The Power of Place
Allow me to tell you about my home practice space — not because I think it is an ideal model of peace and perfection, but precisely because it is not. When I am not teaching or practicing at the beautiful blue sanctuary, my mat unfolds between my dresser, my desk, a coat rack, and sometimes a laundry basket, piles of books, or my husband’s work boots. Is this sounding like a yoga oasis yet? I thought not…
But once I unfold my mat, usually after first sweeping up the latest deluge of dog hair, something wonderful happens. Not right away, but slowly, with a few deep breaths and maybe a closing of the eyes.
Paradise can be found or created in unlikely places.
My cluttered, cramped, and multi-purpose room is transformed into a space that holds infinite possibility for relaxation, renewal, and all the other joys of yoga.
A thirteen-year relationship with my yoga practice has revealed at least one truth: no matter where or when I unroll the mat and begin to move and breathe, I am coming to a place that is familiar and a lot like home. In this place, offered by the mat but also from within, I can recognize that part of myself that does not change no matter what the external craziness looks like. I can connect to purusha, the authentic self, who fortunately does not mind the pile of clothes and books.
