Does the universe sometimes have something in store for us that we aren’t even
aware of?
It was 2007.
I had been practising Ashtanga for more than a decade when I decided it was time
to go to Mysore. My plan was to spend a month practising with the Jois family.
Mysore was the place I had imagined, the place I had only heard about, and the
place where so much of the tradition I had come to love had its roots. I thought
this would be the culmination of my first decade of practice—the natural next
step.
While I was there, I met Nancy Gilgoff in a café.
Noticing her, I walked over and introduced myself.
“I’ve always wanted to meet you,” I said. “I’ve always wanted to study with you.”
Was that actually true?
Looking back, I’m not entirely sure. But something in me clearly knew that I
needed to speak to her.
“Well,” she said, “I’m teaching in Goa after my time here. Would you like to
come?”
She then asked if I would like to rent a car with her and travel there together.I still had a week of practice scheduled with the Jois family. I wondered how I
could possibly go when I had made that commitment.
And then I learned that classes were being cancelled because the family was going
to Bangalore for a baptism.
Was that an omen?
I said yes.
What seemed like such a simple decision was about to change the direction of my
life.
Goa changed something in me.
Nancy was teaching in an outdoor space hosted by Purple Valley, and there was
something about entering that tent and beginning to practise with her that shifted
something in me.
For the first time, I understood the importance of being connected to a teacher—
not simply attending a class or learning a sequence, but having someone who
could see you, guide you, and help you find your way forward.
Perhaps I had found what I didn’t even know I had been looking for.
After those five days, I asked Nancy, “Where can I see you again?”
“Come to Maui,” she said.
When I returned home, I said to my partner, “I’m going to Maui.”
“You’re going where?” he said. “You just got back from India!”
“Yes, I know,” I replied. “But I’m going.”
And I did.
I had no idea where I was going or where any of this would lead. At the time, I
didn’t understand Maui’s significance in the development of Ashtanga Yoga in the
West. The stories of David Williams and the early Western practitioners would
come later.
At that moment, I only knew one thing:I was going to Maui.
What I had thought was the culmination of everything had, in fact, opened another
door.
I had no idea that I was stepping onto a path that would carry me through the
next twenty years and beyond.
A path that would lead to annual visits to Nancy’s shala on Maui. A path that
would take me to places I never imagined, bring remarkable people into my life,
and eventually lead me to develop my own students and community, much as
Nancy had created a community for me.
Looking back now, I can see that the path was always unfolding before me. I just
had to keep following the thread.
Perhaps the universe does have something in store for us.
Perhaps there are moments when life quietly opens a door, and we have no idea
what lies on the other side.
We only know that something is calling us.
And sometimes, if we’re lucky, we say yes.
I had planned to begin my first blog post after a wonderful summer by writing
about the practice perhaps methodology, or breathing.
But Nancy has been on my mind.
Over the summer, I found myself thinking about how I met Nancy and, more
importantly, about the impact she has had on my life.
So, I’m taking a little seque and will begin my fall series with the story of how I
met her, and the unexpected ways that meeting has shaped my life.
How I Met Nancy Gilgoff
Does the universe sometimes have something in store for you that you aren’t even aware
of?This was 2007. I had been practising Ashtanga for more than a decade when I
decided it was time to go to Mysore. My plan was to spend one month practising
with the Jois family.
Mysore was the place I had imagined, the place I had only heard about, and the
place where so much of the tradition I had come to love had its roots. I thought
this would be the culmination of my first decade of practice—the natural next
step.
While I was there, I met Nancy Gilgoff in a café. Noticing her, I walked over and
introduced myself.
“I’ve always wanted to meet you,” I said. “I’ve always wanted to study with you.”
Was that actually true?
Looking back, I’m not entirely sure. But something in me clearly knew that I
needed to speak to her.
“Well,” she said, “I’m teaching in Goa after my time here. Would you like to
come?”
She then asked if I would like to rent a car with her and travel there together.
I still had a week of practice scheduled with the Jois family. I wondered how I
could go when I had made that commitment, but then I learned that classes were
cancelled because the family was going to Bangalore for a baptism.
Was that an omen?
I said yes!
What seemed like such a simple decision, was about to change the direction of my
life.
Goa changed something in me.
Nancy was teaching in an outdoor space hosted by Purple Valley, and there was
something about entering that tent and beginning to practise with her that shifted
something in me.
For the first time, I understood the importance of being connected to a teacher,
not simply attending a class or learning a sequence, but having someone who
could see you, guide you, and help you find your way forward.Perhaps I had found what I didn’t even know I had been looking for.
After those five days, I asked Nancy, “Where can I see you again?”
“Come to Maui,” she said.
When I returned home, I said to my partner, “I’m going to Maui.”
“You’re going where?” he said. “You just got back from India!”
“Yes, I know,” I replied. “But I’m going.”
And I did.
I had no idea where I was going or where any of this would lead. At the time, I
didn’t understand Maui’s significance in the development of Ashtanga Yoga in the
West. The stories of David Williams and the early Western practitioners would
come later.
At that moment, I only knew one thing:
I was going to Maui.
What I had thought was the culmination of everything had, in fact, opened another
door.
I had no idea that I was stepping onto a path that would carry me through the
next twenty years and beyond.
A path leading to annual visits to Nancy’s Shala on Maui. It would take me to
places I never imagined, bring remarkable people into my life, and eventually lead
me to develop my own students and community much as Nancy had created a
community for me.
Looking back now, I can see that the path was always unfolding before me. I just
had to keep following the thread.
Perhaps the universe does have something in store for us.
Perhaps there are moments when life quietly opens a door, and we have no idea
what lies on the other side.
We only know that something is calling us. And sometimes, if we’re lucky, we say
yes.Maybe that is how it is with all of us.
We don’t always know where the path will take us.
Sometimes, we simply know that we have to follow it.