When you hear “Los Angeles”, what comes to mind first? Most people might summon images of the Santa Monica Pier or the Hollywood sign. If you’re a jaded local you might have flashbacks to your commute on the 405. Understandably, many of the images that capture the cultural imagination are situated on the westside of Los Angeles, but this part of the city is huge and portions of it are often forgotten– parts of the city where real Angelenos live, work and eat.

Mid-City is one such place. Tucked between downtown and the sunny Instagram-famous parts of West LA, is the home and formative muse of Charles Bukowski, Ray Charles’ recording studio, a dispensary at the forefront of cannabis retail, and hidden in an unassuming gas station, the best al pastor taco in LA.

Situated on the frontage road off Venice Boulevard, the Pottery is hard to miss with its vibrant pink and blue mural painted across their in-house cultivation center. The check-in process is short, cursory and allows you a moment to take in the rest of the modern, open concept space that shows off their product. The minimalist geometric designs bring to mind a “record store vibe”, an atmosphere that veteran budtender Willy Christie actively tries to curate. “The difference is immediate when you walk in,” Willy reminisces, “I told myself I’d never do retail again. Literally said the words ‘I’m never Windexing a countertop ever again.’ But I was a brand ambassador doing demos across every dispensary in LA until I came here and… I knew I had to work here.”

To the left, there are equally minimalist and surprisingly tasteful apparel. In the center of the floor, long tables feature everything from premium accoutrements like modular titanium water pipes to leather and rum-scented MALIN+GOETZ candles. Even if this is all Greek to you, the place is designed to welcome the curious, something Willy is proud of. “We really tried to make this a place you could feel comfortable bringing your mom or your grandma. We’re happy to give them our full attention, baby them through every product.”

We really tried to make this a place you could feel comfortable bringing your mom or your grandma.

Willy continues, “but if you’re a vet, we also love to talk shop; what new strains are good, what’s making waves in the industry.” Which makes sense because as one of the few dispensaries with an in-house indoor cultivation center for their Fade Co. brand, the floor staff are uniquely qualified to discuss the ins-and-outs of what sets good flower apart from the best. Alex Brown, one of the managers, explains, “Everyone is working towards being the best dispensary in LA but it comes down to customer service and we make that our #1 priority.” The best part is, whether it’s due to their decidedly un-touristy location, their Fade Co. Friday deals, or their kickass first time patient deal, their price point is exceedingly reasonable. And as if that wasn’t enough, they also have their own delivery service, complete with huge service area and an incredibly convenient 25 minute delivery average. You can’t even get Postmates that quickly.

That’s not to say this part of the city doesn’t have activities or good fare to offer. On the contrary, Mid-City is home to two legendary Los Angeles staples. You’ve got the new flagship Roscoe’s Chicken and Waffles location, started by a Harlem native Herb Hudson in 1975 when he wanted to bring good ol’ down home Southern soul food to this corner of the country. The classic Southern combo has been a quintessential cultural institution in LA ever since, sporting mentions in Rush Hour, Swingers, Tarantino’s Jackie Brown, and countless West Coast hip-hop songs.

But the real hidden gem is Leo’s Taco Truck. You know when you sit down to have an 8 dollar taco and it’s pretty good– but you think to yourself, “I bet there’s some taco truck at a gas station on a random street corner that blows this out of the water.” Well, this is that taco truck. Virtually across the street from The Pottery, perennially parked at the Sinclair on the corner of La Brea and Venice is this mythical taco truck. For an honestly criminal $1.50, the good people of Leo’s shave off a glistening, sumptuous portion of their al pastor spit, top it off with a pineapple piece and pop it on a fresh mini-tortilla. A tradition brought to Mexico from Lebanese immigrants, the eternally roasting, vertical spit, pineapple-and-pork combo is now a common sight among most Mexican cities, but Leo’s is LA’s preeminent ambassador of this serendipitous culinary remix that embodies what it means to be an Angeleno.

The post Community Spotlight – The Pottery, Mid-City appeared first on Flowertown.

It’s nearly impossible to live in Los Angeles without some kind of a desert pilgrimage. For many, it’s poolside in Palm Springs. For others, it’s a tent in Joshua Tree. It could be a stretch of BLM land with no one around or even Badwater Basin up in Death Valley.

