There are many things about Bikram yoga that people find peculiar. The most obvious (obviously) is the heat, 105 degrees of pure unadulterated sweat producing heat. Then there’s the carpet, which most people find disgusting at first but, like the heat, eventually come to embrace. Finally, there are the mirrors.
Bikram yoga requires at least one set of mirrors at the front of the room, but most Bikram yoga studios have two or three mirrored walls. While this is standard practice in most major gyms, it has been a sticking point for a lot of non-Bikram yogis and yoginis. The mirrors seem to them like vain temptations, an invitation to admire one’s flesh (while ignoring the mind and spirit) continuously for 90 minutes. The mirror to those who do not understand is nothing more than three walls of vainglory, hubris of the highest order.
However, the mirror is a tool, and like any other tool the mirror can be misused. It’s intended purpose (which I’ll talk about in a minute) is not one of vainglory but of Self-discovery. We can choose to look into the mirror, recognize the beauty of the Self and use that recognition to enhance our understanding of ourselves and others. Or, like Narcissus before us, we can become so enthralled with our reflection and drown in our own self-admiration. Same tool, different outcomes. When used correctly, the mirror becomes a didactic tool that open up levels of the self that may not have been possible otherwise.
The mirror is there to ask you a single question: Do you love me?
photo credit: Dodge & Burn
There you stand before it, almost naked, every one of your flaws on display: every fold, every wrinkle, every scar, every layer of excess skin, every hairy mole. And for 90 minutes the mirror continuously asks, do you love me? You can’t hide from this question, not in that 90 minutes (or really anywhere else for that matter).
Out in the world when you may be able to distract yourself with the plethora of mind altering alternatives (and they don’t have to be drugs) that exist; you can ignore, temporarily, the incessant inquiry that is continuously asked by your Spirit. However, in the yoga room where there is nothing but yourself and the mirror for 90 minutes, even ignoring the question is answering it. Averting your eyes, or looking at the pretty girl behind you, or staring at the floor is just a way of saying, “no, I do not.”
Sometimes as yogis we pay too much attention to the mind and the spirit.
Yoga ultimately is a union between the mind, body and the spirit. But there can be no union of the three is there is no love for one, in this case the body. Many of us meditate for hours on end, chant, light incense etc, all in an attempt to escape what we see to be the least important of the trinity. We practice a modern and, at times, damaging form of self-flagellation in order to prove that we have mastery over our bodies, that we have freed the mind from its fleshy prison.
But this perspective is flawed. The body does not imprison the spirit, it houses it; the body doesn’t keep the spirit from expressing itself, it magnifies its creativity and gives it a medium with which to shine. But this is only possible if there is as much love for the body as there is for the mind and the spirit. If there is no love for the body, if there is only begrudging acceptance, then there can be no union, there can be no yoga.
If each time your reflection asks “do you love me?” and you reply “no”, you move one step further away from completion, one step away from union. And though you may move as gracefully as the lithest of swans, bend your body into shapes and sizes unseen since the dawn of time, you will have accomplished nothing, for you hate yourself, and hate is the path to disunion.
Any mirror, whether it be in a Bikram studio or on your bathroom wall, gives you an opportunity to confront what it is about yourself that you find so unlovable. And with that, an opportunity to let go. Just let go.
What tools help you get a deeper understanding of yoga, and, by extension, yourself?
I like mirrors in studios because I have little body self awareness. Unless i can see myself I have no idea if I am doing the pose correct no matter what the teacher says.
Too funny I was about write about mirrors and self discovery myself! I really enjoyed your perspective. I was recently inspired by comment by Rod Stryker on mirrors and self discovery. He said we loved shopping not because of the materials but because of the mirrors. In our reflection we can discover that we look bad in say the color blue and great in red. Or what style expresses our inner creativity etc. etc. and then he compared meditation to the mirror saying that we can look at and discover our deeper selves. Suddenly I understood that, like you said, our bodies house our souls, and as we grow to understand that layer we can eventually dig deeper and deeper. Anyways I love this piece many thanks for discussing the topic!!!
Thank you. I would very much like to read (assuming it wasn't a workshop or video, in which case I would love to listen to or watch) the rest of Rod Stryker's comment on mirrors and self-discovery. I tried googling his name with mirrors but nothing came up. Any ideas where I can find it?
I would like to know too…with 500+ hours of training with Rod (I am certified with him!), I have never heard him say anything like this…was it at Wanderlust? One of my other teachers, Erich Schiffmann, has a meditation on gazing at one's own face in the mirror…
unfortunately it was one of his classes at wanderlust sorry Ife!
