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 surfers, we have a whole lotta faith. Really, we do. No matter where you live in the world, as a surfer, we all go through the inevitable flat spells. And, unless you’re a pro with a travel budget, for us who frequent our local breaks and surf around our daily life responsibilities, we have learned to always have faith that more waves will come. And what a beautiful perspective to have…
Like everywhere in the world, Bali has its fair share of issues, downfalls, and straight up ugly sides. But, for me at least, the positives greatly outweigh the negatives, and I credit this little slice of paradise to teaching me some extremely valuable life lessons, lessons that seem to be deeply rooted in the people, the culture, and the sacred lands and waters found on, in, and around the Island of the Gods…
Shortly after my meditation this morning, as I was sipping my coffee and writing in my journal, this affirmation drifted into my mind: I am constantly and consciously creating my best life. I reflected on this, and I thought I’d share what I took from it, what it means to me, and maybe my words will also land with you.
From the moment my obsession with surfing began, maybe around 8 or 9 years old, I always day-dreamed about becoming a professional surfer. Throughout my early teenage years I surfed in competitions and I even managed to receive support from a few amazing sponsors. And as a kid that grew up in a wave-starved stretch of coast in South Carolina, I felt like I was doing a damn good job. Like I was well on my way.
Positive, powerful change needs to start from the ground up…or, in many cases, from the yoga mat up. That’s why Manduka and Susan G. Komen are partnering to host project:OM, the world’s largest yoga class of One Million bodies strong to battle breast cancer. Join us at CENTRO LA PAZ this Sunday, May 28th from 12-2pm...
The conditions are always changing... Out in the waves. Here on dry land. While we breathe and sweat on the yoga mat. The world around us is constantly moving through seasons and cycles and transformation. And we are much the same. So while we can't always control the conditions, the question becomes, "How can we respond?"
Bali is a place that had always been on my list of places to visit before I die, but it’s a place that also seemed so far away, so foreign, and somewhere that I didn’t think I was quite ready for… Not just yet. That is until, about a year ago now, I received an email from Go Light Our World Founder, Kayla Nielsen, that would change everything.