For me, it’s Pappy & Harriet’s. One of the uniquely Californian things I’ve stumbled upon in my dirt road outings is this concert venue bar and grill that is – for all intents and purposes – in the middle of nowhere.

Dispensary by The Leaf El Paseo – CC BY

On my way for an annual trip, after making the most of the spaghetti-against-the-wall sprawl of highways between the Palm Desert and LA, I stopped at The Leaf outside of Palm Springs. I purchased the Canndescent flight pack of pre-rolls, knowing that I’ll be equipped for whatever the situation requires. Then I hopped back on the Twentynine Palms Highway and headed due east, over the mountain pass, to the high desert.

Pappy & Harriet’s is in Pioneertown. What else is? A dirt main road featuring local art stores, two quite lucky private residences, and a couple event spaces (a barn and a bowling alley).

Motel by Adam Naples – CC BY

Oh, there’s also a motel that’s been featured in the New York Times. Lore from musician friends has it that once upon a time Pappy’s owned the Pioneertown Motel and, if you were lucky enough to have your band’s name on the marquee, all you had to do for a night’s sleep was stumble across the dirt parking lot to your room at the motel.

Not so much anymore as both spots have been blown up to a bit of cult standing with appearances from Paul McCartney, Robert Plant, and more big name acts to count. There’s a bit of money to be made and the motel rooms are worth a pretty penny.

The town itself was built in the ‘40s as a movie set for Gene Autry, the town saloon being what is now Pappy & Harriet’s. Since then, Pappy’s has changed names and hands a few times, essentially becoming a desert biker bar/honky tonk accessible only by word of mouth or to those who took the wrong way to get to where they want to be. It, like its reputation, grew over the decades to the destination it is now.

Walking down main street Pioneertown at sundown is a treat, especially after lighting up Canndescent’s Connect pre-roll. Rimrock, the next “town,” is full of foothills and mesas from the back side of Big Bear. It’s a fantastic opportunity to get high, decompress, watch the colors change over the Joshua Trees, sage scrub, and prickly pears before your show.

The central anchor of this square mile or two is Pappy’s, which is as close to an oasis as you may find. Rising from the desert, this meandering, wooden-floored, BBQ-smoke-drenched beer hall has drinks, good food, and even better bands.

There’s a back patio with ample seating, standing, and wandering around space. It’s next to the brilliantly-massive BBQ pit that’s constantly wafting oaky deliciousness with the sizzle of steak fat dripping onto hot coals. Bands often loiter there, as the easiest stage access door is under a large light in a little nook guarded by a bouncer and crowded with guitar boxes and drums.

Nikki Lane by Flaunt – CC BY

There’s also a second stage outside that looks like an old west ruin with brick poking through crumbling white paint and a partial roof covering a stage and picnic tables, the rest of the area left open to the stars.

Inside, desert dust is strewn about by cowboy boots and beer flows like water from a spring. When I asked the bartender whether I should get the corn or the mashed potatoes as a side to my skirt steak it stopped her in her tracks during an unusually busy hour. After a second or two of deep contemplation, she went with the mashed potatoes. She wasn’t wrong. They never are.

As is expected, the specialty is steak. The ribeye seems to be as thick as two hands and wide as a beavertail cactus pad. It’s the most popular item I saw on tables.

A steak dinner, drinks, and a show at a place as singularly unique and special as this makes the trek worth it and then some. Add a night at the motel and you got yourself a perfect desert getaway without a lick of chlorine, sugar-saturated tiki cocktails, or Palm Springs traffic.

The post The desert oasis you’ve never heard of appeared first on Flowertown.

As cannabis becomes increasingly legalized in the States and, therefore, accepted for both its health and recreational benefits, a situation has developed that historically has never been an issue.

As more people come out of the proverbial “green closet,” so, too, are more conversations about cannabis.

Which now includes how to talk to your kids about your own cannabis use, as well as theirs.

Having these discussions is never easy, and this is especially true when you’re the one getting caught with a pre-roll in your pocket that you can’t justify as “holding it for a friend.” So rather than lie to your children about enjoying a plant that has remarkable health benefits, tell the truth.

