Remembering Open Door
Hard to believe, but one of the stalwarts of the Bay Area’s ashtanga community will close its doors at the end of November. Lizzie Nichols, who has been the big sister of the city’s ashtanga community, finally posted the announcement on the web site in the past week of so:
Dear Friends of Open Door Yoga,
It is with my deepest regret to inform you that as of November 30th, 2005, Open Door Yoga will be closed for business. It has been a wonderful four and a half years in the Noe Valley Neighborhood and greater San Francisco community.
We have been proud to be part of the community and appreciate your continued support of our studio. We couldn’t have done it without you. We are sad to be closing our doors but our hope is to make this as easy a transition as possible. We appreciate your understanding.
You can read the full text here while it’s still up:
http://www.opendooryoga.com/index.html
I started practicing at Open Door and wanted to take a moment to remember.
The space was always blindingly bright if your practice lasted till after 8:30 am. The heater was a like a blast furnance when it worked . In the men’s shower – yes there were showers – the subtle, patient wait for the first shower head on the left – all of the other showers seemed to be influenced by that one, dictating hot, cold and strength. The two hidden spaces, near the door on either side where I would practice when I thought I needed a little respite from adjustments. It took me about 2 months to realize that Devorah paid special attention to those corners. The special space near the front stage on the left where there was always a little extra room to spread out.
The space with all of its quirkiness was home, until I moved down to the peninsula and to YiY. It truly was the escape from the daily grind of the commute, the encouragement from Devorah, Catherine, and Leigha. The students and teachers were the inspiration that got me over that first hump, when I wondered, what in the world has compelled me to do this. For all of that, we have to thank Lizzie who never seemed frustrated with the constant scheduling, the early morning calls (6 am or earlier) that the heater was out again, and whatever else we threw her direction. So, Lizzie, thanks. We’ll see you in India.
Ross Settles
P.S. If you are interested there will be a farewell evening on November 20th. Check their website for any other updates.