No Mat, No Master: Why My Yoga Mat’s Been Lonely Lately

I could really use some yoga right now. Like, desperately. Between the stress of moving into our fixer-upper house (which still looks more “up for fixing” than “fixed”) and my ongoing budget woes that could make a financial advisor want to lie down, my body is one big, tightly wound ball of tension. Add in all the little plot twists life’s been serving up lately—and yep, I’m hanging by a thread. A frayed, yoga-mat-colored thread.

But here’s the thing: I haven’t done yoga in over a week. Not because I’ve lost the will to stretch (far from it), but because our amazing yoga teacher, Master G, is currently on a well-deserved journey of her own—in India, no less! She’s expanding her practice, deepening her wisdom, and probably meditating under a Bodhi tree somewhere beautiful while I, over here in Bacolod, am trying not to explode over a missing cabinet handle.

To be fair, Master G hasn’t completely vanished. She still conducts our sessions via Zoom, and some truly dedicated yoginis are showing up at Daily Prana to practice virtually with her. Seriously, hats off to them—now that’s commitment.

But here’s where I admit something personal: Ralph and I signed up specifically for face-to-face yoga. We’ve tried remote classes before, and let’s just say the tech gods were not on our side. Between laggy connections and frozen poses, it felt more stressful than soothing. So while the virtual option is a fantastic backup for many, it doesn’t quite work for us.

It was heartfelt and inspiring, as always. But I’ll be honest—I felt a little called out. Not in a bad way, but in that “okay, yes, I should be hopping on my mat, but also, I’m barely keeping it together over here” kind of way. I know it came from a place of love and encouragement, and maybe that nudge is exactly what I need.

That said, I do remember us talking in the past about having a substitute teacher available during times like this. And maybe that’s still in the works, or maybe things just didn’t align as planned—it happens! I totally get that. I guess I was just really hoping for an in-person practice to help me breathe through all the chaos.

So here I am. Yoga-free for a week. Stressed, sore, and mentally composing love letters to my abandoned mat. My mind misses the calm, my body misses the stretch, and my soul misses the peace.

Maybe tomorrow I’ll find a new way to reconnect. Maybe I’ll hop on Zoom and give it another shot. Or maybe I’ll just breathe deeply, light some incense, and trust that everything—yes, even my practice—will find its flow again soon.

Namaste-ish. 🙃