A 10-minute, seated practice that combines MFR with gentle stretches and breath work to help you wake up and expand your lung capacity before paddling out for a surf.
Another September has come and gone, and for the 2nd year, I participated in the SurfAid September #MakeAWave Challenge of surfing 30 days to raise funding and awareness for the SurfAid Programs.
My current, go-to, Pre-Surf Stretch for when my body is feeling stiff and a bit surfed-out. This sequence could also be nice for a brief Active Recovery practice post-training or post-surf/sport
It was an honor to have the opportunity to write a piece for the Manduka Blog as a part of the Manduka x Gerry Lopez collection launch. In this article, I share my personal experiences with surfing and yoga and how I view the two as similar spiritual paths that reconnect us to life.
Now don't get me wrong, sometimes simple can be easy. And that's great. And sometimes there is a place for complexity as well. But the simple, the simple is available. Accessible. And when noticed and practiced regularly, the simple can support us in coming back to center. Back to what's true.
As cliche as it sounds, our yoga & surfing practices often remind us of this truth that extends far beyond our surfboards or our yoga mats: The destination is in the journey, the practice is in the process. And if we can focus on what’s in front of us now, we can open ourselves up to the possibility of what’s next.
The New Year can be a nice time to set goals or intentions as it always feels like a fresh start. Although, life is also never linear, and it’s important to remember that we each hold the power to pause, reflect, and begin again whenever we need to clean the slate, recenter, or refocus our attention. Let these prompts support you!
Anxiety is something that has been present throughout the majority of my life. It’s shown up in a variety of forms and ways over the span of my relatively short lifetime, and it wasn’t until fairly recently that I’ve begun to acknowledge it, accept it, and work with it, instead of working against it. Here are my 3 go-to practices for managing my anxiety.
I grew up reading surf magazines - they were almost like a Bible to me - with pages tagged and tear-out posters plastered on every wall. As a grom, my dream was to be featured in the pages of those magazines. When I realized that pro surfing was not in the cards for me, my dream shifted to seeing my writing featured on those pages.
A big part of surfing is learning to navigate the ever-changing and often unpredictable lineup. Similar to life, the ocean and her waves are influenced by many different factors, most of them being totally out of our control. And as surfers, we learn that the key to navigating these often tricky lineups is to stay present and remain calm.
Taking the time to reflect and to set goals helps me to cultivate a clear and intentional path for navigating my day-to-day. If journaling is new to you and you’re looking for a place to start, or if you’re just looking for a little inspiration, here I share five journal prompts for monthly reflection and goal setting.
Needless to say, 2020 has been a challenging year for us all, affecting humans all across the globe. But I believe that challenges eventually pave way to solid foundations, growth, and expansion. So I thought it would be nice to compile, and share, a list of lessons that 2020 has taught me, and this is what came to mind…
There’s no denying that a regular mindfulness practice holds this capacity to make you feel good. But, just as in life, the practice ebbs and flows. Although, it’s comforting to know that it’s always there for us to return to anytime we need it. Yesterday marked the final day of the #MonthontheMat challenge with Yoga Medicine Online and I’m grateful for my YM teachers that hold space for me, for us all, to just show up as we are…
“In every outthrust headland, in every curving beach, in every grain of sand there is a story of the Earth.” - Rachel Carson. How amazing is it that we get to be a part of this story?? And while our time on this planet is relatively short-lived — the Earth was spinning long before us and will likely continue to spin long after us — I can’t help but think about the small-but-mighty impact our own existence holds.
Our ability to notice 'on the mat' fine tunes our ability to notice 'off the mat.' If our practice stays limited to the confines of our yoga mat, then it is not really yoga. As our practice reminds us, we can learn so much when we give ourselves permission to get quiet and to notice... So why wouldn't we want to apply this to the external world??
The saying “only a surfer knows the feeling” has never held more weight than right now. From an outside perspective, surfing can appear as an obsession, or just another form of physical exercise, or a way to spend time in nature. And while surfing is those things, for many of us, surfing is also so much more… For many, it’s a cure.
Off the plane and out of the airport, the humid air wraps me in her warm embrace. The sun is bright, really bright, and feels so lovely on my skin. The smell of incense and frangipani and clove cigarettes fills my lungs, as familiar faces welcome me back to a place that, at one time, felt so incredibly unfamiliar…
In today's world, comparison and jealousy can show up often and in many different ways. How do we gracefully acknowledge these sparks of jealousy without them igniting a wildfire of self doubt? And how can we use this fire to motivate us and inspire us instead of burning us down? Here are a few simple practices to transform jealousy into unstoppable motivation.
