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 referred to as ‘The Trainer’s Trainer’. Having spent lengthy intervals of time practising and finding out 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 want 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 notably drove this dwelling for me when she had us contemplate 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. “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. Once we stay within the pose for longer than we might need to, giving the form the possibility to disclose its classes to us.
Typically the lesson might be so simple as realising you’re stronger than you assume. On different days, the lesson might be to hearken to your physique and relaxation. In the event you can’t maintain a easy, regular cadence of breath, are you able to permit your self to take a step again so you possibly can return to a spot of equanimity and calm? Or are you at all times pushing for extra?
Remaining in poses for longer holds helps us really feel that dance of steadiness and ease, or what yogis seek advice from 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 a bit of longer, you may contemplate among the following:
- Can I keep when issues get exhausting?
- Can I hearken to myself in deeper and extra refined methods? What do I want in the present day?
- 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 tough?
In our trendy world, we’re so typically regularly on the go, overworking ourselves and shifting from one factor to the following with out pause. Yoga gives us a welcome distinction to the remainder of our lives. Repeatedly shifting on too shortly to the following factor can maintain us from experiencing true pleasure, true peace, and true presence. Once we permit ourselves to remain in stillness, keep within the pose maybe a bit of longer than we’re habitually snug 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 dashing into the brand new 12 months with all the brand new belongings you need 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 gives us these practices that carry us again to the current second over and over. If we need 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 refined focus and the inclusion of extra limbs of yoga,” says Annie.
Advancing our follow may imply softening within the occasions once we’d often maintain pushing. It might imply including pranayama to the top of our yoga lessons. It might imply utilizing the questions above as journaling prompts, working towards svadhyaya. Or, it would 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’ll be able to be a part of our Head of Training and Lead Trainer Coach, Gina Brescianini, for an additional Annie Carpenter Motion Masterclass coaching utilising SmartFlow Rules in 2024! You may as well 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