I have a yoga studio -we placed a mirror because we used to hold dance classes. Some people have asked me in the past "why don't you use the mirrors more often?".
Although I always considered it a useful tool, I admit I have not used it much until now, with the fear that people might rely too much on seeing the body, rather than feeling it. You made me rethink this opinion, and you have inspired me to use the mirror as a very important tool in class – and opened a world of possibilities, reflection and wholesomeness for my students.
Thanks!
Thanks, Michael. I'm a fan of the mirror but I think there's also value in practicing without the mirror. During teacher training with 435 students in the room, the odds of seeing yourself in the mirror every class was incredibly low (unless you were willing to break the rules), but it turned into a great opportunity to challenge myself and improve my practice. I love the mirror and I am, clearly, a great advocate for them, but I can see the other side. I think the key is to never get too comfortable with a particular way of doing anything, to always search for ways to avoid habitual, automatic behaviors. Thanks again for your comment, Michael. Much appreciated.
Nicely said, Ife. I plan on sharing a few choice quotes with my students. Gazing at one's own eyes, face, stomach, legs, whatever, for 90 minutes is powerful practice. The mirror is not simply for alignment – I think alignment is secondary to what you've written about here. Its primary purpose is confrontation. Thank you!
Facing myself in the brightly lit room of a Bikram Yoga studio and accepting and working with my body, creates a renewed strength in my life away from the mirror. The effort I put in when in front of the mirror is also reflected in life outside the yoga room. For that, I am grateful.
The few times I've practiced yoga with a mirror in front (side, back) of me, it more reminded me of a ballet class. Definitely put me more into a physical practice (and not "how does it feel" physical; more "how does it look" physical….)
It can definitely do that, but the key, I believe, is to look past the image in front of you. Instead of looking in the mirror in order to align the body (not that there's anything wrong with that), look into your eyes and try to keep looking as the body does what it naturally knows how to do. I think that's the key, to believe that the body already knows what to do, to realize that the only thing standing in the way of that is none other than ourselves, the self (small 's') that keeps trying to control everything, when, in fact, it just ends up screwing things up.
I remember an analogy Bikram used during training about a dead body and how you could move one into any position you wanted. The question then was why couldn't that same body do it while it was alive? What was obstructing its ability to do what it so easily does now? The answer is obvious.
I think when the mirror is used this way, then it moves beyond just a tool for aligning postures (as great a tool as that is) to something more…liberating.
Thanks for you comment, Justhisbreath. It is very much appreciated.
For the better part of my teen and adult years I hated my body and therefor hated myself all the while suffering from what most would call anorexia (I don’t particularly like that word). I’m not sure how long it took but having to stand in front of those mirrors half naked and a sweaty mess I somehow found the oath to loving myself. It’s been 3 years now since I began this journey, I’ve had ups and downs. Weight lost and gained but I’ve never gone back to my old ways. I’ve thought about it, it’s almost like drug addiction, a battle fought everyday. I thank Bikram Yoga and those mirrors for making me answer these dreadful questions “Do you love yourself,” “why won’t you love yourself?” and “how can someone love you if you don’t love you?” Ultimately Bikram made new pathways in body to allow for healing, healing of my body, my mind and my soul. Forever grateful.
Great stuff Ife!
Thanks, Wesley.
PS, I was just getting some feedback from a friend after class and the mirror came up in conversation, but in different context. She was telling me that the posture clinics in her studio were going really well. The owner of the studio, she said, was really good at giving feedback to people. She has a unique skill for it. She can see exactly what people need, and is able to communicate it to them so as not to offend them or be overly critical while still getting the point across. In other words, she is the mirror! Wow what a skill.
She was referring to Lynn Whitlow, for what its worth.
Not surprised. Never really got to know Lynn Whitlow during training, but based on what I've heard about her, if anyone could serve as a human mirror it would be her.
Ife, Posted on BYBA page. Will you write a Spanish version
Your South American Friend.
jay
My spanish is far too limited to even dream of attempting that. Thanks
something forwarded to me from Bikram Yoga in Northville where I practice. great reading and advice for all of us on how love for ourselves is important.
Thank you, Cheryl.
Ife,
Great article and I have a love/hate relationship with the mirror during my practice. Since I am lucky enough to have you as a teacher, I tend to forget to check myself to see if my hips are aligned or my shoulders are down, but there you are reminding me (well everyone) but I always assume you are speaking to me. As for the question, through Bikram, I'm learning to say YES!
Great to hear, Sharon. Thanks for your comment. Much appreciated.
Yes, yes, and yes!
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I dig the enthusiasm!