But that’s easier said than done. We know just as much as anyone how hard telling the truth can be, and that telling your kids about your use of something considered an illegal substance by the government may not go well, especially if their own teachers preach the same form of prohibition.

So we sat down with Melissa Brohner-Schneider, LMFT, a licensed family therapist and host of the popular podcast, The Other F Word-Conversations About Failure , to help us get into the nitty gritty on talking to your kids (and other family members) about cannabis.

Q

What are great ways to talk to my kids about cannabis?

A

Start by sharing some clear facts. This will be helpful in clearing up any misconceptions.

Explain why cannabis is now legalized, for both medicinal and recreational use, and talk about the difference between use and abuse. Educate about the difference between adults obtaining cannabis legally from a licensed dispensary vs. the black market, where they can get unsafe products that haven’t been tested for their safety by accredited laboratories and organizations.

The culture surrounding cannabis has often been glamorized in pop culture, but emulating certain behaviors can be risky. It’s important to stress how crucial responsible use is.

Talking about misconceptions is also imperative.

Take the time to be curious and listen to what your children perceive cannabis is. Odds are it will be a mixed bag of misconceptions and truths. Children are often misinformed, due to peers or social media, so try to clear up any confusion and educate, educate, educate!

As far as talking to teenagers who may be starting to rebel, you’ll want to foster a sense of safety and trust in your relationship. Come from a a place of curiosity. Listen to their ideas. Try to be open and non-judgmental.

This might be one of the biggest challenges as a parent, especially if you are worried about their safety and judgement out in the world.

It is okay to tell your teenagers that you don’t want them to use, but help them understand why. If you just tell them it’s unacceptable and that’s the end of the story, you risk shutting them out of an important dialogue. It’s best to cultivate the ability to talk about these hard topics and help your teen to think for themselves after having more facts.

Some parents worry that just by talking about cannabis, you’re giving your teen permission to use, but this isn’t true; you’re helping to educate them so they can make smarter choices as they navigate their adolescence.

That’s our job as parents.

Not to control, but instead to guide in hopes of building critical thinkers and good problem solvers. This is new territory to traverse, so be open to hearing their thoughts, ideas, and experiences. Once they feel heard, they will hopefully be more open to hearing you, trusting your guidance, and feeling less of a need to rebel against your wishes and rules.

We want our teens to have the tools to navigate life, and this is a brand new world for all of us.

Of course, if your child is misusing or abusing any substance, you should do everything you can to get them the help they need.

Watch for warning signs, such as changes in academic functioning, peer isolation, mood instability, unusual secretive behavior, not caring about their usual interests or relationships, and erratic behavior, just to name a few.

Remember some of these symptoms are typical for adolescents not abusing a substance, so work hard to get more information before making accusations. Communicate concern and care, not judgement or shame.

Therapy and drug treatment is readily available for teens and families in need.

Q

How do I talk to my own parents about cannabis?

A

A good question to ask yourself is why do you want your parents to know?

Is it to share an important part of your life to bring you closer? Or is it that you believe cannabis can help that family member and you hope to share your experience and insight to expand their thinking on the medicinal benefits? Or perhaps you want their approval?

We all have family dynamics that impact how vulnerable and transparent we want to be, so do some self-exploration to better understand your motives.

Know that we can’t control how other people think or react, so prepare yourself for different outcomes of the conversation. Be sensitive to your parents, who were probably raised in a different generation, and how difficult it might be for them to reverse the stigma they have always known. This may require some patience and extra understanding on your part.

Ask for that, and model it as well.

Also, if addiction runs in the family, this might be a more loaded conversation, so try to approach it with empathy and compassion.

The most important part is the communication, so be clear from the beginning that you are sharing something important and would hope it can be the beginning of a more open conversation, free of judgement or shame.

Additionally, it might take a while for acceptance to come, so hang in there! Get support from friends who may be struggling with the same issue, or other challenging family conversations.

And, if the shift in perspective happens, enjoy the fact that you can bond with your parents in a new way.

Q

What steps can parents take to be responsible cannabis consumers?

A

The most important step is to have clear boundaries about usage and always remain in control. Don’t burden your child to have to worry or take care of you.

You’re the adult. Be responsible and moderate.

Because cannabis is now legal, it might feel like a free-for-all in terms of when and how much to use, but it is still important to be safe and know your limits.

