Your mat is your blank page

Where the rainbow ends
It begins
On a battered blue mat
In a cool room at dawn

Take a deeper breath
Inspiration rises
And descends

This morning, it struck me that I take my mat for granted.

If I didn’t have my mat, I could still practice as I have done on beaches, in hotel rooms and airport lounges. But when I step onto that blue, battered rectangle something magical happens.

It’s more than just the space in which I stretch, sweat, find and extend my edge to make my practice as challenging as it is nourishing.

On my mat is where I find the pot of creative gold that sustains my writing throughout the day.

When I take Extended Child’s Pose to begin my practice, I set my intention as asking for inspiration in general or for help with a specific writing challenge I have at the time.

This could be to do with resolving a plot point, visualizing a location or character, figuring out how to structure an article. Anything.

I keep paper and something to write with by my side because I’ve learned that the answer can appear out of the blue at any time. And something always comes.

Because, although my practice changes slightly every day depending on what I feel I need, every asana has a purpose as much connected to my writing as it is my physical wellbeing.

I may practice Wide-Angled Forward Bend precisely because I find it so challenging it enables me to access my emotions. I might practice a heart opener like Camel to encourage feelings of empathy.

Staying in Tree for a while is the best way I know of centering myself and cultivating my inner vision.

My battered blue mat is the page on which my practice is written. Being conscious of its boundaries helps me focus on my intention as I flow through each asana in turn.

Within its four curling corners, the power of my practice is intensified.

Each practice is a page turned in an endless story.

Mat! I salute you.