| After a year and a half of disruption in life as we knew it, many people have made big changes. In this time of upheaval and uncertainty, it seems to be more and more common to question the way things have been and create adjustments big and small, with the intention of creating a more sustainable life. Source Yoga is (and I am) about to go through such a change. In March of 2020, when we closed our studio doors and transitioned to an online business in a matter of days, there was a feeling of relief for me. Once we smoothed out the rough start – creating an online yoga studio overnight, moving furniture and teaching from our homes – it felt like a deep exhale. As crazy as life was with kids suddenly at home full time, taking the foot off the gas of running and maintaining two physical studios felt like a needed pause. I didn’t even know how much I needed a rest. Melissa Paz and I opened the doors of the North Tacoma studio in 2005, and both had our first babies in 2006. We struggled to balance it all out, but we had each other and a passion for yoga, and a growing love for the community we were nurturing. We opened our University Place studio 10 days after my daughter was born in 2011 (things were a little hectic to say the least)! I took over as sole owner in 2015 when Melissa left to pursue other things. Life has been full, with children and 2 studios, teaching, leading, and holding a small business together. It has been a juggling act, one that has brought me much joy and fulfillment. And as our wisdom traditions teach, all things change… As of December 19th, 2021, I will be closing the doors of our University Place studio. Moving forward, we will have all our in-studio classes at our North Tacoma location, and we will maintain a full schedule of online classes. This is bittersweet. I have had such wonderful experiences with all of you that have come to practice in UP. I think of our busy UP mornings in days past, students going out for coffee after. I think of the hard work, learning, and play of teacher training in that space, the vulnerability shared in many classes and workshops, the events that have filled the studio, the students and teachers that made the space feel vibrant and alive, the community that has grown, the friendships that have been started and nurtured inside the walls. The success of our online classes – your commitment to showing up and supporting us, letting your teachers support you on your mat at home – this has affirmed that the community is not about the physical space itself. That’s where it began, but our community has grown outside the walls of the physical studio. I know there will be sadness. We are saying goodbye to something that has been a joy and a place of peace, community, and love. It might occur as another thing in a long list of things we have had to let go of over the last 20 months. I get it. I feel it too. Here, we are asked to let go of something that has been precious to us. My intention is that this letting go creates the space for a new, more sustainable life to emerge. . What does this look like in the coming weeks? We will maintain the class schedule as is up until the holidays. Our last in person class at the UP studio will be Saturday, December 18th. Then, we will rest for the holidays. We will pause. We will not be rushing into the next thing. We will maintain a simple schedule with the teachers that are in town or available to teach online the last two weeks of the year. By January, you can expect some our UP classes to move to the NT studio and we will work on setting up streaming from that studio, so some North Tacoma classes can be online as well. . This has been a difficult decision, but one I feel strongly is the right one. Through the spring and summer months this year, I experienced a lot of anxiety about reopening after so long closed. I was anxious about life returning to our pre-pandemic “normal.” I didn’t feel clear about the direction forward, but I knew it was time for a change. As I moved toward clarity about this change, I wasn’t sure what it would look like. I just knew I wanted business to be simpler. Less about growth and expansion, and more about sustainability. Once I settled on this idea, my body immediately responded. The anxiety settled. The knots in my belly loosened. I could breathe deeply. As sad as it is to let go of something that I love, I knew that it was the right decision. Yoga has taught me to listen deeply and to trust my body, and my body knew. I am excited to return to where it all began, teach at the North Tacoma studio (I will continue to teach online too). I will also be looking for larger spaces to host occasional classes, workshops, or events. I am ready to have my energy, time, and attention on what I really love – teaching and holding space for community. It is a returning the roots of where it started. Roots that are anchored and steady. It feels like coming home. The last thing I want to say here is thank you. Thank you for your continued support, thank you for your dedication to your practice, thank you for loving your teachers, thank you for making a yoga studio a home. And of course, as we keep discovering, home can be wherever we are. With love and gratitude, Erin Joosse | she/her Source Yoga | Studio Director | 
