Oakley Progression Sessions – Loon Mountain

Oakley’s Progression Sessions hit their last stop this past weekend at Loon Mountain.  Ending where it all started, the Loon group of riders, coaches and staff park ended the four stop all-girls snowboard camp with a bang.  I felt so lucky to be apart of this amazing experience, and thanks to Loon, Jenny Earnshaw, Kirsten Beninato, and the coaches: Mary Walsh, Marie-France Roy, Lauren Perkins, Gretchen Bleiler, Ellery Hollingsworth, Christine Savage, Chanelle Sladics, Silvia Mittermüller, and Kristi Leskinen.

Morning yoga with 80 girls!  They rocked it and we had so much fun.

Head Coach Mary Walsh and her crew of shredders

The park set up was so much fun with the soft snow, and coach Lauren Perkins showing the girls the skills.

With Spring riding conditions, we even had a snowcone machine! ZICO coconut water snowcones anyone?

Oyster shots with Coach Ellery Hollingsworth..love her!

Final dinner with coaches and crew!  Wish that this pictures could have turned out better, but thanks to each and every one of you for such an amazing event.

Cheers to next year!

xoxo

Lacey Calvert

Oakley Progression Sessions – Mammoth

This weekend, I had the opportunity to go check out Oakley‘s Progression Sessions at their 3rd stop – Mammoth Mountain.  This two-day all girls (and all ages!) camp allowed some rad skiiers and boarders to come out and increase their skills, plus experience a true Oakley event.  A inspiring, personal growth weekend full of weather, smiles, swag, new friends, goggle bars and dance-offs.  Fighting the storm to get to Mammoth was rough, but once we all woke up to snow coming down at 3 inches per hour, we were stoked to go shred the new powder.

I was there to teach our morning yoga classes to the ladies.  Check out some photos from our stretching session before we hit the mountain:

After the stretch, we spent ALL DAY on the mountain.  I am used to snowboarding with all dudes, so I was stoked to be out there with all women! Watching these girls from all over the world snowboarding/skiing together was such an inspirational, and super cool experience.  Thanks to the coaches Dominique Vallee, Marie-France Roy, Chanelle Sladics, Helene Olafsen, Kristi Leskinen, Lauren Perkins, Christine Savage, and Mary Walsh.  Even Greta Eliassen came out post-surgery on her knee with a bright smile and support!

“You Got Skills” winner Sarah Dibblee…she had skills on and off of the mountain.  A true Oakley Woman.

Yoga on Snowboards–TRUE SNOWGA!

Myself and Oakley Ambassador, Katie Modisett

We are all proud to say, we CAN shred with girls.

Check out the video from the weekend too!

Whats next?  Our last stop, at Loon Mountain.  See you ladies there!

xoxo,

Lacey Calvert

Top 5 Gifts to Buy a Yoga Athlete this Holiday Season

Are you struggling to find that perfect gift this season for your active family members or even yourself?! What kind of gift can you give to those close family & friends that want to step up their yoga practice, athletic performance, or both!?.. well California Yoga Sport has done the research for you! Check out some of these high performance gifts for your fellow athletes this season.

Top 5 Gift Ideas for Yoga Athletes:

1. Manduka PROlite Yoga Mat– This yoga mat is a fresh alternative for people who like travel yoga mats with superior quality and comfort. The PROlite is a lighter, zero-waste, non slip yoga mat for in the studio and on the go.

2. Moji Neck+– This product is an innovative all-in-one garment that provides soothing heat to the neck and middle to upper back. The Neck+ wraps around the contours of the body to deliver Moji’s signature warm hug and provides ample coverage for the neck or can be flipped over and worn to heat the middle to upper back. This product provides instant tension release in the upper back & neck which is a common place that most people hold all of their holiday stress. 😉 Yoga assists in relieving this tension, but throwing one of these on after a challenging vinyasa flow with one too many downward dogs is Ah-mazing!

3. Polarized Oakley Stockholm Goggles for those Ski Bunnies or Tanner Hall Signature Series Crowbar Snow Goggles for the Snow Men – Oakely is famous for its high level performance sunglasses & goggles tackling every sport that needs superior eyewear. This ski & snowboarding season don’t lose sight of your performance goals and be sure to pick up yourself or your snow hungry friends a set of these snow goggles.

