in yoga
This November we have the joy of learning from Annie Carpenter at our Neutral Bay and Bondi studios. Discover Annie’s upcoming programs here.
Annie started her school, SmartFlow Yoga, over 15 years ago and is affectionately known as “the teacher’s teacher.” Having spent long periods of time practicing and studying Integral, Iyengar and Ashtanga Yoga, Annie believes that there are many wonderful approaches to the practice and that we will all find exactly what we need as we progress. our life and our body evolve.
The commitment has practice is the essence. What we practice will develop and mature.
One lesson from Annie’s training was particularly compelling to me when she made us think about the possibilities that arise when we stay still a little longer.
We’ve all been there. Holding Warrior 2, quad shaking, breathing heavy, sweat dripping. “One more breath…!” » the teacher directs, and the end of that final exhale can’t come soon enough. As much as we love a flowing, dynamic Vinyasa class, there are gifts in those moments when we hang around longer. When we stay in the pose longer than we would like, it gives the form an opportunity to reveal its lessons to us.
Sometimes the lesson can be as simple as realizing that you are stronger than you think. Other days the lesson might be to listen to your body and rest. If you can’t maintain a smooth, even breathing rate, can you allow yourself to take a step back so you can return to a place of serenity and calm? Or are you always asking for more?
Staying in poses longer helps us feel this dance of stability and ease, or what yogis call sthira sukha. Where is this advantage of finding our strength, without making excessive efforts that we do not need?
Finding Sthira Sukha, finding balance, changing from day to day, class to class, pose to pose.
As you practice staying a little longer, you might consider some of the following:
- Can I stay when things get tough?
- Can I listen to myself in a deeper and more subtle way? What do I need today?
- Can I find calm even in intense poses?
- Can I stay steady and calm in the poses I like and the poses I find difficult?
In our modern world, we are so often continually on the move, overexerting ourselves and moving from one thing to the next without pause. Yoga offers us a welcome contrast to the rest of our lives. Moving too quickly to the next step can prevent us from feeling true joy, true peace, and true presence. When we allow ourselves to stay still, to stay in the pose perhaps a little longer than we are usually comfortable with, that is when the magic of yoga can unfold. If we stay still long enough, we might also discover more about ourselves. This is another, deeper practice of yoga: self-study, or svadhyaya.
Before you jump into the new year with all the new things you want to start immediately, consider slowing down, taking a break, and asking yourself:
- What’s here right now?
- What am I grateful for right now?
- What is already happening in front of me?
Yoga offers us these practices which constantly bring us back to the present moment. If we want to explore the line of sthira sukha, we just need to keep rolling out our yoga mats and finding comfort in discomfort.
Annie’s SmartFlow training was a wonderful reminder that often advancing our practice does not mean mastering the handstand or pinch mayurasana (forearm stand)!
“Even though we practice more “advanced” asanas, the advancement of our practice is actually revealed by sustained subtle concentration and the inclusion of more branches of yoga. » Annie said.
Advancing our practice could mean softening at a time when we usually kept pushing. This might mean adding pranayama at the end of our yoga classes. This might mean using the questions above as prompts to journal and practice svadhyaya. Or, it might just mean standing still longer and reaching for our mats more consistently.
We hope you will join us in 2024 (or continue to join us!), deepening your understanding of this beautiful practice.
You can join our Education Manager and Lead Teacher Trainer, Gina Brescianini, for another Annie Carpenter Movement Masterclass training using SmartFlow principles in 2024! You can also find her teaching SmartFlow-themed courses in our Bondi & Manly studios.
Written by Katie Tetz
Studio Sales Manager | Always inspiring writer and yoga teacher for Power Living Australia