A yoga mat is multifunctional.
It is softer and warmer than the average floor.
It often has extra grip to help you find stability in poses.
It catches your tears and your sweat. It listens to your lamentations in child’s pose and never tells a soul of all the farts it has witnessed.
The mat is your sanctuary, your home, your torturer and your therapist.
It is a fashion item that fits neatly underneath your arm and sometimes even matches your outfit.
The mat lies motionless beneath you to help you relax.
It often collects dust in your closet or in the studio where it awaits you.
The mat catches you, emotionally and physically, when you lose balance. It helps you push and guard boundaries.
A yoga mat supports and carries you, it creates space for you and accepts you exactly as you are. No matter how you step on the mat that day.
I think every mat hopes that you carry with you, that feeling you have and the lessons you learn on it, when you step off the mat.
That when you’ve cleaned the mat and stored it back in its place, you never forget that it is always there for you, whenever you feel ready.