I recently shared on Instagram the concept of mirror work, and it sparked some interest. So here’s a deeper dive into this practice…
The mirror is a reflection of yourself but it’s so much more than that. It’s a helpful tool to gain awareness of the things you say to yourself and how you feel about yourself. Think about it – by gazing at yourself, whatever comes up that might not feel so good is a reflection of the areas in your life that you may need to change to live a peaceful, embodied life. Whereas, if you enjoy connecting with yourself in the mirror, it may be a reflection of self-work you’ve done to get to this point. It’s normal for this work to be incredibly difficult at first, but with practice it gets easier.
So what exactly is mirror work?
Mirror work was originally created by Louise Hay, as a means to connect with your inner self. For many this work is difficult because it’s not necessarily the norm to have a deep, intimate relationship with oneself. But through this work you can start to connect with yourself like you would a close friend. The idea is that by looking at yourself in the mirror, gazing into your own eyes, and sending yourself loving affirmations, you can create a newfound relationship with yourself that will bring you peace.
Robert Holden, Ph.D. offers steps on how to do mirror work, which I’ve rewritten below:
- Sit comfortably
- Look through the mirror into your eyes as you inhale deeply.
- Say to yourself these three words: “Life loves you”
- Exhale.
- Repeat this ten times. Notice your response each time. Pay attention to the three languages of response: sensation (body messages), feelings (heart thoughts), and thoughts (mental commentary).
- Finally – write down your responses in a journal so you can learn about your relationship to yourself and self-talk.
This awareness creates the opportunity for you to make change, and know exactly where to start with self-work.
Here’s what you can expect to gain as a result of practicing mirror work:
- Confidence in yourself
- A sense of peace
- Trust and connection with yourself
- Overall – you can connect with yourself on a deeper level. This makes it easier to be honest with yourself, become in tune with your intuition, and face difficult experiences with love and openness rather than anger towards yourself.
If you decide to give it a try, definitely let me know what you think! xx
