Reflections on Mirrors

Reflecting on Mirrors - Are they Good or Bad? 

sorry but that pun was too obvious to resist... 

Don't you love it when you go to the hair salon and after they (thoroughly) wash your hair they wrap you up in a tight, tight, tight, turban where you end up looking like some decrepit movie star from days gone by dispossessed from your true self? No? Just me?

I got my hair cut last week so was forced to spend 45 minutes looking at myself in the mirror - the first several in the aforementioned turban - I did not like what I saw and I did not like the fact that I did not like what I saw. Are you following?

It's so easy to be self critical if we focus too much on ourselves, unfortunately it's also human nature to look for and hang onto the negative.

photos by Andre Mouton

I've had a love/hate relationship with mirrors for a large part of my life. Growing up as a dancer they were ever present.

Studying ballet you are constantly looking in the mirror for feedback on yourself: your body, your line, the height (or not) of your legs, etc., etc., etc.

You literally spend hours and hours looking into a mirror dissecting every last little thing about your body and working endlessly to improve it so it's no wonder the natural flow-on effect of this is to tie what you perceive you look like to your self worth.

If you spend any time (or years) in a particular studio you know which are the 'skinny' mirrors, the ones you try to stand in front of to boost your fragile self esteem. You avoid the 'fat' mirrors if you can unless of course you use those 'fat' mirrors to excuse the things you see that you don't like. I don't really look like that because it's a 'fat' mirror.

Sounds like a massively healthy thing for a young person (or actually any person) to put themselves through, right?

OF COURSE F***ING NOT!

Then there's the competition, I mean obviously you can see your classmates in the mirror.

Yes a bit of healthy competition designed to push and challenge us is a good thing but in front of all those mirrors? Take it from me, the self comparison can negatively ramp up really easily.

 photo by Tommy Kwak 

Now, I'm not saying mirrors should be banished

In the dance world mirrors are used not only for self correction but also to create cohesion in a piece of choreography. Group correction if you will.

For example, if there's unison movement or some specific spacing necessary to keep the architectural integrity of a piece then the mirror is for sure your friend.

Plus learning movement in front of a mirror gives you a more three dimensional view of what you're trying to achieve.

Yes, mirrors definitely have their place.

photo by moi'

There are other spaces besides hair salons and dance studios in which mirrors are the norm. I'm thinking of changing rooms, side and rear view mirrors on your car, bathrooms, most gyms and no surprise - Pilates studios. 

Let's talk about mirrors in Pilates studios

I'm not anti mirror but because I've had clients tell me they feel more comfortable without so many around I've really evaluated their usefulness in my business. What seems completely normal to me from my dance background is perhaps not so normal for the vast majority of the population.

I've taught at and been in Pilates studios that had a fair amount of wall space dedicated to mirrors. (as an interior design feature let's admit they can make a space look bigger plus there's that strong dance/Pilates connection) However, when I opened my first studio (home-based in a single car garage) I had zero mirrors.

My next studio (also home-based) was converted by combining a bed room and sitting room. My only two mirrors were the re-purposed sliding doors from the ex-bedroom closet. A lot of the time one was hidden behind my folded up reformer so not much use to anyone.

Right now I'm really, really close to opening my latest home-based studio which is a shed conversion.

The Schudio is a step up in size, height, (and cost, lol) from my previous two studios but the plan is still to have minimal mirrors. Actually, the plan is to have only one full length mirror which just so happens to be one of the closet doors from my previous studio - the second one shattered in our 2020 move.

It sounds like I'm anti mirror but I'm not. They have their place.

How do I use mirrors when I practice my Pilates?

Really as that powerful tool of self correction, mostly to check my alignment.

After looking in the mirror and seeing what I need to adjust my goal is then to internalise the correction. I want to sense it, feel it, and make the change from inside myself, building my proprioceptive skills. I don't want to rely on the mirror for feedback.

BTW, proprioception is our body awareness skill, sometimes called the sixth sense.

How do I use my mirror(s) when I teach Pilates?

Two ways:

The first way is for a client to do the same thing I do, check their alignment and use the mirror for visual feedback and then internalise that feedback (that's the hope, anyway).

A lot of people are lopsided (myself included) and you can tell them (or yourself) something again and again (and again and again) without seeing any change in either alignment or how a movement or skill is approached.  

For example, a correction I might give is to not let the knees collapse inward as the legs bend.

If I can show a client in the mirror that their knees are actually falling inward as they bend their legs all of a sudden they see it and then they get it.

Once they apply the correction and can see the change in their reflection then they can tune into what it physically feels like. This helps them replicate the sensation sans mirror and cultivates their self-correction skills. Whoopee!

I teach a lot via Zoom and I don't think any of my clients are working out near a mirror. So, sometimes I ask them to use their camera as a mirror. Sure it can be a teensy box on their screen depending on the device they're using, but it's another tool they can access for feedback.

The second way I use a mirror as a teacher is to help me when I'm planning a class or session, or creating a choreographic flow. 

Being able to see what something looks like from the outside gives me an idea of what it should look like when someone else is performing it. This way when I watch a client do an exercise my feedback is actually doable and therefore useful to them. 

I'll say it again, mirrors have their place but I think we need to be mindful in how we're using them both as Pilates practitioners and Pilates teachers.

photo by Elena Kloppenburg

And how did I survive my 45 minute mirror session at the hairdresser?

Well, what I didn't like is how tired and drawn out I looked and I realised that I'd been a bit slack in attending to my own general health. I vowed to get better sleep and to focus on staying hydrated.

Oh, and I also swore never, ever again to be caught in a turban under bare fluorescent lights - but I do love my haircut!

Be Well, xBec

The information contained above is provided for informational purposes only. The contents of this blog are not intended to amount to advice and Rebecca Forde disclaims all liability and responsibility arising from any reliance placed on any of the contents of this post

cover & social photo by Rishabh Dharmani