Just My Mat

I am proud to say my oldest son just graduated from college with honors in a difficult major. He had several job offers and has a few months off before he has to join the real world. In the meantime, he is moving home to live with us while he makes the transition from one lifestyle to another. Everything that he owns came home with him (and was added to the remnants of high school - e.g. his varsity letter jacket and homecoming boutonnieres). This last week has been an unending sorting, dumping, moving process as I worked through his belongings with him as well as cleansing other parts of the house. I marveled at all the things we have acquired. There is nothing extravagant or particularly unusual in the mess, just a lot of clothes and toys and general stuff. What breaks my heart is when I come across something that is still in the package or shows no visible signs of wear. So many things and so little time to use them, I muse. I felt great as I loaded all the give-aways in the car and delivered them to the local donation center. There were many items I knew others would consider treasures that I hoped would be put to good use.

During the overhaul, as my son contemplated moving into his own apartment, he verbalized the things he would need. "I just need a bed, and some clothes and some food and a way to get to work - some kind of old car. That is all I really need." Yes - that is true. That is all we really need. (He had been talking for years about the new car he wanted to buy when he got out of school but today he spent hours cleaning up one of our old cars - seventeen years old to be exact - and is excited about using it.)

All I really need is my yoga mat. How simple life would be if all I had to carry with me was my mat. It is my refuge from the stresses of life. When I teach I escape into the yoga world with my students, breathing and stretching and working hard as we move from one pose to another, finally reaching savasana to relax at the end. All the stresses of the world are gone as we focus on yoga for that hour.

If I needed to I could use it as a bed. If I was cold I could wrap it around me and experience some relief from the cold or the rain - but maybe not from the Texas heat. If my house was burning down I would grab my yoga mat and run.

If they start making yoga mats out of chocolate I would definitely have all that I need to survive.