Many of us have driven or ridden along on those white-knuckle shuttle rides, where gnarly dirt roads, steep inclines, and zero-inch-margin-of-error switchbacks leave our engines wheezing, our kayak racks and straps straining, and our hearts pumping out half the day’s supply of adrenaline before we even get to the put-in. At the road’s end, we …
This article is contributed by Rachel Roman, Swiftwater Rescue Instructor and GAP Client. I started kayaking two summers ago and progressed quickly throughout the first season. As time passed, however, a roll that had once been very reliable became less so, even as other skills progressed. I started having to work harder to come up, lying …
Self-Care and Listening To Your Body: What I Learned From a Year of Setbacks Read More »
This February, we at Girls At Play have decided to expand our vision from the romantic relationship focus of Valentine’s Day to something a bit bigger. We are launching our Share the Love Challenge! With so much going on in our personal lives and in the world, we think it’s time we reach out and connect …
Happy New Year everyone! I hope that you have had the opportunity to reflect upon the memories of 2016 with awareness and self-love. If you’re like me, you are probably overwhelmed with gratitude for the year’s blessings, and also feeling incredulous that you survived the challenges. You may be looking to the future with much excitement …
by Mary Frances Hansford Like many women, I struggled with my body image through my teens and my 20s. I often felt like if I just lost weight everything would be better. I ran, worked out at the gym and dieted a lot. I often found myself obsessing over calories, and would let my eating …
By Em Shanblatt The Girls at Play 2010 Yoga for Kayaking DVD with Anna Levesque and Joe Taft has taken off tremendously. Hundreds of kayakers have redefined their bodies and minds through the sequences Anna and Joe take you through. With such high praise and success, we’ve decided to offer a real life yoga for kayaking series …
When and why did you start kayaking? The first time I had ever heard or had seen the sport of whitewater kayaking, was right after I met Nate (my hubby). A little over 9 years ago, I watched Nate and his dad paddle through rapids, surf and hang out with some really cool, chill people …
By Emily Shanblatt Everyone has challenges at the beginning. Any aspiring paddler, male or female, has to find the right people, get the gear, get over the initial intimidation of trying something new, and learn the basics. These universal challenges don’t separate men from women in the boating world. It’s after the first few steps …
Whitewater kayaking, yoga, massage… awesome! The Whitewater Goddess Retreat is all about fun, confidence-building and relaxation. We started on Friday afternoon/evening with massages and dinner at Relia’s Garden. After the meal we met in our Goddess room to sit in circle together and practice guided meditations led by Sharon. We learned how to use affirmations …
Does kayaking make you feel happy, exhilarated and passionate? Yes, the adrenaline rush, being outside and being active is really fun, but what about that present moment awareness? That’s the real juice! I remember one late afternoon at the height of my drive to be a good boater I couldn’t find anyone to go with …
