I Love You - A Visual Reminder

Sometimes, all it takes to make you feel better, to wipe out a rough time, to make you feel you matter, is for someone to look at you and say "I love you."

And mean it.

A genuine I love you can soften the hurt carried inside for too long. It can make you realize that your presence on the planet matters to someone. And they would notice if you were gone.

I got the most unexpected I love you today. And it left me speechless.

You know this little thing I do - teach yoga? Turns out it matters to some people. And those people surprised me today and showered me with generosity and love. They knew I've had some rough times lately and they wanted me to know they noticed. And they cared.

They were generous with their gift, but the time and effort that went into planning this surprise amazed me just as much.

Can you tell what their gift was? It's a new yoga mat with a picture of all my best yoga buddies on it!

The mat is from yogamatic.com. A really cool site where you can make a yoga mat from any image. It's the same place that Jennifer Aniston gave Oprah a yoga mat with a picture of her dogs on it. I have the same mat as Oprah!

But mine is so much better. My new mat is a reminder that someone, quite a few actually, love me and think I'm pretty ok.

The best part is in the upper right corner it says "You love us!"

And they are so right. I do love them. And will be forever grateful to them for carrying me through a bad time, lifting my spirits, and telling me I love you at the exact time I needed to hear it.

Yoga Mats: Out With The Old And In With The New

I finally splurged and bought myself a new yoga mat. Not just any mat. I went all out and bought the prAna Revolution yoga mat. I should be happy and excited right? Actually I’m having second thoughts.

What’s so special about a prAna Revolution yoga mat? Well, first it’s environmental friendly. It has three layers of biodegradable rubber that are heat laminated without the use of glue. I’m not real sure what all that means or how it works– except the marketing info said it’s good for the environment. The company that developed and sells it, prAna, has a strong commitment to the environment such as supporting wind energy projects and purchasing renewable energy certificates.

Now, that’s my liberal, tree-hugger reasons for buying the mat.

The real reason I bought the mat is because it was developed in collaboration with Anusara Yoga founder John Friend, and well, I’m lucky enough to be attending one of his trainings next month. So, I want to be one of the cool kids!

Actually I’d heard about this mat for a while now and had talked to people that had one. The price alone kept me from even considering it. It cost way more than my $10 Walmart yoga mat that I’ve been using for the past 5 years.

(Side note to anyone who is reading this that I happen to share a checking account with: I was able to buy the mat at a special 1/3 discounted price since I’m attending the training. And it’s a tax write off).

I might have even had a snotty tone in my voice when I asked those that had the mat does a Warrior II look different on a prAna mat than it does on a Walmart mat? No, it doesn’t.

But, my beloved old mat was falling apart. Literally, it is flaking and has thin spots in it.  I really did need a new one. So I went for it.

And now I’m having second thoughts. Not necessarily buyer’s remorse. More like I’m just a little sad to be retiring my old purple mat. It comes in only two colors and I chose tangerine. When it was delivered, my tell-it-like-it-is 9 year old asked why I picked “baby poop orange”? Not a good start so far.

Like most new mats it has that rubber smell and needs aired out first. So I’ve still been using my faithful yet falling apart mat. Each time I step on the old mat I’m reminded of where it’s/I’ve been and what it’s/I’ve been through.

My Walmart mat has been to the beach, the park, a fancy yoga studio in Los Angeles, Boston and the mountains. I’ve taken every teacher training with this old mat. I did my first headstand on this mat.

The lessons I’ve learned on the mat about when to take a chance and when to back off I’ve applied off the mat as well. I’ve grown as a yogi, a teacher and a person with the hours spent on my purple mat.

I’m a little sad to let the old mat go and a little nervous to step on the new mat. It’s been here for a week now and I haven’t tried it out yet. My excuse is I’m still airing it out.  My old mat is my comfort zone. Stepping on a new mat is symbolic of stepping out of my comfort zone.

I feel like I’m on the verge of a change both personally and professionally with my yoga. That’s a little scary. And exciting. I wonder what new pose I’ll be able to do on the Revolution mat? But really, I wonder what new lessons are awaiting me?

 Here's the new mat. It's huge!