There is a door at my local yoga studio, Yoga Union, which leads to the outside world. People come in and out of the building all day long. Some open the door and then let it slam shut. Others, take a little more time and close the door with a little more care, thus creating less noise. This door also abuts tables where people are often eating. When care is not taken, the sound of the door slamming ricochets through from end to end of a long room – disturbing diners and people who work in the building. It would be nice if the door didn’t make such a noise, but I think it’s also something that people who practice yoga could become more aware of – how you enter or leave a building matters. If you’re not noticing the sound you’re making when you enter or leave a building, perhaps it’s time to take a little more time to pay attention?
This is also true at a dance studio I frequent @ the Sunnyside Community House. While dances are taking place often people come into or leave the room for various reasons and the door continuously slams. What’s going on when we’re not all taking more care about how our actions impact others’ experience? I think this insensitivity or carelessness is a sign of something larger. First, maybe we should all be taking more time when we come and go – holding doors open for one another – making our transitions more flowing rather than abrupt. It’s also a sign to me of taker culture – it says to me “I’m here to come in, take this class, and then leave”. Rather than showing that a person is looking to the whole coming and leaving as part of the experience – that even the opening and closing of doors matters.
So, if you’re reading this – maybe take a little more time when you open and close a door in the future. Heck, maybe take a lot of time with it 🙂 It seems like a zen thing to me 🙂 Care, patience, attention to detail, attention to one’s environment. I know we’re all losing a bit of this because of our shrinking attention spans and constant digital distractions, but it might be a place where we come back into balance.
Closing doors so they don’t slam.. Make sense? What do you think?
