I teach yoga. And, you would think that most people who walked into the room, would be open. Open to the possibilities of how the class will unfold in whatever way it will. Open to different styles, Open to – whatever – that happens – to be, – ending with – just perfect, in that time and place. Today, a student walked in first unhappy that I wasn’t the teacher that she had wanted, even though she had never taken a class from me before. Then asking if I was going to turn the heat off on a cold morning, with temperature inside the room hovering at low 70‘s, because the artificial heat would bother her asthma, she declared. I thought the cold would be better than a student who couldn’t breathe, so I honored her request. Then while warming the students up, and easily noticing that she had not been following my warm up, since she was right in front of me in the front row. She screams out. Oh come on. Is this an hour long class, Yes, I said. Then in her sarcastic tone, Well can you speed it up already. Disregarding again, all of the other students, in her wannabe, I guess, private class. Disregarding all the other students who are regulars to my 6:30 am morning flow, who know my class, who were today practicing in the cold for her, and who were now, being disrupted by the outburst.
I tried to keep my composure and continue the class in a calm, positive, and uplifting place. But, as she was having to deal with me, which clearly wasn’t what she wanted, I and the other students were having to deal with her, in what clearly wasn’t the experience that we had wanted. We’re not going to be all things to all people. Some will like us, and some will not. Who knows whats going on in her life personally… All I could do is remain clam, grounded, and positive. Teaching the class, as I had intended, for the good of all. I think we both came around. She looked like she relaxed as I gave her an assist in shavasana, sending love as I did it. When the class was over, she calmly walked out of the room when she left.
You can’t be all things to all people, but you can decided how you will handle all things. Walking in the path of kindness, happiness, and love, is not about pretending that life is always easy and working the way you have perceived it, but it’s about how we respond to the challenges that life brings us.
Just a thought…
Love, Goldi