I had an awkward moment not too long ago while teaching. We were in warrior 2 on the right side. I reminded to set their gaze to the front, which happens to be the mirror. A student blurted out, “Ugh! Look at how my tummy sticks out.” I happen to be standing near her and heard it loud and clear. I felt like a deer caught in head lights. What do I say? “hehehe no it doesn’t.”? That split second of time seemed like an eternity. After I snapped out of the head lights, I looked at her in the eye, smiled, and assisted her to track her front knee to the right because it was caving in and helped her lengthened her front torso. “Scoop your tail under and engage your core, great! you look beautiful,” I said and walked away as fast as I could. After class she told me she enjoyed the class and went on about how her hips and butt are big. “They’ve always been like this. My sisters, my aunties.. we all have it. So it’s useless for me to try to be skinny like you, but sometimes when I catch myself in the mirror, I go eeks because I often have to laugh at myself sometimes, ya know?” We both laughed and I said, “don’t even get me started on being skinny…” “Yea, we’ll always have something to complain about eh?”
in a dressing room with mirrors that created this cool effect
I hate seeing myself in mirrors when I’m out in public. So naturally it only makes sense that I end up teaching all my classes at studios that have full length, crystal clear mirrors, right? UGH! Leave it to life to always give us what we don’t want. I hate catching myself in mirrors while I teach cause it’s distracting. I get up in my head about how I look and how I’m standing and omg look at that big pimple on my forehead. Most of all, I get distracted by seeing other people looking around and not paying attention to what I’m saying. Am I a boring teacher? Can they not hear me? Are my cues wrong? When I practice in front of a mirror, it get’s even worse. How’s my alignment? Oh look, I think my right arm is longer than my left and my mat is crooked, yada yada ya.. now I’ve forgotten about my breath and mind is wandering if all sorts of directions. However, the one thing that I won’t look at if I’m practicing in a mirror or if I catch myself in a public mirror is to look in my own eyes. I will look everywhere else on my body, gaze at my nose or chin.. everywhere except straight in the eyes.
It’s SCARY! How can I look myself in the eyes and tell myself that I look ugly? Deep down, I know that’s cruel. It’s just not right! But I might say that as I catch my reflection or criticize a body part… but not when I look directly in my own eyes because deep down I know I am love. I am compassion. I am beautiful. I believe it so. I will tell this to myself the next time I meet myself eye to eye.
“It’s SCARY! How can I look myself in the eyes and tell myself that I look ugly? Deep down, I know that’s cruel. It’s just not right! But I might say that as I catch my reflection or criticize a body part… but not when I look directly in my own eyes because deep down I know I am love. I am compassion. I am beautiful. I believe it so. I will tell this to myself the next time I meet myself eye to eye.”
I loved this! What beautiful writing. Thank you.
One of the best classes i’ve taken (at least in a studio with mirrors), the teacher had us close our eyes any time we faced the mirror. Bringing the drishti to the third eye internally it was amazing!
I think the best thing we can do when that little voice of self doubt jumps up in your head, saying things like ‘don’t wear those pants, they don’t hide enough’ or ‘egh, i shouldn’t have had those tofutti-cuties, my food baby belly is sticking out’ is give it a big hug and then tell it to buzz off. Usually when ever you get close to make changes (and yoga really helps make changes within ourselves and our view points), that voice of self-doubt pops up. Maybe a nice reminder when self-doubt actually comes flying out of your mouth (or a student), we can share a little love and empathy, maybe even a few encouraging words about that voice showing up when we are about to get rid of it!
You’re beautiful! Inside and out, don’t let anyone else (or self doubt) convince you otherwise.
Luckily I don’t practice in a place that has mirrors. I can see how it would be a distraction. It’s nice to know, however, that I’m not the only one who gets distracted – sometimes – in yoga.
By the way, that’s a very cool photograph!
This is why I teach folks not to look in the mirror stay within yourself and your body. Learn to feel the pose not see it I always say. The mirror can deceive you into thinking something is reality when it is not.
I found mirrors to be very helpful when you’re still learning, like me. I often forgot to tuck in my tailbone and my butt, so I correct it every time I see it in the mirrors. When I fall out of the pose, I do look at others to see what the pose is supposed to look like and try to figure out what I did wrong.
I think you’re attractive Nikki, may be not in a traditional way as a magazine cover model, but in your own energetic way. I like your eyes. I’ve seen some boring beautiful faces. You know those pretty girls that every features are so perfect, but then after a few seconds looking at them, you got bored because you don’t feel the energy and life come out of it. I prefer looking at a lively, energetic and happy girl.
If a student got bored, he/she was probably not working hard enough. Have you considered cracking a joke to get their attention back to your voice?
First of all.. you are a rocking babe so shhh on the ugly talk!
Secondly.. if you teach where there are mirrors, make the students keep their backs to the mirrors. I have to places where I teach and there are mirrors: I HATE them! One has mirrors on one wall and I have the students arranged in a circle facing me away from the mirrors. I do my best to keep them facing in a direction that is a window or a wall so they can’t look at themselves. It is distracting and not helpful. I don’t get their purpose for yoga at all.. they encourage us to look outside our body rather than finding the peace within it. We adjust our alignment because of how we look rather than how it feels. It stinks and so I discourage the students from looking at them in any way I can.