Puff Puff Pilates

(Left to right) Dani Richardson and Maya Kiana in their workout attire.

It’s 12pm on a Saturday and I’m sitting criss cross apple sauce on a workout matt in the center of the Barre & Soul studio in Wayland Square. Almost thirty other people fill the space and sit around me. Our instructor lets us know that the movement part of the class will begin shortly causing us all to reach for our lighters to spark our joints and get ourselves ready for the upcoming hour of low impact exercise. Through a blanket of smoke, I look to the 70-year-old woman in front of me who is smiling as she lets out a small cough and says, “this is some real fun, isn’t it?” I smile and respond, “it is.”

This is Puff Puff Pilates, a unique way to work out that mixes cannabis with a pilates class. Barre & Soul instructors Dani Richardson and Maya Kiana put on the first Puff Puff Pilates event last year after deciding to share their love for incorporating cannabis with wellness.

“We bonded through how we both use herb to elevate anything from our mental health to our workouts,” says Richardson. “One day Maya texted me about doing a Puff Puff Pilates class and we went from there.”

Each attendee is given two worksheets; one for journaling and one that goes over THC facts and different types of terpenes and minor cannabinoids. A goodie bag with two joints, one bag of edibles with the choice of indica or sativa dominated gummies and a shot of a fast-acting THC drink are also given. The point of the class is to use cannabis to feel more in tune with your body while moving it.

“THC interacts with our endocannabinoid system, which helps regulate things like pain, stress, mood etc.,” says Richardson. “The really great part is it doesn’t take away any discomfort or pain when working out, it just changes our relationship to it. For a class like Pilates or Barre with slow and controlled movements, that shift in mindset can really make the class more beneficial for your muscles.”

Richardson started the class by sharing some information about her own journey mixing cannabis with exercise and what joints the class will be smoking that day. The sativa is recommended for its more energizing and uplifting effect over the indica, which gives off more of a sleepy high. Low dose THC and CBD is always offered during the classes to reduce the risk of anxiety and increase present awareness, which is the foundation of being in a flow state. This year the class is enhanced by local brands that reached out to be part of it. Coast Cannabis provided the edibles, Slater provided the fast acting drink samples while Talaria and Rhode Island Finest Gardens provided the joints. The class was encouraged to spark up and journal their thoughts with the worksheets including prompts like ‘what do I want to feel in my body today?’ And ‘what am I releasing as I move?’ Attendees made conversation with their neighbors before Kiana replaced Richarson at the front to begin the exercise.

This being my first Pilates class, erhm, up in the clouds, I felt a little nervous. It didn’t help that I can’t touch my toes or that the winter snow did a doozy on my gym schedule. However, with Kiana at the front of the room reminding us all to breathe, drink water, and pay attention to how our body was feeling, I felt ready to begin.

Trickles of sweat dripped down my temple as I engaged my core. The two puffs I had taken twenty minutes before were still affecting me, though instead of making me anxious or tired, they allowed me to feel every sensation my body went through, in a manageable way. Throughout the class the sounds of lighters flickering flames awake could be heard as attendees went for another hit. Going back for more is encouraged, as long as everyone’s bodies can take it.

“We sold out this class. There’re almost too many people in the best way possible,” says Kiana. “It shows that there is such a demand for people to do this in a wellness space.”

A few months ago, Richardson hosted a reggae rum barre class which featured a post-class rum tasting and in June a barre class called Barre and Bouquets will invite attendees to take a barre class then make a bouquet using different flowers offered. In the future Kiana and Richarson have plans to teach classes at different dispensaries, allowing wellness enthusiasts to explore some of the dispensaries Rhode Island has to offer. The goal is to introduce these more enjoyable ways to work out to the masses, with Barre & Soul encouraging the duo to get as creative as possible.

By the time class was coming to an end most of the smoke in the space was gone, with the help of fans and air purifiers. Attendees leave with bright smiles and plans to take a next class. For Richardson and Kiana, having more out of box events is the goal, for wellness and for fun.

“That feeling where you stop overthinking, you stop judging yourself, you stop checking the clock and you just move your body is the goal,” says Richardson. “This class is about connection, not escapism. We’re not numbing, we’re turning in.”