Always keep safety in mind and model that behavior for your children, so don’t drive under the influence and stick to the prescribed dosage if used for medical purposes.

Additionally, store your cannabis in a safe place, away from children. Something like edibles can easily be mistaken for candy, so it’s imperative to take strong precaution to avoid this from ever happening.

Q

How can parents caution their children about cannabis when they themselves are consumers?

A

This is a tough question, and probably one of the newer issues. But by just acknowledging this discrepancy, it helps validate this mixed message.

It’s important to make the distinction between an adult brain, which is fully developed, and a child’s brain, which is not fully developed until the age of twenty-five.

Adult brains have the capacity to make sound decisions, solve problems, and control emotions (ideally), while children are still learning these skills as their brains develop.

This is similar to the thinking behind alcohol use. Keeping a child’s safety, health and well-being in mind is the primary goal for parents, so helping a child understand that this is at the root of the issue is quite important.

While there is new research about the effects of cannabis on the developing brain, and on specific medical issues such as childhood epilepsy, it’s still a growing field with limited information.

So it’s best to be more cautious and prioritize the child’s development when talking to them about your cannabis use and even their own.

Keep in mind, there is still a stigma associated with using cannabis, regardless of whether it’s medicinal or recreational. One way to help fight this stigma is to carve time and space in your own personal life to help educate your peers and family members, as well as learn as much as you can about the plant and its benefits so you can speak confidently and authoritatively.

The post “The talk”: a family therapist weighs in appeared first on Flowertown.

Ah, Ventura Boulevard. Forever immortalized in Tom Petty’s “Free Fallin’”, this old portion of the California Camino Real remains the primary artery of the San Fernando Valley. As a result, it’s lined with everything from brand name retail to unique mom-and-pops, some of the best food in the Valley, as well as some of the best dispensaries in the city.

This makes this sunny stretch of LA history the perfect setting for a weekend afternoon. Here’s a sample itinerary:

Our first stop, the brand-spanking-new Sweet Flower on Ventura and Colfax. Unlike most establishments in this city, they’ve even got a dedicated parking lot that’s rarely full. It used to be Perennial Holistic: clean, cozy and the budtenders were knowledgeable and attentive. After some downtime and a little elbow grease, Perennial emerged anew as Sweet Flower, thankfully with much of the great staff intact.

But by knocking down some walls, putting up some floor to ceiling windows, and opting for an open concept retail space, the new look is a warm and welcoming place for new consumers and veterans alike. While you’ll still need to check in with ID, there’s no longer a doctor’s/principal’s office style “room”, the space has been fully integrated into the rest of the store. It seems like a simple change, but for anyone who’s been to a dispensary before, it’s refreshing.

Among other steps forward are the demo products that line the shelves, a marked difference between the glass cases you have to ask a budtender to access in most dispensaries. It’s the same with the actual flower itself. Built up as the centerpiece of the space, individual uniform nugs of all brands, strains and profiles sit in glass-covered bowls that you can open, handle and smell yourself. Again it’s a simple shift, but being able to hold the packaging in your hand and read about it, to browse flower like it’s artisan produce rather than being treated like you can’t be trusted, it all adds up to help shed stigma and transform the experience for the better.

They’ve got a good selection of all the best brands including every kind of cannabis product under the sun but their flower selection cannot be beat. The selection isn’t necessarily exhaustive, but the simple and unobstructive way that the flower is presented and merchandised makes it easier to be truly happy with whatever you chose to take home that day. They also have a great selection of edibles and topicals, and most importantly, products that range all across the THC-heavy to the CBD-heavy so you can really explore the ratio that suits you best. But if you’re planning on exploring Ventura, I’d recommend a low-dosage edible or vaporizer; products better suited for a midday outing. Kiva’s Terra Bites or Plus Products gummies are easy, light 5mg doses and Sunday Goods makes an array of tasty, disposable vapes with varied THC/CBD ratios.

Alright, so you’re all stocked up. Where to next? I’ve been a hundred times and the question only gets harder to answer. A mere 5 minute walk down the street gives you Barrel & Ashes (a BBQ joint opened by the former chef de cuisine of The French Laundry), a Sushi Stop location (owner Shuji Kimura wakes up at 4am every morning to hand-select fish from the storied Downtown LA Fish Market and then only charges THREE DOLLARS for nigiri) among countless other mouthwatering spots lined up virtually back-to-back. But I’ll implore you to walk just a little bit further dear reader, down to the fork where Ventura Boulevard meets Ventura Place.

