Practicing in front of a mirror

Yoga Discussion General Yoga
#1

Just wondering how people feel about practicing in front of a mirror. I’ve been to some classes where there is no mirror in the room and others where the entire front wall is mirror. I find that in larger rooms where the teacher instructs from different parts of the room the mirror makes it easy to see him/her from many locations in the room. I seem to prefer practicing in front of a mirror so that I can refer to my reflection to ensure my shoulders are down, hips square, etc. I find that I will try to get into a pose without the mirror and then if something feels “off” I can refer to the mirror to see what I need to adjust.

But I sometimes wonder if the mirror is a “crutch”. I mean, if the mirror wasn’t there, would I be able to use physical cues to know that my posture was in alignment or not. One example is headstand. In class I practice headstand such that when I invert I can see my reflection in the mirror. The ability to see my reflection aloows me to adjust myself so that I am straight up and down and will tell me if I am arching my back too much or not. I find that when I practice headstand at home in the absence of a mirror I am more wobbly and I “think” I am straight but when I ask my fiancee to check my posture I am usually tipped forward or to the side a bit.

Opinions?

#2

Sometimes I practice naked.

maybe you could use the mirror to get everything just right and then remember the feeling when no mirrors around

#3

My view of mirrors is this .Unless they’re aids to being able to see what the instructor is trying to demonstrate from afar then they’re great. But from a solo poiint of view, my thinking for some reason has been that they could be liable to mislead by placing too much empahasis on the outward form.

So we do a posture and then look in the mirror.We are thinking our hips maybe incorrect becuase the outward form,reflected in the miror, says so.

We might try to correct our form and then overlook or ignore other cues-the breath,the letting surrender attitude,effort,emotions etc.

So by striving to emulate perfect form the way we see it we’re ignoring other stuff.Remember over-obsession with outward form.

I’ve seen it in iyengar-type studios but i’ve often surmised it could make your practice worse by feeling over-pre-occupied with body-image,shape,external form…Therefore perhaps it could be misleading.

We could for e.g be doing one posture better by breathing better while in it ,not trying to control the pose as much etc

#4

I don’t like mirrors in studios because I can see me, and therefore everyone else can see me too. Creepy. I love mirrors in my personal practice, because at the end of the practice, I always seem to look a lot happier and the sides of my mouth are curved up more. Maybe a smile? :smiley:

#5

I have been thinking of video taping myself so that I can watch to see if I am doing things correctly.

I used to use this practice technique when I played ‘disc golf’ and it was very telling and helpful.

#6

I think the intention of the practice determines one’s answer to this. If the intention is to “attend” to the physical form from an external vantage point then perhaps a mirror for that person is completely necessary.

However my view of the larger picture would be that the practice of yoga itself is a transition away from being externally referenced to being internally referenced. You see we already spend much of our time measuring our self-worth based on our neighbor, their home, their looks, their clothes, their car…and if it’s not the neighbor its a co-worker or classmate, or family member.

This process of defining ourselves based on something(s) outside of ourselves is not only antiquated but also fool’s gold, leading us away from, rather than toward, the light or divinity which dwells within.

From my observation and experience it is far more likely that a mirrored room leads the practitioner to Ego (the aggrandizing or shunning of the physical form) rather than to the spirit. And while I don’t go out of the way to avoid a mirror and I’ve certainly found a practice in a mirrored space to be “interesting”, it is not an essential or necessity for my practice - when my practice is about find from the inside out.

It cannot however be said enough that if something works in your practice then rock on with it. There is no right answer and there is no one answer. There are just answers for individuals in different contexts.

#7

Hmmm, the feeling I’m getting is that some people don’t like the mirror because they don’t want to be too occupied with their image in the mirror i.e. don’t want their opinion of themselves in the mirror to distract from the practice.

Someone even mentioned that it is creepy to see oneself (and for others to see oneself) in the mirror. This I don’t really understand. Maybe if one has low self esteem. But you are seem by many people everyday and are seen by others in the class whether or not there is a mirror. Maybe I didn’t understand the response…

I was thinking of the mirror less of an ego generator and more of a tool too confirm one’s hips are level, shoulders down, etc. Sometimes I’ll be sure that a pose “feels” correct and then I will look in the mirror and see that my hips are not in fact level or that my face is not as relaxed as it just be (just examples).

Interesting points brought up about people’s opinions of the mirror. Definately no right or wrong answer to be found so hearing different views is interesting…

#8

We have large mirrors in the back of the studio where I teach. If I have a small class or am doing a one on one, they are most helpful. Example: If a student stands in tadasana and goes into uttanasana with a rounded back a/o sticks their bum out I will first have them perform that in front of the mirror as they would in class. I then ask them to look. Usually they are shocked! But then I ask what they think they need to do and we discuss. Aster a few adjustments and practices I then have them do it in front of the mirror and look. This time they are thrilled! So for me , in my classes, it can be helpful.

