In and around her very full teaching plate, we caught up with NYC based yoga instructor Adi Carter as she passed through Cape Cod this summer to present at Love Yoga Fest and in that chat caught a glimpse of her (very mobile) life behind the scenes. Adi spreads her passion equally between movement and the environment, and is the founder of Redfining Balance, a collaboration which blends Slacklining & AcroYoga into practices that embody trust, connection and balance in new shapes and forms through experiences outdoors in nature. According to the group’s website, “The Redfining Balance mission was to introduce students to new ways of thinking with regards to balance not only on a line or another person’s feet but to also tune in to our balance as a whole with each each other and the environment in which we live, offering insight and incentive to preserve our natural outdoor playgrounds.” Through the years the organization has evolved bringing in new modalities such as climbing, surfing, mountain biking and “just about anything else you can think to do on the Earth’s terrain.”
In 2008 Adi took the first ever Off the Mat Into the World Seva Pledge and spent the year fundraising $25,000 for the Cambodian Children’s Fund. Investing only $20 in the fundraising process she took on grass roots fund raising initiatives such as the trash tour where she traveled with all of her trash accumulated for 3 months to educate about sustainability and draw a parallel to the thousands of Cambodian children living in trash dumps. This transformative experience inspired her to launch Redefining Balance.
Adi’s adventures and environmental awareness endeavours have been featured in The New York Times, Yoga Journal, Outdoor Japan, New York Magazine, National Geographic, L.A. Yoga, Yoga + Joyful Living, Urban Climber, elephant journal, Current TV and TIME for CNN. She credits Seane Corn, someone with whom she has studied personally (and assisted), for the huge impact she has had on her path of yoga and service.
Following what speaks to her heart continues to take Adi on countless adventures across the globe. This month finds her just back from leading a Redefining Balance retreat in New Paltz, NY featuring rock climbing in the world class Shawangunks cliff range. Next month, finds her in Moab… Redefining Play. This wisdom from Hippocrates, a quote which she shares on her website, weaves together much of Adi’s approach to being well…
We must turn to nature itself, to the observations of the body in health and in disease to learn the truth.
wind up… how do you wind up, prepare for the week ahead?
What get’s me going is time outdoors. Either biking or climbing or slacklining or surfing when I am in Puerto Rico tunes me back in to the environment and gets me excited for what’s ahead.
and, when you need to exhale, what’s your other direction?
When I need down time I still try to be outdoors. Either working on the garden or hiking or swimming at a local swimming hole. All of these activities calm me down and help me to refocus when things seem overwhelming.
Photo by Tamar Melen
favorite high-powered snack?
Kale chips!
what three things are you never without?
A water bottle, to-go ware and (sad to admit) but my phone…
the sound of music… you have room for 5 tracks on your playlist, they are?
Anything by the following: Emancipator, AWOLNATION, Bob Marley, Beastie Boys, Led Zeppelin
could you repeat that? one cue that you regularly share with your students, and the story behind it…
“Find the alignment first and then build from the foundations.”
what one book have you most often give as a gift?
The Diamond Cutter (Harmony 2009), by
bliss pose?
legs up the wall
finish the sentence? i’d like to teach the world to… share
Follow Adi on Facebook and Instagram to keep current on her teaching schedule!
Author Susan Currie is an Associate Editor at LA YOGA magazine. Her words and images have been featured in the Boston Globe, Elephant Journal, Yogi Times, the Tishman Review, the Huffington Post, Spirit of St. Bart’s and on the cover of the book Moving into Meditation (Shambala) by Anne Cushman.
Susan is also the creator of the Daily Inhale and an RYT 200 registered yoga instructor. She unpacks her various professional experiences through the creative and yoga workshops she leads throughout the country. Her new book, GRACENOTES (Shanti Arts 2017), a blend of words and images, is now available in wide release.