Mirror, Mirror
Hello dear friends,
Think about the mirrors in your living space. Where are they? What do you do with them?
Of course, we have mirrors in our bathroom. We look in those in the mornings when we get up. Some days look better than others... We also have a mirror by the front door. I take a quick glance before I leave the house. No spinach in the teeth is what I'm looking for here! You might have a small mirror in your work bag or purse. Sometimes, I might even catch a glimpse of my reflection in a window as I'm out walking. There's always something interesting to learn in those reflections.
This week my yoga teacher suggested that we consider our practice as if we’re looking in a mirror. Face it, we’re never bored looking in a mirror. We look, we stare, we notice something, we might criticize or even find some positive aspect to admire. Perhaps we make changes based on what we see, but we never are bored looking into a mirror.
Consider that idea when we’re lying on our backs, making circles into our hips. Consider that idea when we’re sitting on a chair bringing our attention to our breath. You might be waiting for the next cue, wondering when we’re “gonna get to the ‘real’ yoga.” Or you might look into the mirror of your mat. What do you see in yourself when you’re practicing? What do we notice in those hips? In that breath? What should we change? What’s beautiful?
I am madly in love with my yoga practice. I wake up and can’t wait to get on my mat, to explore how I feel, to know what’s happening. Some mornings I’m distracted and can’t concentrate – on those days my practice is shorter. Some mornings are full of focus – that might be an hour-long practice day. It doesn’t matter how long I spend on my mat, by the time I’m finished, there’s been a shift. A shift in my mood, in my nervous system, in how I feel and act and respond to events around me. Whatever my mood or the amount of time I spend on my mat, I learn more about myself through the mirror of my yoga practice.
Yoga isn’t something I have to do every day. Instead it’s something I feel passionate about and I look forward to it. It's that quick glance in the mirror by the front door before I continue with my day.
Please join me and we can explore together.
Love,
Nina G