The Art of Practice
“The art of practice is staying 100% awake to what we are doing in spite of the fact that we have done it too many times to count.”
- Annie Carpenter
And Again…
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. And, but – what the teacher quickly learns is that we need to be able to teach the same poses over and over again in such a way that the students feel inspired and happy to do the same thing over and over again!
If you are reading this you have probably been practicing a good long while. How many times do you think you have done Downward Dog? Or Triangle pose? Sun Salutations?
Very quickly, we teachers – and all Asana practitioners – learn that the art of practice is not how many poses you know, but how to keep the ones we do every single day engaging and inspired. The art of practice is staying 100% awake to what we are doing in spite of the fact that we have done it too many times to count.
First, we can play with the emphasis on our 3 points of focus: One day letting the Breath initiate the movement, the next day we might play with the Drishti or even closing the eyes; and finally bringing different body parts into focus in poses, or perhaps changing the base or timing in the Pose.
In SmartFlow we identify very specific lines of energy that crisscross and support every shape and transition we make. We call them Movement Principles (MPs) and by choosing one to focus on in each class we teach, we can bring incredible specificity and balance to the whole practice. And we can choose a different MP each day to help keep our students engrossed in their practice. In this way the same poses on repeat can feel more captivating; and as they are based on clear continuums, they provide a way to sense and measure any shifts from day to day and over the years.
One of the great lessons in life is to stay conscious through our days and nights – even as everything we do is basically on repeat. For me, practicing through the years has highlighted the shifting nature of virtually everything, even in teeny tiny ways. I have great joy in seeking the subtlest efforts to adjust my back foot, say in Warrior 1 to find more space in that tender back knee; or inviting more breath in my back ribs to free up my shoulders; or steadying my Drishti on a single point to steady me in a balance pose. I also find in meditation that a quick self-nudge to sit upright can gather my attention right back to the present moment.
At the end of the day, our lives are simple and repetitive. Staying awake and alert to what we are doing rather than going into auto-pilot is the path to joy – in our relationships, our chosen work and in our Yoga practices. Sustaining interest and deepening subtlety go hand in hand, and helps us make wise choices. When to lean into and commit to a practice; when to let go of a pose that no longer serves – or a relationship or job. When to say enough, or more, or again and again, please.-Annie