Today we’d like to introduce you to Kijana Rose.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Kijana. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I guess the short story is that every random detail and experience of my life fell into alignment one day, and put me exactly where I am right now. A longer version goes something like this: I grew up in a bi-racial, Rastafarian family.
It was different, to say the least. I was one girl growing up in Boston with four brothers. I had dreadlocks and I spoke in a loud and preppy tone, so I was different, too. My mother sent me to a competitive public high school for high performing students, probably one of very few in this country. I truly despised my experience, but I learned more about people in six years at that school than I ever even realized.
I went to Northeastern for undergrad, got a job working there full time when I graduated, and pursued a Masters Degree in Public Health and a graduate certificate in Business Management. I hopped around jobs to climb the ranks quick, and at 26 years old I got named the Executive Director of a small foundation in Boston.
Two months after achieving what I thought was a major milestone in my life and career, I got fired. I’m laughing as I write this because I seriously can’t make this stuff up! It was just one of those situations that life throws at you, and you have no choice but to take a step back and analyze what the f*&% is going on. The day that I was fired, I made up my mind about one thing: I will never work for someone else again.
I decided to take what little money I had, and travel. I ended up in Toronto, where I found a “ganja yoga” class. It was my first time ever hearing about a ganja yoga class, and as a cannabis-loving yogi, I was thrilled to have this experience.
It’s hard to describe what I felt after I experienced that class. First of all, I was smiling from ear to ear, and I was absolutely starving. I sent text messages to every friend I had to talk about it. I actually went to a restaurant, sat down by the kitchen and started talking to the cooks about the class.
Turns out, they were all vegan Jamaicans, and we stayed talking about ital food and weed for the entire night. We still keep in touch! When I got back to Boston, I couldn’t stop talking about the class. I was already growing my own weed at the time, and I was a certified yoga instructor. A friend convinced me to host a class, “just for our friends.” I agreed to give it a try.
As soon as class was over, everyone asked me when I was hosting again. I said, “I guess, next week?” And I’ve been going ever since.
Has it been a smooth road?
I think, in life, when you get a “smooth road,” it’s something to acknowledge and be grateful for. In my experience, most roads are bumpy.
When I first got started, I wanted all my friends and family to be a part of what I was doing. I thought that it would be this beautiful, organic experience where we all came together around a couple of things we loved, whether it was a weed, yoga, business, or just the vibes at every class. At first, it was amazing. I had two of my brothers and two of my best friends helping me.
The glow of our first few successes wore off pretty quick, and when the going got rough, my “team” got going. For one reason or another, it became clear that this business was my baby, and I had to protect it as such, or else the vision would dissolve. At no fault of their own, my friends and brothers could not give the dedication that I needed to move forward, and I had to make up my mind and move forward without them.
That was painful for a few reasons, and I learned a big lesson during that time about who to ask for help, and how to do so. I realized that you can’t assume how much people care about something, or that they care about your work just because they care about you. And that’s okay.
I also learned the importance of standing up for what you love, and how powerful love is. When the final of the four walked out, I don’t know that I’ve ever felt more alone or overwhelmed in my life. It was a worse feeling than getting fired! But I remembered that one of my mentors told me to lean into that feeling, lean into the chaos. So I did.
I hosted more classes, I started growing new strains, and I challenged my cooking and baking through class offerings. Eventually, I built a new army of Goddesses who help me with my classes and events, each bringing an extremely valuable piece to my puzzle.
And that’s really just one of many challenges I’ve faced in this process. As a woman of color, obstacles are what I eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner. But for all the challenges, there have been just as many rewards – the greatest of all rewards being the incredibly diverse and loving community that has been built through my offerings.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
I & I Rose Garden is a space for cannabis education, wellness and empowerment. Our signature ganja yoga experience allows participants to sample and learn about different strains of cannabis, which are used to enhance the yoga practice.
Generally, we use Sativa strains to enhance our breath-to-movement flows, we use hybrid strains for balancing, and indica strains for floor work and deep stretching. We always finish the class with an extended savasana and a lavender towel.
After each class, guests are offered a detox shot (cannabis-free) to help restore electrolytes and assist with the detox of the yoga practice. Guests are also offered an ital snack or a high tea, and they are gifted a homemade ital edible to take home with them.
“Ital” is the Rastafarian term for clean eating and living. I grew up as a Rastafarian, and I was so excited to bring ital offerings to this space, and offer guests education in ital living. We also host cannabis events, such as yoga popups, cooking classes, growing classes, and more!
Last Spring we hosted a 3-day Festival where we broke down our signature experience into smaller events and classes so that guests could focus on their favorite components of the experience. We also have a (cannabis-free) herbal yoga class, where we use other healing herbs to enhance a yin-style practice.
I think it is the genuineness of what we do that sets I & I apart from other ganja yoga classes. My goal has always been to make people forget that they are in someone’s backyard or basement (where I host most of my classes). When people say after class “I feel like I just went to the spa,” I smile so hard.
That’s my dream! Sometimes. when I put the lavender towel on people in savasana, I’ll see their lips fold up into a smile and I just think to myself “You haven’t even gotten to the snacks yet!” I love to make people feel good, and I’m most proud of all the smiles and love I’ve gotten in gratitude for the space I’ve created.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Boston is where my home and my network are, which is why I started my business here.
Honestly, I don’t know that I would recommend starting out here, and I don’t expect that I will stay forever.
Anybody who is truly from Boston will tell you, this is one of the most difficult places to be. This city is swept by intense racism and stigma, and it’s the worst kind because most of it is wholly denied. When you add cannabis to that mix, it’s not very pretty.
The state is working to create a recreational cannabis industry, but it doesn’t appear that it will be as inclusive of people of color as we had all hoped. And even so, the battle of stigma is an energy suck.
There’s nothing worse than trying to explain yourself to people who have already decided that you’re nothing more than a low-life drug dealer, and I’ve personally given up on that. I’d rather put my time and energy into the people that benefit from the work that I do.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.iandirosegarden.com
- Phone: 6179108880
- Email: kijana@iandirosegarden.com
- Instagram: @iandirosegarden
Image Credit:
Nate McQueen, Ben Rukavina
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