Annie Carpenter SmartFLOW Blog
A word from Annie
The Art of Practice
I remember saying to brand new teachers that in Yoga Asana most of us practice about 30-odd poses, most days, most of our lives. And if you’re teaching beginners then you will teach even less than that! In the moment I was encouraging them that they really only needed to be able to cue and assess about 30 poses, trying to make their load feel lighter.
The quest to know self via un-selfing.
Yoga asks the question: Who am I? The journey to answer is as much about unravelling as it is about finding. Through steady attention, discipline, and the ancient practice of neti, neti—naming all that is not lasting—we glimpse the true self beneath the layers. This is un-selfing: a difficult, beautiful path towards connection with all life.
How do you return to home?
From a quiet flat in Vienna to the ever-changing seasons of her own backyard, Annie reflects on what it means to come Home — not as a place, but a feeling. How do you return to yours?
We are one.
Yoga, like the world around us, is evolving. This reflection explores how practice adapts over time while staying true to its deeper purpose, honoring both individuality and the collective. May we remember that at the heart of it all, we are one.
Spiders, Bird Song, Karma.
A spider encounter in Sydney got me thinking about Karma and the lessons nature offers. Yoga teaches us to embrace it all—the beauty, the challenge, and everything in between.
Are You Listening?
There are three pillars that connect us to the here and now; Breath, Sensation and Sound. These three are happening virtually constantly, yet our attention flits about on the waves of memories and plans, ideas and dreams.
The Carousel of Time
Some of you remember this line from Joni Mitchell’s song, The Circle Game. She playfully, and wisely, describes the seasons of our lives as going ‘round and ‘round. As Yogis, we bring awareness to this in our daily practices, observing how our needs and our goals shift over the years.
I'm going with the FLOW.
My ritual of late is to bring to mind something that drops me right into that delight. I remember something simple, known, ordinary that transports me reliably to wonder.
Tadasana: The Wisdom of the Mountain
Why do we Yogis call standing upright Mountain pose? If standing well is akin to a mountain, what is that metaphor meant to teach us?
What is the difference between gratitude and love?
As I think about Gratitude this year on Thanksgiving I scroll through my photos and see, well, the things I love: big old trees, yoga poses, (blurry) pics of birds, friends and Sam, my partner.