I love these lines from the Serenity Prayer: Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and the wisdom to know the difference. They remind me that life is a finely-tuned balance of effort and surrender. And that while drawing into our strength, courage and tenacity can be very useful to help us make changes in our lives and move us closer to the things we most deeply desire, it’s also important to stay open and receptive to the current of life as it flows. For, as we all know, things may not always unfold as planned, or indeed as we would wish. And while we’ve all probably experienced times where we’ve gone all out for something and our efforts have brought us to exactly where we want to be, we’ve probably also experienced the opposite: where, despite our determination, the doors we want to walk through stay firmly closed. And, surprisingly, sometimes it’s when we let go of trying so hard that those doors finally do open!
So how can a yoga practice help us hone these qualities of effort and surrender, and to know which is the most appropriate choice at any one moment? For a start, simply having a regular practice helps us to turn our attention inwards and connect us to our intuition and wisdom, from where we can be guided. And the rich array of yoga poses each leave a different energetic imprint on us. For example, in the Warrior standing poses, with our powerful legs and extended arms, the majestic length of our spine, and our committed gaze towards our fingertips, we can’t help but feel our strength. Poses such as these help us tap into that more fiery aspect of ourselves that has the capacity to transform things. Conversely, in the restorative poses our body is fully supported by props and we’re encouraged to relax the holding in body and mind, to let go of doing and to rest back into this breath, this moment. Which imprints a very different energetic quality into our cells; one of softening, of surrendering to what is; of being rather than doing.
In my workshop, Burn and Melt, on April 29th, we’ll be exploring both these beautiful and valuable facets of yoga, and also how what we experience on our mats can support us in our lives. The first half, Burn, will be a dynamic standing pose flow, with a particular emphasis on the Warrior poses. The second half, Melt, will be a slow and nourishing restorative practice. There’s a magic in doing, and a magic in not doing. In this workshop you’ll get to experience both.
Annabel brings her architect’s creativity, precision and love of spaciousness to her teaching. She offers elegantly-crafted sequences, designed to nourish and brighten body and soul. Her classes are characterised by clear instructions and a balance of intelligent alignment with fluid movement. Annabel’s teaching is informed by her trainings in Hatha yoga (with Triyoga), Anusara yoga (with Bridget Woods Kramer), restorative yoga (with Anna Ashby & Judith Lasater) and meditation (with Sally Kempton). She is currently taking an advanced teacher training with Sianna Sherman in Berlin.
Join Annabel in Soho…
burn + melt
friday 29 april, 7.45 – 9.45pm, £25
book now
