On December 30th, I packed up the remainder of my belongings and headed to New York for the next chapter in my life. Stopping in Philly, I took an 11pm yoga class on New Year’s Eve and had an amazing feast afterward. What a great way to start the year. I was trying to shave and brush my teeth three days later, after the first night in my new apartment, when I got a phone call at 9:41am. I checked my messages after finishing in the bathroom. It was my favorite studio owner asking if I would be available to teach the 10am (IN NINETEEN MINUTES!!) Wow, this is all happening so much more quickly than I had anticipated. I immediately called her back (at 9:50...nine minutes later) and she had already found someone else to cover. So I missed the opportunity to teach my very first class up here. Lesson #1: ALWAYS answer the phone (and never shave or brush my teeth.)
I bought myself a new bicycle to enable me to dart around town from studio to studio, teaching endless classes each week. Within the first four hours of owning the bike I got my very first flat tire. I took it back to the store and it was repaired for me at no charge. Twelve hours later…my second flat tire. Bicycle karma is a serious matter and when one purchases a used bicycle, they have no idea the baggage with which it comes.
I sat down with one of the studio owners the next day to discuss the possibility of being added to his schedule. He told me that he might have some room for me to teach by late April. That would be about fifteen weeks before I would start to have a regular income. Not quite sure if that’s going to cut it. So I continue to dredge through the carcasses of past failed New York Bikram Yoga instructors, visiting all of the studios and introducing myself to the owners and managers. “I’m here; I’m available; I’m ready to teach. Oh, and did I mention: eager?” All the while, I’m unpacking and making endless trips to the hardware store and Bed Bath & Beyond (still with no income.) Luckily, I’m wielding a generously-crammed Whole Foods gift card which is keeping my mind sharp and my belly full. (Thank you Sarah and Curt!!)
While making appearances at all of the studios, I’m told by my favorite studio owner that January is going to be tight but promised that February is going to be much brighter. She tells me that she may even be able to give me a regular weekly class on Friday mornings. An actual recurring class and some semblence of a steady income: amazing. Later I find out that one of the local teachers has come back to NYC early from her winter break. She got the Fridays instead of me. Lesson #2: kill all other yoga instructors.
My first class, on January 11th goes pretty well. I’m worried about having become rusty because it’s been thirteen days since I taught my last class in Baltimore. I screwed up the heat a little bit but other than that it wasn’t terrible. I only got the room up to 110° and they tend to like it hotter than that in the Lower East Side. At one point, someone actually reached over to feel the radiator to make sure that it was working. Oh well, it was my first day; there was a lot going on.
The best part about my first class was that I ended up picking up another class by covering for a teacher who wanted to go see the 4th Annual New York Bikram Yoga competition. I mean, I wanted to see it also but, at this point, teaching is much more important to me. Two days later, my cell phone rings. Having already learned Lesson #1 I answer the phone and, sure enough, it’s the Union Square studio asking me to cover a class in forty-five minutes. This is my big opportunity; of course I say yes. I arrive at the studio with plenty of time and just as the manager is going to show me how to use the heat, the originally-scheduled instructor walks in the door. Apparently there was some sort of miscommunication; don’t ask me! So there it was: the second class that was offered and revoked in a matter of minutes. But all is OK because I’m scheduled to teach my audition class at one of the studios tonight. I’ve had this in my calendar for a week and half so I figure it’s pretty solid. That is until this afternoon when I get a call from the studio. Apparently the owner had to go to traffic court so he would be unavailable to take my audition class. Rules are rules; I can’t teach at the studio until I teach an audition class for the owner.
Lesson #3: try not to put a big hole in the cushion of your brand new leather couch. Woops – broke that rule.