Forgotten - One Yoga Mat

Below is an article that is listed under my Relaxation Tab that was printed in the Fall 2010, Comox Health and Recreation Guide. As fall is approaching and we start to prepare for the restart of many activities, I thought I’d post it for you to enjoy. 

Many of the great benefits and opportunities of yoga are found through letting the yoga mat take us to different places.  Whether it is to simply focus and breathe, create stillness, be strong like a mountain, or fold to release, we go places and do things that are just for us to feel and enjoy. 

I will always be a beginner, and be open and happy with whatever comes my way that day.  I hope you have lots of fun activities in your life and can relate to this one of mine.  

Forgotten – One Yoga Mat

When the warm days of summer take us outside to other activities or on vacation, we sometimes take a break from our yoga mat.  Instead of travelling to our yoga class or the gym, they stay rolled up leaning against the wall, in the closet, or buried somewhere in our vehicle.  They’re put out of our minds for a few months.

The pleasing colors of green, pink, blue, purple, yellow, and red that were our close companions during the rest of the year are left unused, forgotten.

When we do get a glimpse of the lonely mat, we think, maybe later, or another day.  It’s too hot, or I’m busy right now.  The mat doesn’t complain, it knows you are taking a break and you will return eager to begin again, and not knowing why it has been so long.

Where else can you immediately find a place to honor your body, a place to build and feel strength, awareness, and balance.  It is a place for your body to breathe and soften, a place for your mind to find stillness and peace, and a place for your heart to find courage and compassion.

This small mat gives us permission to open up to possibilities and choices. It gives us a place where we invest in ourselves and create an awareness that we can take out into the world.  It is a place where the gifts are endless and lifelong.

When you’re ready – Welcome Back!

                                                                 By Dona Anderson