Because tucked behind this San Fernando thoroughfare is a sandwich-and-ice cream double feature that’s become my guilty pleasure. First, there’s Joan’s on Third. Counterpart to the original, celebrity-frequented artisan food marketplace/cafe in Hollywood proper, the beauty of this Studio City location is it’s much quieter; the first location’s oft-cited worst feature is the sheer amount of people, not to mention Hollywood traffic. The Studio City location has the same five-star sandwiches and salads, without the dull roar of tourists fighting over parking spots and Instagrams. I highly recommend their decadent, just-greasy-enough, Short Rib Sandwich. A healthier option, is their popular Chinese Chicken Salad. (Ok, it’s only relatively healthier.)

Afterwards, just next door is McConnell’s Ice Cream, the now 70 year-old, scratch-made California staple. Though recently more widely available in most halfway decent grocery stores, McConnell’s started out of a Santa Barbara dairy, and remains one of the few ice cream brands to actually manufacture their own cream. The Earl Grey & Shortbread, Turkish Coffee and Pistachio Amaretto flavors are some of my favorites and a great pick for those who avoid the uber-sweet. Otherwise, their Double Peanut Butter Chip and Pineapple Rum & Guava Jam are easy, crowd-pleasing slam-dunks. If you’re feeling even more adventurous, wander a little further down Ventura Boulevard and try the savory Goat Cheese and Olive-flavored ice cream down at the equally vaunted Salt & Straw. I’ve never been high enough to enjoy it but maybe you will.

The post Community Spotlight – Sweet Flower, Studio City appeared first on Flowertown.

Everyday it seems like there’s a new way to consume cannabis. But in the age of edibles, tinctures, patches and vapes, there’s only one true OG: flower. As a long-time consumer, the explosion of infused products is just as welcome to me as it is to newcomers. Lower, more consistent doses allow me to adjust my preferred state of mind more finely than ever. A wider variety of ingestion methods allow me to enjoy cannabis in a wider variety of settings and mitigates the direct correlation between my enjoyment of the plant and the amount of tar going down my throat. That said, flower is still, and likely will always be, my favorite way to enjoy cannabis.

How I Learned

As cannabis goes mainstream, it’s refreshing to see old stigmas and labels falling away. But as new brands and consumers clean up the “stoner” image, it’s important to preserve what was good about this culture we used to call counter-culture. In a space that was inevitably laden with risk (significantly more risk for people of color, of course), where no one could be blamed for being stingy or distrustful, the majority of my anecdotal experience with other cannabis consumers was of kindness and respect. Particularly in areas where the political or legal climate was less than welcoming, the significance of small acts of generosity was and is tenfold.

Some people might attribute this to the properties of the plant, but I like to credit the power of ritual. Not in the spiritual sense, (though that’s not an uncommon ascription) but in the anthropological sense. Much in the same way that the family dinner table or the bar/pub has codified social norms and acts into the consumption of food or alcohol, so has the smoke session for cannabis. The sequence of steps required to prepare flower for a group of people has, with exception to modern upgrades like grinders and percolator-stuffed water pipes, remained largely the same. These steps have been imbued with intention in a way that perpetuates consideration to those around you, keeping this part of cannabis culture alive in ways mass media never could. Unwritten laws like “Puff, puff, pass”, “don’t bogart the joint” and “corner the bowl” all derive from the same basic principle of etiquette: don’t be an asshole.

To Stop Coughing

It’s not hard to understand why burning flower can be intimidating or frightening to people just entering the space. The health risks are the most obvious, and it requires a certain level of dexterity with a flame and a practiced control of your breath. Worst of all, a misstep can cause a flower newbies worst nightmare: the dreaded coughing fit. Where the tingle in your throat turns into ahem, then a hack and then all of a sudden you’re trapped in a coughing prison. But follow the steps below and you’ll be able to enjoy flower just like our ancestors have for centuries.

First up, how to prep:

(If you’re partaking in a pre-roll, you can skip to the next section, this part has been done for you!)

