Classes in Yoga & Life from Annie Carpenter

This November, we’ve the enjoyment of studying from Annie Carpenter at our Impartial Bay and Bondi studios. Discover out about Annie’s upcoming packages right here.

Annie created her faculty, SmartFlow Yoga, over 15 years in the past and is lovingly often known as ‘The Instructor’s Instructor’. Having spent lengthy durations of time practising and finding out Integral, Iyengar and Ashtanga Yoga, Annie believes that there are a lot of great approaches to the observe and that we are going to all discover precisely what we’d like as our lives and our bodies evolve.

The dedication to observe is the essence. What we observe will broaden and mature.

One lesson from Annie’s coaching significantly drove this dwelling for me when she had us contemplate the chances that come up once we keep nonetheless for somewhat longer.

We’ve all been there. Holding Warrior 2, quad trembling, breath heavy, sweat dripping. “Yet another spherical of breath…!” the instructor directs, and the top of that final exhale can’t come quickly sufficient. As a lot as we love a flowing, dynamic Vinyasa class, there are items in these moments once we keep in longer holds. After we stay within the pose for longer than we might wish to, giving the form the possibility to disclose its classes to us.

Generally the lesson could possibly be so simple as realising you’re stronger than you suppose. On different days, the lesson could possibly be to hearken to your physique and relaxation. In the event you can not preserve a easy, regular cadence of breath, are you able to permit your self to take a step again so you’ll be able to return to a spot of equanimity and calm? Or are you all the time pushing for extra?

Remaining in poses for longer holds helps us really feel that dance of steadiness and ease, or what yogis consult with as sthira sukha. The place is that fringe of discovering our energy, whereas not over-efforting in methods we don’t have to?

Discovering sthira sukha, discovering steadiness, adjustments from day after day, class to class, pose to pose.

In practising staying somewhat longer, you may contemplate a number of the following:

• Can I keep when issues get arduous?
• Can I hearken to myself in deeper and extra refined methods? What do I want as we speak?
• Can I discover the quiet even in intense poses?
• Can I stay regular and calm by the poses I really like and the poses I discover troublesome?

In our fashionable world, we’re so typically frequently on the go, overworking ourselves and transferring from one factor to the subsequent with out pause. Yoga provides us a welcome distinction to the remainder of our lives. Repeatedly transferring on too shortly to the subsequent factor can preserve us from experiencing true pleasure, true peace, and true presence. After we permit ourselves to remain in stillness, keep within the pose maybe somewhat longer than we’re habitually comfy with, that’s when the magic of yoga can unfold. If we keep nonetheless lengthy sufficient, we’d additionally uncover extra about ourselves. That is one other deeper observe of yoga – self-study, or svadhyaya.

Earlier than speeding into the brand new 12 months with all the brand new stuff you wish to begin doing right away, contemplate slowing down, pausing, and asking your self:

• What’s right here proper now?
• What am I grateful for proper now?
• What’s already unfolding in entrance of me?

Yoga provides us these practices that deliver us again to the current second again and again. If we wish to discover the road of sthira sukha, all that’s required is that we preserve unrolling our yoga mats and discovering ease within the uneasy.

Annie’s SmartFlow coaching was a beautiful reminder that oftentimes advancing our observe doesn’t imply mastering handstands or pincha mayurasana (forearm stand)!

“Whereas we could also be practising extra ‘superior’ asana, the advancing of our observe is definitely revealed by sustained refined focus and the inclusion of extra limbs of yoga,” says Annie.

Advancing our observe may imply softening within the occasions once we’d normally preserve pushing. It may imply including pranayama to the top of our yoga courses. It may imply utilizing the questions above as journaling prompts, training svadhyaya. Or, it’d imply merely staying nonetheless for longer and making it to our mats extra constantly.

We hope you’ll be part of us in 2024 (or proceed to hitch us!), deepening your understanding of this stunning observe along with us.

You possibly can be part of our Head of Training and Lead Instructor Coach, Gina Brescianini, for an additional Annie Carpenter Motion Masterclass coaching utilising SmartFlow Ideas in 2024! You can even discover her educating SmartFlow-themed courses in our Bondi & Manly studios.

Written by Katie Tetz
Studio Enterprise Supervisor | Ever Inspiring Author & Yoga Instructor for Energy Dwelling Australia