Lessons from the Mat from a Mobile Om Yogi
I hadn’t expected to see her again. Yet there she was warmly greeting everybody coming into the yoga studio. My heart picked up speed, perspiration moistening my palms. I wanted to run, but my body froze. I closed my eyes, hoping she and everybody I saw was a figment of my imagination, the result of too many late nights. But when I opened them, there they were standing before me like a bad dream.
With the door open, I shivered, remembering the first time I entered the studio. I shook my head, trying to rid myself of those memories. Hot and cold thoughts raged like a tornado in my head, silencing the crowd noise taking place inside Mobile Om’s Om Base.
With a defeated sigh, I entered the studio.
Gripping my yoga mat, I glided pass the crowd like a ghost, bare feet faintly scuffing across the cold cement floor. Past the crowds, I find a spot at the furthest corner of the room. At least I thought.
I unroll my mat and slowly sit down, hoping my knee joints don’t sound like a fourth of July celebration gone horribly wrong. Looking around, I began to feel a mixture of anxiety and a sense of wonderment. The more I focused on my breathing; a sense of calm began to wash over me. Is this what it means to be one with the mat? Did my mat become a security blanket?
A few minutes passed and there she was again, my first yoga teacher, calling for everyone’s attention. I was hoping to avoid her after my embarrassing first day at yoga class. No avoiding her now. Closing my eyes and I continued focusing on my breathing, suddenly I felt a mental shift. Whatever fear I had about her dissipated like a cloud of smoke. As I opened my eyes, I no longer saw her as just a yoga instructor, but a human being with hopes and dreams and experiences and fears.
Suddenly, I could feel this overwhelming sense of exhilaration and accomplishment taking over around my chest. It was then; I had a sudden moment of clarity. I realized this was my yoga practice, this is about me—only I know what is best for me at this moment.
Although it has been a couple of months since I started practicing yoga, I can already see how yoga is making me become more aware about myself and life. Pema Chödrön can sum the life lesson I took from that day:
“We can let the circumstances of our lives harden us and make us increasingly resentful and afraid, or we can let them soften us and make us kinder.”
Don’t let life harden you. Let go. There is tenderness, beauty, and grace in being alive.
When Amaury asked to contribute to our blog to give insight to the lessons of a new student on the yoga path, we jumped at the opportunity to feature his words. Amaury has been a practicing with Mobile Om for a few months and is currently participating in our 40 Days to Personal Revolution program. We hope you enjoyed his post and look forward to featuring many more insightful and inspiring posts from him. Namaste.