*Perks to this perfect eye wear is the O Matter Technology that uses premium materials to provide its’ customers with flexible design, strap outriggers to distribute pressure, and the moisture wicking comfort of triple-layer fleece foam. The impact resistance meets ANSI Z87.1 standards and the UV filtering is 100%. They even tune the lens sizing for a greater visual range and hit it with F3 anti-fog treatment. CYS’s ULTIMATE buy for this Holiday Season!

4. Polar T31 Heart Rate Monitor or an over the top holiday buy with the Polar RCX5 Supreme Precision for Endurance Athletes – From improving fitness to enhancing athletic performance, Polar makes some of the best heart rate monitors around. If you know someone looking to up their game & gain serious competitive edge in their training than these two heart rate monitors, though very different, can do just that! Of course Polar T31 is the best basic heart rate monitor out there to introduce to a novice & the RCX5 is the ultimate holiday gift that would be an undeniable advantage in anyone’s training for those marathon runners, triathletes, or Ironmen/women. If you know someone training for a marathon or their first triathlon the Polar T31 is definitely the gift for them! *Benefits to using a heart rate monitor while training – accuracy & ease, helps monitor your fitness, prevent over or under training, helps track pace during training & in a race, and allows for pure constructive feedback on your athletic ability & improvements. Highly recommended for a personal purchase to start 2012 off on the right beat- no pun intended!

5. Lululemon Recognition Pants or Lululemon Core Short for Men – Looking for a new way to jazz up your wardrobe or your friend’s yoga attire for class? These gifts are perfect! I know for us here at CYS new clothes can give us that New Years Resolution boost we need in our practice. Another pair of yoga pants never hurt anyone..right?!  For the male friends & family members out there it’s always tough to find functional & comfortable clothing to practice yoga in as well as feel good wearing it – the Lulu Core Short is the pair for you! Lululemon’s clothing line & quality of fabric helps those novice yogis feel like advanced practitioners during those unpredictable hot vinyasa flow classes. Help your friends & family members, who may be trying out Yoga as a New Years Resolution, to start their practice off feeling good from the inside out!

Need more gift ideas?! Feel free to email us! We have a gift for every type of Yoga Athlete out there & plenty more ideas of self spoiling products to treat yourself to this holiday season!

Be sure to also check out our Holiday Special Offer for a 50 minute health consultation with our Health Coach Diana & a private yoga training session with our CYS Trainers Lacey & Lindsea!

Yoga + Snow = “Snowga”

Since the age of two I have spent every winter on the slopes. Starting out as a skier, my focus soon changed to Snowboarding. Now in my mid-twenties, I have made snowboarding something I do to get away from real life. When my real life became too out of control and the weather gods enabled me from heading to the hills, I turned to yoga.

After two winters of merging yoga with snowboarding, I started to see that these two hobbies worked together more than I realized.

Snowboarding requires balance and muscle strength to guide riders around the         mountain as well as flexibility in the joints to endure the fearless jumps and tricks.

With winter in full force, California Yoga Sport recommends a standing yoga series to those headed for the slopes. We refer to this blending of sports as Snowga. So get out your long underwear, build yourself a fire and try these poses before jumping on your board:

• Begin in Mountain pose at the front of your mat. Inhale and lift up your arms. Exhale and come into Standing Forward Bend.
• Inhale to look up and lengthen your spine. Exhale, step back to high plank, lower to low plank.
• Inhale your chest forward into Upward Facing Dog and exhale, lift your hips, coming into Downward Facing Dog.
• Inhale, stepping your right foot forward, coming into Warrior 1. Hold here for five breaths.
• On your next inhale, open your hips, arms, and chest to Warrior 2. After five breaths, come into Open Triangle for another  ive breaths.
• Inhale to lift the torso up and exhale to bend your front knee, coming into Extended Side Angle or bind underneath the right thigh (the right hand holds the left wrist).
• After five breaths, release both hands to the floor, bringing your right shoulder underneath your right thigh. Shift your weight forward, lifting your back leg off the ground, coming into One-Legged Arm Balance. Hold for one breath (or more if you can), and then kick both legs back, coming into High to Low Plank series.
• Inhale your chest forward into Upward Facing Dog, and exhale, lift your hips, coming into Downward Facing Dog.
• Repeat this sequence on the left side.

Good luck and GO SHRED!
-CYS 2011