A growing surge of cannabis wellness retreats is focusing on women.
For centuries, women have come together in support of one another to discuss and find solutions for life situations that include intimate and personal issues. Seeking advice and support on topics ranging from fertility and health to emotional and physical healing, we had a sense of community that allowed us to thrive and feel like we had a village.
Unfortunately, in recent times there has been a shift in the societal narrative that tells us to be wary and untrusting of one another, causing a detrimental wedge among us that negatively impacts our ability to thrive and nurture our well-being. This disconnection not only pertains to each other, but it also relates to a detachment to nature and natural healing practices.
History shows that the connection between women, weed, and wellness dates back over 4,000 years. In a 2017 interview with Vice, Ellen Komp, author of Tokin’ Women: A 4,000 Year Herstory, shares how Queen Victoria used weed to quell the aches and pains of menstruation and how in the third millennium Ishtar, a predominant Siberian goddess, was associated with the cannabis plant.
However, decades upon decades of disconnection have left women depleted and longing for a reconnection—and there is hope! We are on the verge of a shift. The recent surge in the female-driven wellness and self-care movement has reignited women’s natural inclination to unite and engage in restorative healing practices and seek solace from the tedium of our daily lives.
As women continue to pioneer the wellness movement and establish themselves as a driving force in the cannabis industry, the merging of these two female-centric industries is upon us. As a result, there is a rise in women-only cannabis retreats across the United States—and the world.
Given the moniker “cannabliss retreat,” these getaways offer yoga and meditation and provide an atmosphere that encourages women to reconnect with one another and themselves while fitting in a “sesh” at their leisure–no judgment.
In a 2017 article by Erin Magner on Well+Good, Sailene Ossman, co-founder of Ganja Goddess Getaway, stated, “The vision is to offer women a way to connect with their divine feminine and to connect to each other as sisters, and we feel that cannabis is the ideal tool to accomplish both. We’re creating a movement of sisterhood and connection through cannabis.”
This emerging trend, coined feminism wellness by a report published by the Global Wellness Summit in 2018, is only anticipated to grow in the years to come. A Google search for “women’s cannabis retreats” generates roughly 3.2 million results. Add “in California” to that, and you’ll get just over 1 million results. So, ladies, if you’re searching for the perfect female-empowered “trip,” your options are plenty.
As science delves deeper into the cannabis sphere, I find it inevitable that a resurrection of the female connection through cannabis will continue to emerge. The women of today cannot afford to keep on keepin’ on the way we’ve been: overworked, overstressed, overlooked, overprescribed, and overwhelmed. We are left with no choice but to regain control over our own health and well-being and re-establish our connection to other like-minded women.
Article originally posted in Orange County Sensi June 2019 issue as well as San Diego Sensi June 2019 issue.