This November, we now have 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 college, SmartFlow Yoga, over 15 years in the past and is lovingly often known as ‘The Trainer’s Trainer’. Having spent lengthy intervals of time practising and learning Integral, Iyengar and Ashtanga Yoga, Annie believes that there are various fantastic approaches to the follow and that we are going to all discover precisely what we’d like as our lives and our bodies evolve.
The dedication to follow is the essence. What we follow will broaden and mature.
One lesson from Annie’s coaching significantly drove this house for me when she had us take into account the probabilities that come up once we keep nonetheless for a bit of longer.
We’ve all been there. Holding Warrior 2, quad trembling, breath heavy, sweat dripping. “Another spherical of breath…!” the instructor directs, and the tip of that final exhale can’t come quickly sufficient. As a lot as we love a flowing, dynamic Vinyasa class, there are presents in these moments once we keep in longer holds. After we stay within the pose for longer than we could wish to, giving the form the possibility to disclose its classes to us.
Typically the lesson could possibly be so simple as realising you might be stronger than you assume. On different days, the lesson could possibly be to hearken to your physique and relaxation. In case you can not maintain 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 must?
Discovering sthira sukha, discovering steadiness, modifications from everyday, class to class, pose to pose.
In practising staying a bit of longer, you may take into account a number of the following:
- Can I keep when issues get exhausting?
- Can I hearken to myself in deeper and extra delicate methods? What do I want right now?
- Can I discover the quiet even in intense poses?
- Can I stay regular and calm by way of the poses I like and the poses I discover tough?
In our trendy world, we’re so usually frequently on the go, overworking ourselves and transferring from one factor to the following with out pause. Yoga affords us a welcome distinction to the remainder of our lives. Repeatedly transferring on too shortly to the following factor can maintain us from experiencing true pleasure, true peace, and true presence. After we permit ourselves to remain in stillness, keep within the pose maybe a bit of 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 follow of yoga – self-study, or svadhyaya.
Earlier than speeding into the brand new 12 months with all the brand new belongings you wish to begin doing right away, take into account 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 affords us these practices that carry 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 maintain unrolling our yoga mats and discovering ease within the uneasy.
Annie’s SmartFlow coaching was a beautiful reminder that oftentimes advancing our follow doesn’t imply mastering handstands or pincha mayurasana (forearm stand)!
“Whereas we could also be practising extra ‘superior’ asana, the advancing of our follow is definitely revealed by sustained delicate focus and the inclusion of extra limbs of yoga,” says Annie.
Advancing our follow may imply softening within the occasions once we’d normally maintain pushing. It might imply including pranayama to the tip of our yoga lessons. It might imply utilizing the questions above as journaling prompts, working towards svadhyaya. Or, it’d imply merely staying nonetheless for longer and making it to our mats extra persistently.
We hope you’ll be a part of us in 2024 (or proceed to affix us!), deepening your understanding of this stunning follow along with us.
You may be a part of our Head of Training and Lead Trainer Coach, Gina Brescianini, for one more Annie Carpenter Motion Masterclass coaching utilising SmartFlow Ideas in 2024! It’s also possible to discover her instructing SmartFlow-themed lessons in our Bondi & Manly studios.
Written by Katie Tetz
Studio Enterprise Supervisor | Ever Inspiring Author & Yoga Trainer for Energy Residing Australia
