One of the interesting things about home yoga in the Not Craft room is the rather large mirrored wardrobe doors, which mean that you catch glimpses of yourself at often inopportune moments.

I’ve learned for example, that my face in downward-facing dog pose is not at all pleasing to behold (shudder) – so red, so flabby!

This week I caught sight of myself when trying to settle into seated meditation and learned that I don’t sit up straight. I think I’m upright, but I’m actually stretching forward at a pretty extreme angle.

Behold:

At least I am not slumping to meditate. Be assured that I do slump dreadfully most other times, particularly when sitting at my desk.

I don’t know when or how this stretching forward started. Maybe this has always been my seated posture? I’m surprised to have not been called out/corrected on it in a yoga class, because goodness knows they’re not averse to correcting for … everything**.

This is where I take some issue with the usual yoga teacher exhortation of “don’t use a mirror to check your posture! go by how it feels!”. What if your feelings are wrong? Mirrors henceforth!

Now that I’m sitting straight I’m certainly aware of my hip flexors in a way that I definitely wasn’t before! I think it will also help with abs – because I’m now feeling those too. Seems I was holding myself up mostly by my back muscles. Little wonder my core is jelly.

** I’ve heard that at at Iyengar HQ in Pune – you’re corrected by being whacked with a stick.