Some years ago, a lot of years ago, my son – via my husband – gave me a blue yoga mat for Christmas at a moment when yoga was particularly invaluable in my life. The mat was very nice and was a great investment; however, the time has come now for me to replace that mat, but I have been reluctantly leaning on nostalgia and the comfort of the known.
(Reader: stop here and look up “Aparigraha”: learn early and do not be like me.)
Perhaps you too think you need a new mat but are unsure. Let me share with you how I have come to know that it is, indeed, time for a new yoga mat.
- At a time now forgotten and for reasons I probably never knew, I spilled coffee on my mat. That stain is now indiscernible among all the other (sort of gross) stains on my mat.
- Last week after a lovely up-dog, I brought my feet forward to find the blue fibers of my mat stuck to the top of my feet. And they weren’t even sweaty yet.
- The stick of my sticky-mat is wearing down in a random pattern across my mat. Not infrequently, I am afraid that an unfortunate hand or foot placement will result in disaster (the most) or distraction (at the least.)
- The black backing of mat gives folks like Mandy one extra thing to sweep up after a particularly vigorous flow class.
- If I ask my son what he got me for Christmas in 2008, he would neither know nor care.
And, folks, it’s a yoga mat, a tool for my practice. It is not a tool to self-enlightenment; it will not secure my place in heaven; and it will do little to make me understand who I am and what makes me … well… me. What it will do is aid me in my asana practice and help me feel strong and solid on the studio floor. I put good gas in my car, I buy organic food for my family, and I enjoy a quality glass of wine when it is offered to me. Why wouldn’t I invest in a yoga mat that will help me grow in my practice and help ensure that I will land on my feet (or hands) when I need to?
Teena Scott
FORM yoga Student