1. Take care of your flower

Ensure the flower has been kept properly. Old, dried out herb will burn faster and make more likely you pull in more smoke than you mean to. You’ll want to keep your flower in sealed containers out of sunlight to keep it fresh. If you’ve just purchased from a legal dispensary you can be pretty certain they’ve taken the same care, you’ll want to keep it the same quality as long as you can!

2. Take care of yourself

Gather your smoking apparati and accessories: generally a grinder, lighter/hemp wick, and your pipe/papers. Grab some water. Find some friends and a nice spot. Something like a balcony or patio is perfect but we can’t all be fancy schmancy homeowners with private outdoor areas so at least make sure you’re somewhere where you won’t be bothered and you’re free to relax. If it’s your first time, a setting that you know, with friends you trust, is ideal.

3. Grind it up

Good quality stuff should come as intact “nugs”. In order to prepare them for smoking, the stems need to be removed and the flower buds themselves to be ground up for ease of prep, whether you’re using a pipe or paper.  If you’re so inclined, it’s not uncommon to pass around the unbroken flower like an appetizer or pre-wine waft so that everyone can appreciate.

4. Pack it, roll it, put it in a stew

The easiest way to use your prepped flower is a pipe. Simply pack the ground flower into the bowl (snug and even, but not too tight) and you’re good to go. If you’ve opted for some form of papers, there’s a little more practice and dexterity involved. Tom can give you the basic gist:

And now you’re ready for, how to smoke:

5. Light it

If you’re using papers, try to light the tip evenly to prevent “canoeing”, a phenomenon where one side of the roll burns faster than the other, leaving you with a sort of paper “canoe” with wasted or unburnt flower. If you’re using a bowl, remember to “corner” it! Brightly colored flower, untouched by flame, burns the easiest and smoothest. For this reason, it’s considered good etiquette to keep your flame from engulfing all of the fresh flower. To achieve this, just lightly touch flame to the edge of the bowl as you inhale, to “pull” the flame closer. Most people will try and keep their flame to a single quadrant of the bowl.  A hemp wick is a great alternative to your average lighter as it’s much easier to control, as well as reducing the risk of inhaling the butane in the lighter.

6. Puff…

While the mechanics of a pre-roll and a pipe are slightly different, the same principles apply. You want to get the smoke into your lungs and out again, with minimal irritation to your breathing. This is done by making sure you get a good amount of fresh, cool air to balance the harsh, hot nature of smoke. With a pipe, you’ll want to familiarize yourself with the carburetor, the third hole on the side of the pipe. By covering it with your finger, you can control the amount of fresh air vs. smoke you’re inhaling. If it’s your first time, try inhaling a lung full of air, to gauge where your lung capacity is at. When you take your first pull of smoke, pull slowly to fill the pipe, ease off the carb and try to only fill a quarter of your lungs before filling the rest with fresh air. Exhale.

7. …puff, pass to the left

As is tradition, you’re entitled to one more “puff” before passing it on. This ensures that everyone in the circle gets an equal amount. With more practice, and some trial and error, you’ll eventually have a better understanding of your respiratory system’s threshold for coughing and be able to take more confident pulls. Technically passing left is “tradition”, but mostly it just important to keep the direction consistent. If conversation and good times are flowing, remember not to “bogart” the flower. So named after Humphrey Bogart’s tendency to speak with a cigarette hanging out the side of his mouth, it’s easy to accidentally hold up the circle with a long-winded story. Again, the priority here is equal consideration for your fellows.

8. All good things must come to an end

As the bowl or pre-roll comes closer to its end, you’ll likely notice the flower get darker and the smoke get harsher. As mentioned as the reason for “cornering”, it only stands to reason that your originally fresh and bright flower will be dark and depleted by the end. If you’ve had your fill, don’t be afraid to give your lungs some respite and politely decline the next round. If you’re feeling feisty, just remember the smoke gets harsher and harsher, so you’ll need to adjust how much you’re pulling accordingly.

