Notice if your attention becomes very narrow and exacting, and if so, see if you can expand it back to seeing your whole body, your whole self, and notice any emotions on your face. At first, they seemed awkward and self-conscious, their faces were often tense, and their eyes were harsh and critical. Then one day, I caught a glimpse of my face in the mirror, and I was shocked by how sad and distressed I looked. When I was struggling with negative feelings and there was no one who could lend a compassionate ear—or I just didn’t want to upset anyone or say something I’d regret — the mirror became a powerful reflector of my own pain and suffering. In this high-speed world you can easily … I want this for us all. If you sit long enough, all idea of self is completely absorbed.” Do you have a question for the Mirror Spiritus Mirror Meditation Q&A page? Dreams have been described as dress rehearsals for real life, opportunities to gratify wishes, and a form of nocturnal therapy. But like most of us, as I grew older, society’s expectations for me changed, and I started to use the mirror to scrutinize my appearance and compare it to the actors on TV and models in fashion magazines. One of the most famous uses for mirrors in medicine is that of V. S. Ramachandran. Choose a well-lit distraction-free space where you can position a mirror so that it’s freestanding and you can see into your eyes without straining or leaning forward. This felt like an eternity to her and it turned out to be much harder than she expected. She posted outrageous selfies all day long—with and without makeup, smiling, crying, grimacing, licking the camera lens—you name it. © 2021 Mindful Communications & Such, PBC, There’s Someone Missing in Your Friend Circle: You, A Guided Practice for Managing Holiday Expectations, A Guided RAIN Meditation to Cultivate Compassion, A 3-Minute Meditation to Cultivate Forgiveness, How Mindfulness Shifts Our Perception of Time, Stephanie Domet, Amber Tucker, and Barry Boyce. And being reflected is one of the most important and powerful experiences we can have as humans. When we go along with our day, we are observing the world around us while experiencing our thoughts; with a mirror… By practicing giving themselves their full attention, they were able to be more present with others and their relationships deepened. To everyone else, she looked like a bright and beautiful young woman. Greater awareness of mind activities. Looking in the mirror, I was often flooded with a feeling of compassion and appreciation for how much I do and how hard I try — instead of relying on affirmations from others or validation from whatever I was currently defining as “success,” I simply acknowledged myself unapologetically with love and compassion. But we aren’t spending as much time looking at each other. Mirror Meditation is a silent mindful meditation – so it does not involve positive affirmations and self-adoration exercises. Mirrors can evoke strong feelings in us – and they can also be incredibly powerful tools for changing our perspective and seeing parts of ourselves that are usually hidden as we look out into the world. And the mirror revealed just how much their criticisms were affecting them because they could see it on their face. Can Mask Wearing Be a Clue to Someone’s Dishonesty? Experience of unconditional love and inner peace. I was introduced to mindfulness and meditation by 2 beautiful mental health practitioners that really showed me the benefits of just being, just being there, in the moment. Object Play and High Protein Food Reduce Predation by Cats. From a very early age, we are programmed to seek perfection in the way we look. Then as they share what they are experiencing, I guide them to look beyond their surface appearance, put aside their habitual stories, and take a deeper look at themselves. Is Our Idea of the “Ideal” Body Malleable? What it was like to see yourself in the mirror? Have no goals other than to sit with yourself for the allotted time. Screen time is associated with anxiety: Association of Facebook Use with Compromised Well-Being: A Longitudinal Study.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28093386. Mirror meditation didn’t instantaneously fill me with warmth and self-love (and granted, I only did it once; its benefits are said to accrue with regular, prolonged practice). Hold a kind intention toward yourself as you do the practice. Most of us associate looking in the mirror with narcissism or feelings of inadequacy, but learning how to see yourself in your own reflection can increase self-compassion, aid stress-management, and improve relationships and emotional resilience. Remember back to when you were a child? By giving herself her own attention instead of trying to get attention from others, she uncovered some difficult emotions that she’d been trying to avoid. “My Best Sex Was on Top of the Empire State Building", Why the Pursuit of Unanimous Beliefs Can Harm Us All. I was able to see how I felt and what I looked like while I was feeling it. Mirror Meditation. I didn’t have to do anything, I was worthy of love and compassion by simply being. What is a mantra? My motives for connecting with others were clearer: It was less about getting them to see me and validate me and think I was