I'm Coming "Home"

As someone who has moved more times than I can count on 2 hands…. “Home” is a relative word. Mama B also moved around quite a bit, so I didn’t have a familiar house to return “Home” to. My understanding of what Home is became quite expansive.

Home is my mentor’s yoga class and her voice. Home are my Beloveds anywhere and anytime I meet them (even if only by voice on the phone). Home is a warm bowl of Kitchadi (Indian Spiced Porridge). Home is returning to myself every time I sit down to meditate. Home is sooooo many things and people and places. I’ve come to realize that home is also Walla Walla, WA.

It’s funny, when I moved away, I wasn’t sure if I would move back. Although I loved my time there, it felt complete and since there were things there that were lacking for me - well, I didn’t think I would want to move back. But upon moving to Red Wing, MN (over a year ago now), I fairly quickly started to have what I’ve come to call: Don’t-know-what-you-got-til-it’s-gone Syndrome. I have missed so many things about living there. A bit after my mom’s death, I kinda already knew in my gut that I might be moving back, but I wanted to take my time with the decision and make sure that was the message I was receiving. Well…. the answer is a resounding YES!

I will be moving back to Walla Walla the beginning of June. That gives me time. Time to help dad clear out a few more of Mama B’s things and help get him more settled. Time to enjoy the heck out of being in close proximity to my Red Wing family. Time to close out Red Wing and prepare launching (or is it re-launching?) CJoy Yoga in Walla Walla. I must say, the greatest gift this time is giving me is Time To Grieve.

This is something I have never given myself or even wanted to take. Grief is hard to sit within so I would usually avoid taking the time. If I just stayed busy enough - I wouldn’t have to deal with it right?! Only the grief never went away. As Francis Weller put it, “ We feel the weight of unattended sorrows.” I don’t want to carry that weight around anymore.

I gave myself the gift of not working a full time schedule currently so I have TIME. I am also taking a grief class (for lack of a better description) where I meet on Zoom with others who have signed up. We have 2 facilitators: Erin Geesaman Rabke and Holly Truhlar who have lead grief groups and rituals for years and are amazing at creating a safe container for us students to be vulnerable and process our grief and loss through embodiment practices, rituals, writing, and various other tools. I would highly recommend them for embodiment work as well as grief work.

Anywho…. returning to the moving back to Walla Walla part…..
I am so excited to be back in a community that holds a safe space for me to do my soul work, who supports me financially in the career I chose, and who continually helps me shine my light brighter. I have been missing that like crazy and although I know I can’t expect it to be the same as the last time I was there (this is a new chapter, I gave aways some teaching positions, etc…) I do have faith that they will still support me exactly the way I need to be supported for this chapter of my life. There is such a sense of ease that comes with that. Knowing that even though I will have another huge disruptive move (because they are disruptive even when they are for the “good”)…. knowing that I have a net that will hold me allows me to take a deep breath when things get stressful and know I will be to my next home soon.

So starting the beginning of JUNE, you can find me at:
1519 E Alder St
Walla Walla, WA 99362

My phone number and email will stay the same.

I will still be offering the same 5 weekly classes on Zoom, they will just be hybrid (Online and In-Person).

BUT…. for my Walla Wallans…. there will be many ways you can take some cool classes with me this summer (and beyond). If you are interested in:

Yoga or Mindfulness At Blue Mtn. Lavender Farm
OR
Yoga In The Vines at Dusted Valley
OR
Yoga In Pioneer Park (no link for this one yet)
OR
A Summer Solstice Retreat (no link for this one yet either)
OR
Just plain ole Gentle Yoga indoors….

I’ve got you covered. (Click on any of the links above to find out more info. Email me if you have questions.)

Otherwise…. hang tight while I try to get all my ducks in a row to make this transition happen. There is one caveat - my beautiful 16 year old feline companion, Hunter, has cancer. We just found out last week. So if she isn’t well enough to travel and we need to postpone our departure time to acommodate that - well… we will. But for now, I’m going to keep moving forward with the original plan in hopes that I can get her back to our old backyard that she loved and played in for 4 years and where we buried her brother. Wish us luck!!!!

I sure do hope to see you Walla Wallans soon!!!! Non-Walla Wallans - I’m just saying - Walla Walla is a pretty great place to visit. Maybe plan a trip out here. If you do…. your yoga classe are on me :-)

One last thing… Red Wing, I want to share gratitude with you for being my home while I helped my mom transition. There were those here who held me and helped me keep my light shining during a dark time. I was able to find Joy and Light amidst it all - thanks to you. The greatest gift Mama B’s illness gave me was living with my sister and her family and getting to know them in such an intimate and beautiful way that I never would have been able to had it not been for her being ill. I got to be with a nephew for the first 6 months of his life. I didn’t get that gift with my other nephews. Moving away from my family here will be hard. I have already been pre-grieving that. But alas, when I listen deeply, I am being pulled to Walla Walla.

For the upcoming classes that do not yet have an online presence - I’ll send out an email once I get it all up and running. Be patient. Be kind. In general in this life, but also with me as I try to figure all this out. It is a LOT to coordinate. It will not be perfect. There will be bumps in the road. But, I am putting it out there in hopes that you beautiful Friends will let me know if a link isn’t working, etc… so I can fix it and/or clarify. Remember, I am my own one woman show here with the admin, marketing, and promotion (and I didn’t go to school for that schtuff!).

May you be well.
May you be peaceful and at ease.
May you be happy.
May you be free from suffering.

Sending you Light & Love on your journey,
CJJ