PRACTICE, BREATH WORK, SURFING
Cait Lawson
Pre-Surf Practice to Expand Lung Capacity

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.

Pre-Surf Practice to Expand Lung Capacity
Cait Lawson
September SurfAid #MakeAWave Recap

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.

September SurfAid #MakeAWave Recap
YOGA, SURFING, PRACTICE
Cait Lawson
Under 10-minute Pre-Surf Stretch Routine

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

Under 10-minute Pre-Surf Stretch Routine
YOGA, SURFING, WRITING
Cait Lawson
Featured on the Manduka Blog!

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.

Featured on the Manduka Blog!
YOGA, LIFESTYLE, INSPIRATION
Cait Lawson
Simple. But not always easy.

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.

Simple. But not always easy.

YOGA

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Recovery Yoga: 3 Poses to Unravel Your Spine + Reset Your Posture

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Recovery Yoga: 3 Poses to Unravel Your Spine + Reset Your Posture

Long day? Say no more. Check out this Restorative Yoga sequence that uses just a blanket or towel, along with the support of your breath and the floor, to help unravel tension around the spine and reset your posture. Repeat this one regularly!

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Deeply Involved, Less Attached: Root Down to Rise

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Deeply Involved, Less Attached: Root Down to Rise

Just like we can't stop the world from spinning, we also can't stop the passing of time. This moment now will soon be the past and the future will soon become this moment now, so maybe the only way to really sense a slowing down of time is to slow down ourselves.

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Breathing to Ground: Extended Exhale (1:2 Ratio)

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Breathing to Ground: Extended Exhale (1:2 Ratio)

While the inhale tends to be a bit more uplifting and invigorating, the breath out carries with it a capacity to slow us down, supporting our ability to surrender and rest. This is an easy and customizable breathing pattern that you can do anywhere to help you get out of your head and grounded in the now.

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Nourish Your Roots: MFR for the Feet

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Nourish Your Roots: MFR for the Feet

How often do you think about your feet?? Maybe some more than others, but let’s take a moment to focus on ‘em. After all, our feet help to ground us and carry us through the world. Check out my go-to sequence of grounding acupressure + MFR that helps to nourish those roots!

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Exploring the Edge: Yoga, Surfing, Life

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Exploring the Edge: Yoga, Surfing, Life

Death reminds us of the impermanence of life. It's not that we necessarily forget, death just has a way of bringing it back into perspective. As cliche as it sounds, it reminds us that tomorrow’s never promised & all we really have is now.

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Recovery Yoga: 5 Hip-Openers Using the Wall

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Recovery Yoga: 5 Hip-Openers Using the Wall

Too much working, surfing, sitting, training, running, or anything & everything in between?? Well here’s one of my FAVORITE “recovery yoga” sequences — using a wall — to give the legs, hips, and low back some tender, loving care.

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Breathing for Courage: Kapalabhati

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Breathing for Courage: Kapalabhati

Technically a kriya, or an internal cleansing technique, kapalabhati can help to cultivate a clear & invigorated focus while also supporting the clearing out of both stagnant energy as well as any unhelpful & unnecessary thoughts.

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Human Connection: Like Islands in the Sea...

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Human Connection: Like Islands in the Sea...

The practice of yoga not only holds this capacity to reconnect us with our selves, but it also carries this potential to reconnect us with our humanity — the common thread that binds us all. Relearning, over and over again, what it means to be human...

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Breathing for Connection: Partner & Heart Breathing

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Breathing for Connection: Partner & Heart Breathing

Explore one breath practice for you and a partner and one technique to practice with yourself, both intended to cultivate a sense of connection, compassion, appreciation, and love.

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Metta Meditation for Self-Love & Loving Kindness

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Metta Meditation for Self-Love & Loving Kindness

May I be happy, healthy, safe, and may I live with ease. May you be happy, healthy, safe, and may you live with ease. May all beings be happy, healthy, safe, and live with ease. A love that fuels the world begins with love & compassion for yourself. Explore this practice of Metta…

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A Hint of Salt: Practice, Patience, and Dedication

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A Hint of Salt: Practice, Patience, and Dedication

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.

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Breathing for Patience: Box Breath (Sama Vritti Pranayama)

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Breathing for Patience: Box Breath (Sama Vritti Pranayama)

One of my favorite techniques for when I’m feeling impatient, annoyed, or overwhelmed, I often turn to this breathing technique to help me anchor in the present moment, settle my nerves, slow down the thoughts, and create some space between my ears.

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Yoga Update: YM500 + Therapeutic Specialist

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Yoga Update: YM500 + Therapeutic Specialist

After 3+ years, hundreds of hours of lectures, countless hours of practice, and a handful of dedicated students to be my case studies… On December 1st I got the email that my requirements were met & my case studies were approved!

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A Note for the Wellness World: We're Only Human

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A Note for the Wellness World: We're Only Human

As humans, we are not just one way or another. In fact, we can be and it’s OK to be a living contradiction. Why?! Because we change. We adapt. We learn and we unlearn and we shed many skins over the course of a lifetime. And these layers of feelings and emotions just give life that much more depth.

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Yoga for Surfers + Athletes: Morning / Pre-Surf Routine

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Yoga for Surfers + Athletes: Morning / Pre-Surf Routine

Do you have a morning movement or mindfulness routine? Here I share my current morning routine, which also serves as a pre-surf warm-up, that has been my go-to sequence as of late. It only takes me about 15 minutes to move through and I notice such a difference in my day!

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Talk Story: Surfing, Yoga, and Mirrors of Life

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Talk Story: Surfing, Yoga, and Mirrors of Life

Let’s talk story: You may have heard this one before, but if you didn’t know, I was a surfer long before I was a yogi. Yoga didn’t come into my life until I was 21. The night of my 21st birthday I was out celebrating with friends…

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3 Tips to Maximize Your Cross-Training

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3 Tips to Maximize Your Cross-Training

We all train for a variety of reasons. For some, exercise is a form of stress relief. For others, working out is a way to improve their physical health. Some people train to feel more confident in their bodies, and others may work out to improve their athletic performance or to train for a specific event, such as a race, or competition, or in preparation for a high season of surfing. Regardless of the reason, or the modality, here are 3 tips to get the most out of each session!

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Self-Care Club: 7 Ways to Regulate Your Nervous System

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Self-Care Club: 7 Ways to Regulate Your Nervous System

Here I share 7 techniques to downshift and regulate your nervous system so that you can reconnect, recalibrate, and recharge. Especially helpful if you are feeling overwhelmed, burnt out, or stressed out.

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A Yoga Playlist for Slowing Down + Doing Less

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A Yoga Playlist for Slowing Down + Doing Less

This hour-long playlist was curated for a Restorative Yoga practice with the intention to support you in slowing down and doing less (without feeling guilty) as a way to recalibrate, reconnect, and refill your cup. Enjoy!

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Check It Out! I'm on the KookCast Podcast

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Check It Out! I'm on the KookCast Podcast

I was honored when Chris from The Surf Continuum asked me to be a guest on his podcast “KookCast: Surf Education.” We chatted about my upbringing, learning to surf, finding yoga, and facing fears. I really enjoyed our conversation and I hope you will too!