Saturday, October 17, 2009

I'm posing a question to everyone involved in yoga of any aspect. I am curious to know your thoughts on the use of mirrors for yoga? A few years ago, as a workshop, the instructor told me I had a 'banana back' habit in my downward dog. He said, aside from the other general cues to use a mirror to make sure my lower abdomen was tucking in to support my lower spine. My first thought was 'I don't like mirrors.' Since then I hadn't been around a studio with mirrors. Recently, I have taught and still do at three different studios where there is one wall entirely in mirrors. I tend to shy away from them, as I don't want the general stigma to turn to body image, how the clothing fits, etc.. I have found though, that a lot of my students don't mind them so much. So, I suppose I return to the question of whether the student would rather instruct the pose alignment and give adjustments if necessary or of they would rather have that as well as seeing the change in their pose in a mirror. I guess I hesitate on students being self-conscious and perhaps too much to say that they would prefer not to see themselves in a mirror and therefor take them out of the moment of their practice and become distracted by self criticism.I await your thoughts. :) Namaste