Some of our teacher training classes were held at the SIA spa and the entire room was mirrored. Most everyone spent more time looking in the mirrors then listening to instructions. So in an environment like that, I don’t they are useful.

On occasion I will practice in front of a mirror (not naked!) just to make sure I’m doing some of the asanas correctly. Especially if they are ones I have difficulty with. Sometimes I catch myself making minor adjustments that during my teaching I’m not even aware of and then use that discovery in my teaching.

Really, whatever works for you is fine!

#9

At the studio I go to, the entire front wall is a mirror. When I first started to go to this studio, I used to go up front so I am facing my reflection in the mirror. In fact, I used to be upset if I couldn’t get a spot in the front of the room. I couldn’t really understand why I was doing this for some time, as I’d just started yoga and was not familiar with some postures anyway.

As you had said, I was correcting myself constantly in the mirror for physical alignment problems. However, constantly worrying over physical alignment caused me to miss the feel of the pose. For example, in warrior 1 I was constantly adjusting my hips, and just when I felt like I had it right, the pose was over.

Over time I realized I was letting my Ego take over. I was in the front of the room because I knew people could see me. Yes, that’s right. I wanted to show off, like a self-righteous, conceited beginner. I admit it freely because I’ve changed from then.

Over time I realized that I was only hurting my practice, and that no one really cares what level you are at. In a proper yoga class there is no competition, and this took me a long time to understand. Now I don’t intentionally go to the front of the room unless I have an injury or a specific misalignment I need to take care of. I totally agree with InnerAthlete’s post with external reference and its effects on self-worth and the worth of your yoga practice.

In response to your question about reliance on the mirror, I think perhaps you should keep practicing with the mirror until you are more familiar with the alignment and how the pose feels. Maybe then you can move away from the mirror. :smiley: Sometimes if I am learning a new pose, I will tape myself and play it back so I can see why I’m not getting it right. Perhaps one day I won’t need to, but at this moment in time it helps me progress. Do what feels right to you.

Best of luck and Namaste!

#10

[QUOTE=xJasmine;35140]

As you had said, I was correcting myself constantly in the mirror for physical alignment problems. However, constantly worrying over physical alignment caused me to miss the feel of the pose. For example, in warrior 1 I was constantly adjusting my hips, and just when I felt like I had it right, the pose was over.

[/QUOTE]

This! I find that I have “loosey goosey” joints sometimes and that in trying to ensure proper posture I over correct so that looking in the mirror helps me to bac off a bit. I do find that sometimes I spend too much time correcting the pose and then we move on to the next.

Is more time spent in an incorrect pose better than using “pose time” to correct the pose but then be left with less time in the final pose? I struggle with this idea. Well not “stuggle” but for lack of a better word, I really wonder…

#11

Hi amz155,

At some point one can let go and accept a position of comfort and relaxation.This is why i think mirrrors can lead to an over-obsession with outward form as well as aggrandize the ego(at least that’s what it tends to do with me).

I’ve leaarnt to just stop aiming for a perfection, or an idealised sesne of it, and just accept where you are.(That’s actually in the yamas i think under santosha-contenment i think,accepting where you are today etc)If the pose is uncomfortable to hold too long then just come out of it. The state of mind is just as important.A relaxed detached state is good. That why i harp on about the other limbs like meditation because the observer or witness is watching it all ,unaffected.It knows when to back off,gives ourselves us a bit of slack. rather than srriving to perfect a pose,within one session.

Go into the pose,relax, engage some muscles relax others, then come out of it.Get a good savasana ,or mini-yoga nidra or some form of meditation at some point in the sequence or earlier on in the day perhaps.

Iyengar talks about the brain being relaxed in the pose. Eyes relax and so forth.We hold a lot of unconscious and psycho-physical tension.

You might want to look at including at an effective meditation technique in your practice.Just a thought.

Also if the mind is calm then the breath is often too.It’s a reflection Remember ,Mind controlls or affects prana.The mind,the breath/prana and the body are like reflections of each other that lead one inwards, or outwards whther you’re doing more focused work on a particular kosha or your whole being.

The subtler bodies are harder to see in the mirror. The (real)mirror with the more accurate & transparent reflection is in you,in the interior,rather than out there somewhere…& Vice-versa.We look in the external glass mirror you are referring to and sometimes we see want we want to see.Or to us there is something less than perfect about it,our external reflection.

Also i would add that the inclusion of an effective meditation technique would help to remove and dislodge obstructions in your nervous system that may be getting in the way of you realising this asana or that one.

Combine all the limbs,& yogas…Practice daily… A ten-minute session is better than nothing .A number of those is small sessions is better than one marathon long sesssion. And Less is indeed often more.

#12

I have an article about this in my blog “Mirrors are evil”

#13

[QUOTE=CityMonk;35168]I have an article about this in my blog “Mirrors are evil”[/QUOTE]

I tried accessing that piece through both the link to your blog and the link to your website but the blog links do not seem to be active.