When I Grow Up I Want to Be Just Like My Yoga Mat

I have had many great friends in my life. Some have moved away some have stayed put. There are some I can not talk to for years and it is like no time and space separate us.

There are those I admire from a distance and those I call everyday. I learn from all of them. I strive to be a better friend a better person and someone I’d like to be around. I can honestly say, my greatest inspiration for who I would like to be is my most loyal companion, my yoga mat.

A Constant Best Friend

 When my world is crumbling around me and I just seem to be hitting dead end after dead end, my yoga mat is there for me. I can always go to it for support.

It provides me with a place to cry it out or just sit in Child’s Pose until I’m ready to face the world again. It doesn’t try to fix me and doesn’t care if I’m bloated. It just lets me be.

It just gets me. Then, it cradles me in Sivashana for as long as I need so I can find my inner voice again. It sends me on my way with a newfound hope and a new set of eyes to see the beauty in the world.

Waiting With Open Arms For Me to Return

If I get too busy and don’t visit it for a while, it doesn’t judge me. It just waits for me to return and it welcomes me back ready to pick up where we left off.  There is no jealousy or need to explain.

We nod in acknowledgement of all that has happened and embrace eachother once again. I feel it’s loving embrace as I stretch my legs over it’s warm surface.  It lends me the strength to get moving. Downward Dog, here I come!

Patient Understanding

Leaves Me Calm & Peaceful

When I leave my mat, I am usually full of a sense of accomplishment, peace, calm, inspiration, and wonder. It doesn’t matter what kind of day I’ve had, I can leave it at the yoga mat.

It absorbs my stress and helps me be reborn each time. It brings up the unnecessary hurt from the past and unburdens me. I am left feeling fresh, new, and rejuvenated.

Teaches Me About No Excuses

If it is uncomfortable just be with it without trying to change it. Don’t run from a little discomfort. Instead, open into it, be present with it, let it move when it is ready. Let it teach you. Listen to your body for once trusting that it knows what it needs to open.

 

Reminds Me There Are No Exceptions

There are no places to exclude mindfulness. There are no exceptions to exploration. The journey is the destination. Continue to explore in every single moment of now. Then, do it again right now. Breathe into all of it.

There is no preference of liking this and not liking that. I try this in the poses, but it only leads to more struggle. It isn’t about liking every pose, my mat knows this.

Somedays it is delicious like cheesecake and other days it can leave an awful taste in your mouth. Then, it changes again.

 

Shows Me How to be Accepting of What Is

There is nothing wrong with what I am feeling. It is just another experience of being human. I can embrace it as I would a beautiful child. I can cradle it or observe it or ride it like a tidal wave.

This is my life, every bitter sweet, painful, annoying, agonizing, redundant, invigorating, challenging moment of it. I get the chance to experience it right now.

Provides a Safe Place to Let My Guard Down

When I step on my yoga mat, I know I am safe for the duration of the session. It gives me permission to let it all hang out. I can sweat, cry, and throw a fit. It is there with me. I can sink into Shivasana and not worry about my to do list, pleasing others, accomplishing my goals, being the best, or doing anything. It is a state of I-don’t-have-to-do-anything but Be me.

Keeps Me From Hurting Others- Shows Me Healthy Boundaries

I know that I have a space of 72″ X  24″ to stretch out in without hitting anyone around me and without worrying about someone else intruding into my bubble. It is a safety zone and I take full advantage of it.

Inspires Me to Be a Warrior

This is how I feel when I embrace the scary yoga pose. Sometimes, I doubt I can do what I’m presented with. Will I have the strength to stand firm to face my fear? When I feel my feet fully grounded, connected with the mat, with the Earth, I know for an instant that I have what it takes to launch.

I raise my arms and become Warrior Pose. I place my hands firmly on the mat and feel ready to kick my legs up into a Handstand. my mat reaffirms my inner strength each time I move into a new position. It knows I have what it takes and I go with it. It hasn’t let me down yet.

 

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Namaste!