Annie
ABOUT
I found yoga (or it found me), over 20 years ago at a gym in the West Village and it has been my faithful friend ever since. Anxious, untethered, and grasping, I discovered a place to drop anchor and study my mind, my heart, my body, and my breath and not totally freak out. I am grateful beyond language to bring this practice to others. Now, my temple is virtually any room where people come together to practice stillness, to breathe, to move, to be brave, to open, and to witness.
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Annie is on the faculty at NYU Tisch School of Graduate Acting, NYU's Gallatin School, and the David Geffen School of Drama at Yale University. She teaches at The Shala Yoga House in Brooklyn, Kula Yoga, Prema Yoga, and Souk Yoga. She works with diverse communities across the NYC area with a focus on actor movement training and trauma sensitive practice. Formerly an actor and director, Annie received an MFA in Acting from the University of Minnesota and a BA in Theater from Oberlin College.
Pratyahara: I will try to be brave about feeling my heart. I will disengage as much as possible from external distractions (shopping? news? Instagram? what other people think of me? - you fill in the blank) I will treat these external distractions as messengers reminding me to journey back to my heart and soul.
Dharana: I will try to be steady and focused - even in the midst of chaos. Rather than resorting to aggression, anxiety and 'us and them-ness' I will try to provide a steady presence for those around me.
Dhyana: I will meditate every day! I will do it even when I don't feel like it. I will believe the hype and stick with it. And in 3 months when I still havent started meditating , I will forgive myself instantly... and start meditating.
Samadhi: Throughout this year, I will remember to pause and take in the sublime awareness of connection to everything and remember that this is the truth. And in the challenging days ahead, I will remember that this sublime connection rests in one thing only and that is love love love love love.
Yamas: I will be gentle with all living things. I will try to be consistently truthful. I will try not to waste my energy looking at my phone. I will practice noticing when I am craving things other people have and pause and breathe gratitude.
Niyamas: I will be clean and orderly. I will practice trusting contentment when it comes. I will remember that austerity is holy and is respectful of the planet.
Asana: I will treat my body with respect. I will show up to practice and stay on the path of opening and transforming. I will move through 2024 with poise and clarity of intention. Most importantly, I will use my strength and presence - my actual physical body and not just my money or my posts on social media - to support those most in need of help in my community.
Pranayama: I will practice feeling my breath and the energy in and around me. This year, I will take responsibility for the effects of my presence in my community and on this planet.