wonderful, and more about discovering who they truly are, and what they are communicating beyond their words. As I worked with more people and asked them how meditating with a mirror had changed them, they reported some amazing revelations: Three changes stood out. Instead of searching outside myself for people, places and things that would distract me from negative emotions or self-criticism, I used the mirror to face myself and ground myself by simply looking into my own eyes with compassion. Why is it Valuable? She used our mirror-gazing exercises between therapy visits to focus on how she was feeling and began to treat herself with kindness and respect. It wasn’t easy for her to break the habit of looking through critical eyes. By unconscious what we mean is “less conscious”. When I go to parties and people ask, “What do you do?” I tell them I’m a mirror-gazing expert. And through the back and forth of emotional expression, we learn to manage our feelings. They are more connected to the present and aware of their talents and virtues. But eventually, she realized that she was creating her own suffering because she could see it on her face. But they can also be incredibly useful in ways you might not have imagined. This simple technique is an excellent introduction to the Art and science of meditation.People of all ages and stress levels can immediately feel the benefits. Simply setting a time every day to give myself my own undivided attention became a precious respite from my busy life. She found that women in the study started to focus less on appearance and more on how they were feeling. As we spend more time alone and on our devices, we miss out on the face-to-face reflection that helps us stay emotionally connected to ourselves. The mirror gazing meditation technique is a very powerful method for encountering one’s unconsciousness. Meditation is the habitual process of training your mind to focus and redirect your thoughts. What I saw in the mirror never seemed to measure up. Sounds pretty self-absorbed.” “Quite. In fact, we have far less face to face contact, even with ourselves. When I was a little girl, I used to look at myself in the side of the shiny chrome toaster on the table, entranced by the expressions that crossed over my face, sometimes exaggerating them, and imitating the adults around me. At first, most people seem very awkward and self-conscious. Then they had a choice, and a practice, to treat themselves with more acceptance and compassion. I didn’t sit there blowing kisses at myself. Quite the opposite: you’ll learn to stay present with yourself, manage the intensity of your emotions, and tap into a new inner strength. Try mirror meditation here. Here’s how you can be more confident in the choices you make. I will be happy to answer questions. Their capacity to feel and accept a broader range of emotions grew and become more integrated over time. In fact, psychologists have found that we need face-to-face contact for our social and emotional development. Learning to tune into your image will not turn you into a towering narcissist. What Do Narcissists See When They Look in the Mirror? Occasionally, my inner critic would erupt, “Isn’t this a bit narcissistic?” “Aren’t you being selfish?” “Shouldn’t you be focusing on helping others less fortunate instead of looking at yourself in the mirror?” When I stopped to really consider these critiques and ask myself how mirror gazing influenced my relationships and general approach to life, I found it had, in fact, created a profound shift. Imagine our world, if we all took the time to reflect, to see ourselves, and each other, with unwavering clarity and compassion. I asked her to try an experiment: when she felt the urge to post a selfie, turn her camera on herself instead and look with a neutral expression in silence for two or three minutes. The mirror can be a valuable tool for maintaining that connection. Yoga is often referred to as moving meditation because of the way it requires self-awareness and intentional movement. Tratak not only increases the attraction in the eyes but also there is so much self-realization that we are also able to understand the other’s mind. This is where the mirror comes in. Finally, Anne came to see her invisibility as getting in the way of her fine work. Along with helping you to feel grounded and focused, yoga can improve sleep, reduce anxiety, and reduce inflammation. I looked forward to having the time to simply rest and relax in my own presence. Yet, she was never satisfied with the way she looked. Notice if your breathing changes when your first look at yourself. The mirror also reflected their facial expressions so they were much more aware of how they were feeling moment-to-moment which at first was a bit shocking for many. After that, I began to take time to look at my reflection in the mirror, not to focus on my appearance, but to simply acknowledge how I felt. Benefits of Mirror Tratak : – Improvement in the ability to concentrate. Those with selfie addictions, body dysmorphic disorders, and other psychological issues have been able to gain a profound understanding of themselves, leading to deeper emotional resilience, self-compassion, self-awareness, well-being, and better relationships. As I delved into the neuroscience