Mirror Mirror
As she bound and twisted my body (Marichyasana C) I looked away from her and towards the wall. It was early on in my yoga journey and being manoeuvred in that way was not easy for me and I’m sure not easy for her either. It showed up on my face and when she finished I said to her I now know why there are no mirrors in this place. She said why, and I said, because you would be able to see my face and how much of a struggle that was.
To save teachers from seeing the torture they inflict – ha, is not the reason for no mirrors.
During lockdown one of my daughters asked me to teach her yoga which I did via FaceTime. She lives on a boat in a local harbour about a 10 minute drive from my home. It’s a tiny space to practice in and on top of that the boat can be rocking back and forth. I’d never be able to practice there, pretty sure my hands would hit the ceiling during sun salutations also.
She was working so we had to get up and do it early in the morning but this conflicted with my own practice schedule. So I’d teach her how to do the asanas via FaceTime and after make a video of the part I was teaching her and send her the video. Two or three times a week I would FaceTime her and I’d watch what she had learned.
Recording certain asanas for my daughter gave me an idea. I’ll video myself doing the entire primary series. I’d watch to see what my practice looks like.
So I did the video and watched it back. Holly shit what a mess. I knew before I did this that it was not going to look great but this was not good. And it made me realize now even more than ever why there are no mirrors. I’d spend way too much time trying to align this and align that, fix this fix that. Way to distracting.
There is a reason for no mirrors in Ashtanga and that’s because it’s not about what it looks like. However asana’s have to be done correctly but its got to be what it feels like right, at least that’s my theory. Also each asana has drishti, a gaze point and that is definitely not in the mirror. It’s an internal journey not an external one – that’s how I choose to view it.
However for me specifically there is one asana where a mirror would be helpful and that is Sirsasana. I would be able to look in the mirror when my legs are up in the air and watch leg movement. It’s impossible to see my legs in this asana and I can’t feel movement fast enough for me to react. I’ve had some big crashes in this one and if I could see faster that I’m falling I’d be able to correct and not fall. Or at the very least I’d have enough notice that I’m falling and prepare for it.
The first time I crashed out I thought that I broke my fingers. They are interlaced behind the head and I did not realize I need to get them unlaced and away from my head. As I fell backward the weight of my entire body pushed down on my interlaced fingers – ouch!
And the last time I fell I did a number on my back so I went back to practicing at the bottom of my mat with the wall behind me. I have not hurt myself since.
Sirsasana has always been a challenge for me and if I was looking into a mirror I would see only my reflection. I would not see what is really going on.
Be safe