The Mat: a Rhyming Love Poem about Yoga.

In 2016, I wrote the first draft of this poem.

Now, a whole two years later, I stumbled upon it once again. It immediately pulled me in and grabbed my attention.

I dropped everything: the half done laundry sitting on the bed, the dishes waiting to be washed in the sink, the vegetables I was in the middle of cutting. It all stopped for this. The words just flowed out of me—my heart was beating out of my chest, setting the tempo and pace for this piece of writing.

I added a few lines, changed some wording, and grew in many ways as I expanded on what I had learned just a couple of years ago. This practice continues to bring me deeper and deeper to my truest nature. It has become less about the asana (poses) and more about the transformation that happens when the asana practice is over.

While resting in savasana (final rest), after the body has opened and the mind has settled, there is a real stillness that can be experienced—one free of circular thinking, worries, and fears. For me, this is true freedom.

Writing this poem, both then and now, reminds me how important it is to take action when inspiration takes hold and how easily everything can flow and come together when we connect with our big, grateful hearts. Namaste.

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“The Mat”

I om and I can feel the universe inside

The connection between us is quantified

I salute the sun for it teaches me how

to flow with spirit, inviting me to “now”

Stretching and reaching my body open

Healing myself from when I was broken

I feel my muscles work with determination

My being resists residing in stagnation

I balance with engagement and focus

Then proceed to open my heart in locust

My back bends to keep my spine free

From the years that have conditioned me

To feel less than my truest self

Self-love is worth more than any wealth

My core burns with magnificent strength

Lighting the space with grace and length

Grounding into the earth, my feet root

Soaking in the labor and its fruit

Hanumanasana summons my attention

Hips opening, reminded of all creation

Inversions help me find new perspective

And keep me away from always being “detective”

I twist my body to wring out the old

Breathing and cleansing before I unfold

Savasana calls and asks me to rest

I place my hands on my heart beating through my chest

I observe the thoughts that come and go

Without judgement, release them and know:

“You are not what you think, you are so much more”

Cells vibrating with aliveness, my vessel rests on the floor

Step back, my body radiates a magnificent glow

Vitality and love abound when I tap into this flow

Yoga is my medicine

To assist in the reveal of what is genuine

Layers and layers still to uncover

Drop the self-doubt, become your own biggest lover

Over and over we practice and meet

The mat—sacred space beneath two feet

~

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Author: Alexis Anderson
Image: Author’s own
Editor: Nicole Cameron

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About the author: Alexis Anderson began practicing yoga regularly when she became pregnant with her first child in 2012. But her infatuation with yoga, meditation, and other Eastern teaching began way before then, in middle school. Alexis began teaching yoga at the age of 18 and has continued to study and devote herself to her practice. Alexis is currently studying under Susan Bass at The Saraswati Institute Of Ayurvedic Yoga Therapy in Portland, Oregon, and is scheduled to graduate with her 300-hour RYT certificate in September of 2018. Follow her on her blog, Instagram, and Facebook.

 

 

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