Sliding Doors

   Gwyneth Paltrow starred in Sliding Doors, a movie about chance and fate. Her character lived two parallel lives; one  evolved from a missed train; one evolved because she did not miss that train. My first yoga experience was positive, as was my first studio experience. Yet, I've often won wondered what if  my experience had been different? Would I still be here?

The kids were living in San Francisco drinking smoothies and doing yoga. I was envious. I wanted to experience some of that West Coast chill in the Midwest. I was very nervous until the General and I ventured to a beginner's class in a church basement taught by a Himalayan Institute trained instructor. She studied under Swami Rama and was knowledgeable, precise, and kind. She taught classical sequencing. It was more pose to pose than vinyasa flow. She incorporated anatomy, philosophy, breath work, and meditation into solid asana work. 

I was fortunate to have this foundation. I didn't know what a warrior or a bandha was. I felt safe and secure learning in that space. If I had started out at a studio, I might have been too intimidated to ever return. After a couple of years, I tried a studio class.

This was my first experience with vinyasa although the class just happened to be that and the word meant nothing to me. I went to a convenient place at a convenient time. The instructor was trained primarily in ashtanga  The class was faster and more athletic than I'd experienced. It also has music, a novelty to me.

The instructor called out a warm up of 5 A  and 5 B sun sals. I knew what  sun salutations were, but I didn't seem to know my ABCs. Nervously, I glanced around, I saw familiar poses. "Ahh, that's an A series". While the rest of the class was challenging, he called  out his flow and added instruction.I wasn't so lost.

I told him about my moment of near panic. He was so gracious. He knew the other students and what they knew. He said it was a lesson for him to be more aware and to watch out for all students and to not assume what they know. This class was my favorite for many years.

Over the years, I've been to many classes where I might have freaked if it had been my first class. They classes weren't  advertised as intermediate/advanced either.The beginner's mind isn't just for students. It's important for the instructor to see the class through the students' eyes for the yoga train to roll.

Certainly, it's possible for a novice to wander into a Bikram class and decide to swear off yoga which would not have happened had the student experienced Kundalini  and vice versa. Sliding doors! What I hope is for the first yoga experience not to be the last. I don't want people to lead the crappy version of Gwyneth's character's life. 

People go to that first class with a particular teacher at a specific time and location for many reasons. How does that experience ensure that the student gets on the train?  Is it random? Is it fate? Many yogis feel the universe always chooses what's best. Maybe how the experience is viewed determines what's best? How about increasing the odds that the experience will be positive? Whether or not this class is the right exit, inspire the student to stay on the train and finds the right destination. 

BTW: It took a minute for me to take a yoga class in San Francisco. I went to my first class at Yoga Tree and ended up in a class full of dancers. That was quite the exit.