Love the Flower

Much like a sit down dinner, or the uncorking and presentation of a wine, there’s a basic step-by-step to enjoying flower. And just like group dinners and wine-tastings, each of the steps also embodies something greater about the experience. Just like the dinner and the wine, it’s not so much about the food or alcohol, as it is the people you’re with. It’s about talking together, venting together, pondering together or really, just being together. Wherever you’ve been or you’re at, you collectively embark on a journey of shared experience and meet each other on the same wavelength. As you grow older, as the world gets larger and relationships drift, these moments are of rarefied air. These experiences build on each other, layering over time, by tying disconnected people and moments together. In the same way that a certain dish or tablecloth might take you back to your mother’s cooking, catching up with an old friend over some flower brings to mind all our old rituals, and enforcing those memories and bonds with a new one.

The post How I learned to stop coughing and love the flower appeared first on Flowertown.

Pilates is something I’ve always been interested in but never tried for a variety of excuses. Too expensive. Not outdoorsy enough. Machinery looks intimidating. Yadda yadda yadda. Either way, pilates has mostly been a sight fascination to me and nothing more.

Until I enjoyed a Lowell’s Herb Co. sativa-forward, hybrid pre-roll and walked in to a pilates studio to learn something.

The first thing I learned was about sticky socks. No one told me about sticky socks. Apparently, in pilates, because you’re feet are on round metal bars and leather pads they can slip, you can lose balance and injuries result. As such, students wear sticky socks, which can either cost upwards of fifteen dollars or you get to wear free used ones.

I opted for the used option and, in my elevated state, fumbled foolishly to fit myself into socks with specific toe sleeves that were too small for my own. Sticky socks now barely on, I approached my reformer as if I had stepped into a construction site and the socks were my ill-fitting steel-toed boots, separating me from inevitable disaster.

The hardest part about learning pilates for the first time is being comfortable on the reformer. The hardest part about learning pilates for the first time while high is how to even get on the reformer in the first place. This is exacerbated by the fact that I’m 6’2”. I can’t speak for all studios, but it appears as though reformers weren’t really made for people over a certain height. I struggled to position my head in the little carved out section and fit my shoulders under the pads while my feet reached out for anything solid to latch onto.

After what felt like two hours of futzing, looking around, and moving color-coded springs and widgets, I was finally in place, on my back, moving my arms in concentric circles with feet in the air and feeling an aggressive burn in my abs that I haven’t felt in a long, long time.

In the beginning, it felt as though I was in one of those post-war PSAs about the benefits of eating a salad after vigorous, machine-oriented calisthenics. Where all the men wear high shorts, tucked in tanktops, and drive to a suburban high school in a sleek, new Mercury with all their friends. Which may be due in part because it is an exercise born out of that generation. But it’s foundation rests so heavily on the bedrock of basic human movement that whatever I felt emotionally quickly subsided to, “Wow, this is hard.”

The great part about this kind of high is that the little kick in the pants from the sativa, plus the meditative relaxation from the indica, allowed me to be energized and focused. It didn’t drag down the body like when I went climbing, and I wasn’t having manic, anxious thoughts.

In fact, as I got the hang of the machine and the movements, I felt as though I was more present than usual while exercising. Part of that could be due to the nature of doing something hard and risky for the first time – either focus or injure yourself. The other part could be that I was high and, well, being high helps with being in the moment. A third could be the emphasis on breathing that’s inherent to the workout.

Every form of exercise I’ve done has stitched together moving and breathing.

I swam in college, where you must match movement to breath or you’ll drown. I boxed, where you have to breathe when you throw a punch because it leaves you the most vulnerable. In turn, if you get punched with air in your lungs it doesn’t feel very good at all. In yoga, like pilates, every movement has an inhale or an exhale with it. In climbing, the first “trick” is to breathe when you reach for a new hold. In weightlifting, you can give yourself an aneurysm if you don’t exhale while maxing out.

Pilates, like all physical exercise, requires that marriage of breath and movement. That simple level of focus on something so involuntary immediately brings me into a more present state of mind. It’s a literal moving meditation. About halfway through, in the meat of it all, the only thing I could think about was breathe in, breathe out. Inhale. Exhale.

By the time the hour was over I had a bad case of jell-o legs and an insatiable appetite. The next day, I’m wearing the familiar and comforting tight pull of sore muscles like a prized blanket – something I had earned.

Is Pilates going to be my thing? Probably not. Would I do Pilates again while high? Absolutely. Highly recommend.

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