Carly Ponter

Carly will be leading the 7.30pm YogaSonic class with DJ Phil Smart on Wednesday 16 September 2020 at Black Bear Lodge in Brisbane.

Event details and ticket link can be found here.

How and when did you discover yoga?

I think I went to my first class when I was about 16 years old… but I was young, naive, constantly on the go, and certainly never stayed for savasana (shhh, don’t tell anyone!). Over the years though, as my training shifted, goals changed and life progressed, I began to realise that yoga was something I kept coming back to, even when I wasn’t training. I came to the realisation that yoga connected me back to myself; back to my body and back to my mind. I eventually stopped looking at it as a workout, or something to do to ‘stretch’ after a big week of training and started to see it as its own practice; something separate to the rest… and eventually I came to absolutely love savasana – wouldn’t miss it!

How long have you been a yoga teacher?

In late 2015 I travelled to Rishikesh, India, arguably recognised as the birthplace of yoga and completed my first teacher training. I fell into teaching opportunities almost immediately after my return back home and haven’t looked back. Over the ensuing years, I have undertaken additional training in several different styles of yoga, aerial yoga and pilates.

What made you want to become a yoga teacher?

Initially, my goal wasn’t necessarily to teach. I did my first teacher training simply as an eager yoga student who wanted to learn and develop more. I was certainly intrigued at the prospect of teaching but really didn’t focus too much on it… and I certainly didn’t think it would end up becoming my whole world in the coming years – haha! After completing my first teacher training though, I was just hooked! My background in massage therapy just meshed with the yoga so well, and all I wanted to do was share the amazing benefits I experienced through yoga, with everyone else. My passion is centred around education, making yoga accessible for all people, and really just bringing people back in touch with their bodies.

What’s your favourite yoga pose?

Favourite poses tend to shift and change depending on what I’m working on physically, what I’m studying, how I’m feeling and what’s inspiring me. If you ask me this same question next week I could give you a totally different answer! But for right now, it would have to be urdhva dhanurasana (aka wheel pose). I don’t naturally have a ‘bendy’ spine so I have to put a lot of work into my backbends, and I’ve been focusing on Urdvha quite a bit in my personal practice of late. It might be because energetically I’ve been feeling a little flat; moving, re-adjusting to work situations, combating zoom fatigue (trust me – it’s a thing!) etc. and there’s something super energizing about this pose! It’s completely invigorating, and it just always makes me smile.

What else are you into besides yoga?

I love hiking and bushwalking. I’ve got a few solid hikes under my belt including a big ol’ 800km hike through Spain. I have also done many hikes in Oz, my favourites include, the Overland Track in Tassie, The Gold Coast Great Walk, and all of the Lamington National Park walks.

I also love to travel and spent a few years living abroad – all this galavanting around experiencing different cultures and cuisines turned me into a big foodie. I love to whip up a storm in the kitchen and I’m not afraid to experiment with different flavours and spices!

What part does music play in your yoga classes, as well as your personal practice?

I use the power of music to help me set the tone and scene for my classes. Music is just so evocative, that by simply hearing a few notes, you immediately get an impression of the ambience of the space. For my gentle, restorative and slower classes, the music tends to be more chilled and mellow. When I’m teaching a strong, intense practice the music is used to reflect that and will be upbeat and energetic. For me when I teach a class, it’s never just about having people come in and ‘do the yoga’, it’s everything coming together to set the scene; the class theme, the poses, the music, as well as my voice should all be working together harmoniously to reiterate the tone continually throughout the practice. It’s the same for me when I practice. I take note of how I’m feeling and what type of practice I want to have, and I’ll set the playlist or music that’s going to help me get where I want to go.

Top 5 yoga tunes: