My First Yoga Home: Jackie's Yoga Journey, Part 8

In the early days of the pandemic, I was living intentionally as a digital nomad - “working from home” on the side of mountains, or at the beach, or wherever the breeze blew me. But the levity of the pandemic had other plans for my healing heart. I was faced with the critical decision of where to “shelter in place.”

DTLA 2020, making the best of the pandemic with yoga at the park at my apartment

Against my better judgement, and against the advice of nearly everyone who cares about me in life, I decided to move back to Los Angeles to live with a former romantic partner. We had big plans to “just be friends” and live out the pandemic as bestie wingmen. 

Anyone who’s seen a movie or read a book can anticipate how this played out…

Utter chaos. Women, booze, drugs, you name it…my roommate explored it all in those early summer days of the 2020 pandemic. We fought often, even seeking counseling services. Like many people, my roommate lost his job and we couldn’t pay rent, adding to delicate tensions of two easily triggered individuals. 

My roommate and I found one common ground together: yoga. Despite our challenges, he came to my classes & supported me. We did acroyoga together to build trust. We breathed together, and calmed our souls in a way that no night of passion can touch. As much as my grief still haunted me, yoga was there as a quiet, consistent comfort.

Through a string of even more questionable choices, as I waded through wave after wave after wave of grief…yoga was there. 

One very grey December day in Los Angeles, I found a bright, shining spot at the height of the pandemic: Agora Temple. I walked down Melrose Avenue with tears in my eyes. Grief. Loss. Sad as I was, there was a super sweet lady with cupcakes. Literally, super sweet! Turns out, Southern Sweetz, a local bakery with THE best peach cobbler, was promoting for:

THE WORLD’S FIRST CANNABIS TEMPLE.

Agora Temple, Melrose Boulevard, 2021

“Dreams DO come true,”  I thought as I was greeted by Ms Sweets. You see, with my best friend who had passed, we dreamed BIG. His dreams merged with mine in a spectacular vision of a cannabis-friendly world: self-driven cars from the airport to deliver you to a zen cannabis lounge… 

Agora Temple, a magical healing space, 2021

Stepping into Agora Temple for the first time was an emotional experience. That someone else in this world not only already thought of this, but jumped through the countless hoops and loops to actually bring it to life? I was positively filled with joy. 

After reviewing the Temple’s oath about conscious cannabis use, which aligned with me thoroughly, I stepped into the miraculous space known as Agora Temple. The hundred square feet of floor to ceiling space was filled with light. Cases lined the walls with the finely selected cannabis accouterments of the day. 

An angel named Stephanie, greeted me so kindly. Without judgment, she heard and received my dream of this place. A place where art and cannabis and soul do a playful dance. THIS is what I’ve dreamed, and THIS is what I saw before my very eyes. It took all I had to contain my excitement when I heard they offer yoga classes, and on a whim, I offered my service. She gave me the owner Danny’s contact info.

I had trained for this moment! So immersed in yoga at the time, I knew I was entirely right for the job. Having DREAMED of a cannabis lounge (and it existing even more beautifully as a temple), having DREAMED of teaching yoga, that my first paid yoga gig was teaching yoga at the world’s first cannabis temple at the height of the pandemic was literally a dream come true. 

My first day I arrived with my yoga mat and all the fun yoga toys  in tow: blocks, straps, a bolster, without a clue of what was in store. Walking past the glass cases of glistening cannabis buds, I ascended a spiral staircase to the Sanctuary. This was a VIP lounge where members could elevate and zen out, whether that be through yoga, sound baths, Social Sundays or any number of the community events that Agora Temple offered. 

I was truly in heaven in the space of Agora Temple. 

Through Agora Temple, I was able to share my yoga practice with people who would never normally touch a mat. They were there for the cannabis. Respect that. Even those who giggled throughout practice as they moved their bodies in ways they never moved before, especially those, were so very appreciated. There are some members who I remain in practice with to this day, so strong was the vibe when we met at the Temple. 

Travelers from near and far came to the Agora Temple cannabis yoga classes. Agora was so generous to offer a free pre-roll to anyone who attended, so we started class with a few tokes, then set into some meditation, followed by a gentle flow. 

Chakra-aligned cannabis strains, only at Agora Temple

The yogic vibes flowed through Agora Temple as surely as the sun and moon and air. The Temple was in the midst of being redesigned….cannabis strains aligned to chakras…sativa’s being the the higher blues and greens, moving into hybrids, settling in the yellow/orange zone, landing on the the heavy-hitting indica’s in the orange/red chakras. 

Not only was  this brilliant marketing, it felt right. It felt aligned with what I knew of the healing effects of cannabis. Agora’s highest-shelf flower went for $80+/3.5g. Was it worth it? Ohhh yeah. Grown with the utmost care, these flowers bloomed from flowers on sprouts attended to with organic, worm-filled soil, blessed with crystals and played the sweetest of melodic frequencies to help it grow. 

Not an $80/3.5g kinda gal myself,  I was eternally gratefully for the DOGO (donate one, get one) deals they had on end-of-shelf flowers. The less celebrated heroes of the cannabis world fur us connoisseurs who have a more affordable budget like myself, you could leave Agora Temple with 7g + a pre-roll for $25. Forget LA, tell me where you can find such deals??

*It is with great sadness that Agora Temple is now a dream of the past - a special moment in time, with the most spectacular vision for the intersection of cannabis and wellness I had ever seen. It was closed by the federal government in 2021, but will live on forever to those who knew the magic of the space. BIG gratitude to Danny for the opportunity to be a part of this special space, to Stephanie for her warm welcome, and to everyone who I met along the way through this community.

Genuine gratitude to those who shared this special part of this journey together

*Note: I initially wrote this post in January of 2022, while Agora Temple was still open. It is a bittersweet close to this chapter, but I am grateful to share about this special time and space. I haven't posted to my blog in years - they say the pen is mightier than the sword. Indeed, I caught a lot of backlash for words I have written, both publically & privately. I can only share my truth, and I will continue to do so as I find my way. Again. And again.

In the next chapter, I find Peace and hop on the Vision Train!