My first attempt at traveling with a yoga mat ended in disaster. I inherited my first “travel” yoga mat in Nicaragua, after taking an incredible teacher training course for Kelly Kundalini. It only made it through 2 countries, strapped to the base of my pack, before the weight of the other luggage that was lashed to the top of the cars or jammed into the cargo of the buses, flattened it. In Panama I pulled it out, attempting to do a vinyasas, but as I transitioned from down dog to standing, I caught a glimpse of my hands; chunks of the mat decided to come with me. At that point, I rolled it up and put it to rest.

Through the rest of Panama and the entire Northern coast of Colombia, I tried practising without a mat. It was limiting, I was unable to do an intense flow and ended up with bruised knees and red palms, but I persisted.

I’m what they call “a sweater,” so after sliding on the tiles of a courtyard in Riohacha while trying to hold a plank, I reached the last straw.