Saturday, May 26, 2012

New Mysore Rug, and some assorted existential musings

My new Mysore rug arrived in the mail yesterday; just in time for Mysore (and Singapore, may I add...). This morning, I did full primary with it. I love the feel of new, tightly-knit cotton under my feet (and hands). In my opinion, Mysore rugs offer a certain reassuring, gentle stability that no generic sticky mat or Manduka mat can replicate (no offense to all of you Manduka lovers out there; if you care to read my more detailed musings on the comparative merits of Mysore rugs vs. Manduka mats vs. generic sticky mats, see this post.) This is how my new rug looks like:

[Image taken from here]

Pretty neat, don't you think? I also think that Mysore rugs are simply aesthetically more appealing than generic sticky mats or Mandukas (again, no offense to Manduka lovers); there's this understated elegance in the way the embroidered stripes are positioned at the two ends of the rug. 

But enough of my Mysore rug raptures. As I was practicing this morning, it also occurred to me that my upcoming trip to Singapore will represent the first time I actually practice yoga in Singapore: The last time I was there, I hadn't found yoga yet. I think there is something very significant about this simple fact, even if I can't quite articulate what it is; it feels like it has something to do with coming full circle in some way, even if I'm not sure exactly how it is the case. Well, maybe this will take the edge off some of the quivering anger that I anticipate will most likely surface in my life when I'm there... But we'll see. 
 
But anyway, reflecting upon this simple fact fills me with a profound sense of gratitude. I could be wrong about this, but I'm pretty sure that if I never came to live in this country, I would probably never have started practicing yoga. Maybe I would have encountered it as just another new-agey fitness fad, and perhaps dabbled in it; but there certainly would never have been the sort of major existential displacement that caused me to search for something to help me bring equilibrium to my daily existence. 
 
I suppose I can tell you more about what that major existential displacement involved. But I guess I'll have to leave this story for another day and post; this is a beautiful Saturday morning, and beautiful Saturday mornings are not the right sort of time and place for existential musings. :-) 
 
Before I sign off here, I will leave you with a suggestion: If you are not using a Mysore rug for practice now (and do not have any skin allergies to cotton), you might want to think about experimenting with practicing on one sometime in the near future. They really rock! You can purchase one at Barefoot Yoga 
 
Seriously, Barefoot Yoga should start thinking about paying me to advertise their products... :-) 

2 comments:

  1. I've never practiced on Mysore rugs before. Do they move as you go from downward dog to some other pose? I feel pretty pampered by the softness of my Manduka. Don't know if I can practice just on a thin rug.

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    1. I have this theory that if the Mysore rug moves when you go from downdog to some other pose, this means that knitting of the rug is getting worn out, and it's time to get a new rug. At least that was what happened with my old rug: First, the mat moved in downdog, then I started seeing tears in the knitting where I place my feet in downdog (yes, I have powerful downdog legs :-)).

      Well, I think this is probably too much information for you :-)...

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