and psychology research, the pieces of the puzzle came together. After doing this mirror meditation for at least 10 minutes a day for over a year, I noticed a profound difference — and others did too. You can focus on pupil of your right eye, or the space between the eyebrows. I guided them to see beyond their surface appearance and take a deeper look. They became more aware of how they were seeing others and being seen. Over time, she came to see herself with kinder eyes, she was less obsessed with her appearance, and had more time and energy to focus on what mattered most to her. Mirror meditation is a type of gazing meditation (Trataka), that uses your reflection in a mirror as the object of focus. Other potential benefits of mirror work? Experiences from mirror-gazing sessions can range from seeing the spirits of loved ones, to entering the mirror, or even seeing future events. If you are interested in trying this, you’ll find some audio and video below that may be helpful. The benefits of using meditation in the workplace are multifarious: Meditation trains the mind in such a way that workers spontaneously develop the urge to be mindful about their work. Others are intrigued, and sometimes even a bit terrified at the thought of looking at themselves in the mirror. A daily practice helps to keep the small things in perspective. Even more so if you happen to be a girl. This is the foundation for learning to regulate our emotions and navigate complex social situations. How was I really feeling? Notice any areas of tension in your body, especially your face and shoulders, then imagine sending your breath to relax those areas and letting tension melt away. I found the mirror was a great way to work out my emotions, too. Adults spent an average of 11 hours per day looking at screens: https://www.nielsen.com/us/en/insights/article/2018/time-flies-us-adults-now-spend-nearly-half-a-day-interacting-with-media/. Notice any sensations or emotions that come up and allow them to simply be there without judgment or interpretation. Over time, I learned to approach myself in a way that felt natural, accepting, and kind — and became less self-conscious about my appearance in the process. First, they became aware of just how much they criticized themselves—whether it was their appearance or something else that they habitually found unacceptable. It will give you an opportunity to give love to the aspects of your greater, collective Self, as faces that are not your own, appear as your reflection in the mirror. Notice the quality of your gaze: Is it harsh or soft? If you notice yourself hardening by focusing on a detail or a flaw in your appearance – breathe until you feel yourself softening again. A recent Nielsen study found that we spend an average of 11 hours per day face-to-face with our screens. It became a meditation. Why is mirror-gazing so powerful and effective? Their faces tense, eyes harsh and critical as they look at themselves, adjusting this and that. As adults, glancing in the mirror can become second nature. A new theory aims to make sense of it all. When I was a little girl, I used to look at my reflection in the side of the shiny chrome toaster on the table for as long as my parents would let me, clowning around, making faces, and imitating the adults around me. In doing this over time, I found a way to look past the imperfections in my appearance and see deeper into my own eyes with compassion. Mirror meditation is a unique and powerful way to promote self-love, self-respect, the feeling of comfort in your own body, and self-esteem. Instead, it facilitates honesty and acceptance – and ultimately self-compassion. As the work continued, I asked my mirror gazing students to describe in their own words any changes they noticed from doing the meditation. Occasionally, I’d rest my gaze for just a moment and look into my own eyes – who was I? A practice that I have developed using a mirror mindfully in meditation can help uncover kinder self-awareness and strengthen our resilience to meet life’s challenges. Trataka or Gazing meditation is a purification and meditation technique in which you have to gaze continuously on an object such as candle flame, point, mirror, etc. The Mirror is a piece of home gym equipment that offers access to on-demand and live workouts. Try to soften your gaze as much as you can. We also learn empathy, by sensing, and sometimes even emulating emotions of others, as we’re relating face-to-face. Usually, by the end of the session, their faces soften and over time they seem calmer and more self-accepting, kinder to themselves and more trusting of their own experience. Mirror Meditation Q&A “Mirror Meditation? The mirror brought it to light. As we spend more time alone and on our devices, we miss out on the face-to-face reflection that is so important for staying emotionally connected to ourselves, and to others. The mirror became such a useful tool for me that I wanted to share it with others. What is Mirror Gazing Meditation? Tara Well, PhD is a mirror-gazing expert, as well as a research scientist, motivational psychologist, and professor of psychology at Barnard College of Columbia University where she has taught Personality Psychology, Health Psychology, and Psychology of Leadership for over 20 years.