yoga. Amplify the experience with calming, focusing, body-loosening indica, like the Max OG, Blueberry Bomb and Herijuana strains you’ll find in our Houdini pen.
2. Coasteering
As much of a family bonding experience as it is a trip for adrenaline junkies, coasteering is all about exploring a rocky coastline — from King Range to Big Sur, California — via an invigorating combination of climbing, jumping and swimming. Often capped with the satisfying rush of a big cliff jump, this activity means that you’ll need an accredited operator to keep things safe and a full-body high to crystallize the experience.
3. Sculpture Park Sketching
This low-cost, low-key opportunity to take in both art and the outdoors is, in our estimation, vastly underrated. Take an afternoon stroll to absorb some culture, indulge in a creative strain like Super Silver Haze or Stardawg, and pack your pencils. Some recs include Sculpture Trail in Sonoma County, Ricardo Breceda’s Sky Art Sculptures in Borrego Springs, the Fran and Ray Stark Sculpture Garden in LA or Isamu Noguchi’s California Scenario in Costa Mesa— chances are, there’s a venue near you for free.
4. VR Experiences
If you’ve ever been a kid, you’ve probably dreamed of soaring through the air on your own wings, blasting ghosts with the Ghostbusters, or going toe-to-toe with Darth Vader — turns out, you can absolutely do these things as an adult in 2021 with the power of virtual reality. Make sure your body responds well to virtual spaces with a trial go at something more accessible via a smartphone or home console VR, then heighten your mental clarity with a triple-strain Over the Rainbow sativa blend. In the U.S., VR experiences like The VOID and Birdly offer fully-featured, life-like experiences that you just can’t get at home.
5. Sensory Deprivation
On the other end of the spectrum from VR’s audiovisual overload, sensory deprivation is a form of therapy that completely cuts you off from all outside stimulation, including sounds and sights. Also known as isolation tank or flotation tank therapy, these personal venues offer you a chance to strip down and enter a dark, soundproof chamber where your body floats in shallow, buoyant salt water and your brain lets go in a way that you’ve likely never felt before. Pair the experience with our potent Phantom premium vape pen for truly blissful harmony.
6. Nordic Walking
The American Nordic Walking Association estimates that Nordic pole walking exercises up to 80 percent of your body’s muscles, all while remaining a low-impact form of exercise. Think of this Finland-born trend as a bit of off-season skiing, presenting you with a new way to vigorously experience your favorite hiking trails as you focus on form and balance with each step. CBD-dominant strains (like Phantom’s Jellyfish) can help you attain that focus along the way.
7. Sculling
While Nordic walking eases you into the wondrous power of nature, sculling — an intensive form of double-oared rowing — positions you as nature’s challenger, cutting through glassy waters with the wind on your face and the shore at your back. Train for the Head of the Charles in Boston, pump down Buckley Cove in Stockton or Lake Merritt in San Francisco, or marvel among the views of Lake Tahoe. Embolden your body and mind with an energetic strain like Harlequin or Pineapple Express.
8. Sound Bathing
It’s no secret that meditation pairs with cannabis like aged port pairs with blue Stilton cheese, but hours-long outdoor and indoor sound baths raise the experience to a spiritually soaring level, using all-encompassing aural notes from Aboriginal didgeridoos or Tibetan singing bowls, for instance, to decrease your pulse rate and soothe the parasympathetic nervous system. Consider calming, euphoric or cosmic indica strains your meditation partner.
Looking for even more ways to enjoy your high? Check out eight more adventurous ideas.
Dan Ketchum is an LA-based freelance lifestyle, fashion and food writer with more than a decade of experience. A former mixologist, he’s been fortunate enough to collaborate and publish with companies such as FOCL, Vitagenne, Reign Together, Out East Rose, SFGate, The Seattle Times and more.
Sources:
Medical News Today – What Are the Most Popular Strains of Cannabis?
Johns Hopkins Medicine – 9 Benefits of Yoga
Visit Wales – What Is Coasteering?
Departures – The Most Beautiful Sculpture Parks and Gardens in the U.S.
Trvl Channel – The 8 Best Virtual Reality Experiences Around the World
Healthline – Everything You Need to Know About Sensory Deprivation Tank Therapy
ANWA – Beginner’s Guide to Nordic Pole Walking
BU Today – Sculling Is Beautiful, Not Easy
Allure – I Tried a Sound Bath – Here’s What This Meditative Practice Is Really Like