My project in Creative Writing for Beginners: Bringing Your Story to Life course

The Blue Mat
Jade mat, you do live in my room, all rolled up, not allowing any of your top secrets to come out. You stand straight on your assigned box. But wait, I could open you up, and in fact I have, now more often than before. Last year, during the infamous 2020 pandemic year, you were kept unemployed most of the time, and what a pity that was!
You came to me one day through the local yoga studio. My yoga practice, with all its certifications and classes taken, and classes taught to adults and children, have taken me and the mat infinite times out of the house, into the street and inside various and diverse yoga studios. Now imagine how many mats have passed through my hands, probably more than I could ever remember. But you, the blue Jade mat are special to me. Why? the reader may ask. And I want to be really truthful here; I have never paid too much attention to my yoga mats, they were just, well, mats.
The turquoise mat, that one. I really liked. You were the color of the Caribbean, and your texture thick and lush. We have walk with you, all rolled up on your carry on strap, to all the different studios, which is a bit unusual for a town like Los Angeles! Everyone knows the well known tune by Missing Persons: "Walking in LA, nobody walks in LA." Well, I do! And nowadays, many more do too. Anyhow, you, my dear Caribbean color, thick and lush mat were very heavy to carry around, but still, I loved you. One good day, my Monday yoga teacher, who I liked, but had a strange sense of humor, requested that I replace you for a thinner one, it was going to be better for my practice, I heard. Apparentlly, she trained for a while in India, and over there they don't use yoga mats, so she was of that school, the less the better.
I looked at her like "Sorry teacher, can't do" but replied anyway "Okay". Time went by, with me still carrying you, my dear heavy mat around. That turquoise color, with its refreshing, creative, femenine energy was something I wasn't so ready to give up. But eventually I noticed you were looking tired, a bit dirty, and worn out.
I finally decided to follow my Monday's teacher advice and replaced you with and Eko emerald green mat. This color was more like a heart and expansive energy and now, walking to the yoga class had a different feeling to it. Remember Eko mat all the times we walked by the Russian park, and saw all the blond and out of a fairly tale looking kids, on our way to the RYT200 Teacher Trainer classes? You really stood by me during the whole course and final test for the Agni Yoga certification. The sequences were a bit complicated, and I was executing the poses correctly, but you were a tad slippery, and that is never a good thing to experience on a yoga mat. I had always to grip very tightly with my feet to don't fall over! The good thing about you, is that being slippery helped me to learn how to ground. Yes, that feeling of roots coming down through our feet and helping one stand straight up, and at the same time connecting to the ground, and ultimately to Mother Earth.
This was a relatively challenging certification but I can say, together, you, emerald mat and I, became certified, and for that, I am grateful!
Sometimes I wonder why I can't remember anything in particular of my previous mats even though I travelled with some of them. Actually, when I went to Argentina I did not take any mat, but luckily the studio I found around the corner (so lucky) provided mats, and at that time, apparently, we didn't worry that much about germs, so it all worked out. The only thing I didn't get is how the teacher could show up half hour later to the class!! Anyhow, it was around Christmas, and at the end of the class she had gifts for us to pick. I picked a small golden angel that carried for many years and many trips on my purse. My good luck angel!
Anyhow, back to the States and teaching Spanish at a fancy school in Brentwood, and as I was experiencing how rambunctious the children were, it dawn on me that if yoga was so good for me, it probably would be as good for them too.
Searching, searching I found finally one school that taught children's yoga. It was not that popular back then. In the last 10 to 15 years it has exploded but before, let me tell you, no yoga for the kiddies. Anyhow, as I was trying to register online, things kept scrambling and nothing would come out of it! Finally the word "Yogakids" appeared, and that was unusual, especially the fact that it was just one word. As I followed the lead, I registered with them, and was granted a scholarship which was a divine gift, really.
So to Michigan I went to study Yogakids, and this time, I took an orange mat, that much I remember. You and me on the plane. According to Color Therapy orange is the color of joy and wisdom, and especially it stimulates feelings of sociability, also tied to our emotional health and the muscular system of the body. How different this yoga for children was! Much more about playing and feeling, and experiencing.. You, orange mat, really were ideal, a playful companion!
Looking back at my current blue yoga mat I return to the here and now. So, why do I like you so much? First of all, you are exactly the thickness that the Monday yoga class teacher requested and, you are sticky. A sticky mat! My feet, aligned with my hips, or even behind me, will grip perfectly to you, without any extra effort.
You and I have walked so many times on the back streets, where all the nice trees and flowers are, taking us directly to the local yoga studio, sometimes crossing other teachers or students on the way, acknowledging each other with a brief "Hello" or even "Namaste". Your weight, ideal, and your color soothing. And how many times, when going to the Kundalini classes, we have crossed practitoners all dressed in white, with turbans covering their heads, and skins rather than mats. Well, I am not them, so you, Jade blue mat and I never felt less for being different. Blue is cooling and relaxing to the system. It represents devotion. And what better than being devoted during our practice, devoted to the moment, to our breath, body, mind and spirit, and how inspiring that class energy is, when we are all one, being devoted to our practice. And now, even though is still home practice, you get unfurled often, and together, we seize the day, bringing that much needed balance to life!