“Although our culture tends to shrink yoga to mean only the physical, asana element I believe that yoga truly is a shamanic path, capable of leading us through transformation on all levels. Yoga reminds us what is real, and thus who we are — the light radiating from within.”
– Annie Carpenter
With less than 2 weeks to go until Annie Carpenter lands in Australia, here’s a quick snapshot of who she is, what gives her such a huge global following and why we’re so damn excited about her arrival!
So, who is Annie Carpenter?
Starting life as a professional dancer, Annie Carpenter was drawn to Yoga in the 70’s as a means of escape from the competitive world of dancing.
But it was her first true Yoga teacher, Swami Satchadananda that taught her the meaning of inner peace and set her on a unique path of healing through movement
In her 30’s Annie created her own ‘ritual movement’ system and began working with those healing from disease (specifically HIV) and different types of trauma.
Since then, Annie has trained directly with Yoga greats such as Maty Ezraty and (founder of Ashtanga Yoga) Sri K. Pattabhi Jois while deeply immersing herself in the study of meditation.
Over the last 20 years, Annie’s teaching has evolved into an intelligent, yet organic system reflecting her love of movement and rigorous discipline.
This method, known as SmartFLOW is now shared with audiences across the world on Annie’s global teaching tours.
What makes Annie Carpenter so special?
Lots of people can teach Yoga, but very few are able to capture its profound and mysterious essence. Annie has that gift.
Annie believes that Yoga is ‘an expression of the soul’ and a remarkable method for learning to steady the attention on what is actually happening in the moment. From this place, compassion and radical acceptance naturally evolve. Old mindsets of the illusion of separation, of me and them, and self and other, dissolve into the knowledge of wholeness.
With a great passion for creativity and metaphor, Annie loves to play with sequencing in order to take her students into a deeper understanding of a pose and, ultimately, of themselves. She believes that focusing on alignment is not just safe, but provides “points of dharana” — gateways to inner stillness and meditation.
When you practice with Annie Carpenter. You don’t just ‘do yoga’ – your whole life can change.
What’s in store for her Australian visit?
During her advanced teaching tour at BodyMindLife (next week!) Annie will unveil her ‘Moving through the Koshas: Practices for Transformation’ teachings – a 3-day series of workshops designed to peel through the layers of the ‘self and inspire meaningful change.
On day one you will be introduced to the ‘Royal Practice’, a preparatory practice for Inversions; before building inner awareness through deep hip releases.
The second and third days are dedicated to backbends plus grounding asanas and pranayama practices to bring strength and stamina, before culminating in a restorative practice for acceptance and release.
Existing teachers will also benefit from an entire afternoon of hands-on-adjustments, empowering them to support students through intention, language and hands.
As a regular Yoga practitioner, you will no doubt have practiced these asanas before. Yet each movement will seem brand new as you experience it from a deep, esoteric perspective.
Given her contribution to the field of Yoga, there could be any doubt about Annie Carpenter’s abilities as a teacher. But what makes studying with Annie a true joy, is her presence. She quite simply radiates the qualities of someone living their Yoga.
Her warm and compassionate disposition immediately puts you at ease. Yet her unwavering conviction leaves you with zero doubt about the power of these practices to change lives.
For a teaser of Annie in action, check this Elephant Journal interview
And prepare to be transformed!!!
The entire 3-day intensive costs $415 ($390 for members of BodyMindLife) or $85 per individual workshop ($75 for members).
Tickets can be purchased online at www.bodymindlife.com/whats-on