Posted by Beyond the breaking waves, I sit balanced atop a surfboard as my feet slowly churn the warm Pacific waters. Ocean swells rise, then gently lift my body as they roll toward shore. It’s early, not long after sunrise, and I am lured to this perch thanks to Jessica, my surf coach and yoga teacher for the week. Last night, over dinner, she spoke reverently of this “special, magical time of day for surfers” and the cathartic joy of floating in the morning sea. And just as deftly as she had guided me into Savasana during morning yoga, I became transfixed, intent upon exploring the mystical morning surf.
Sometimes I catch it. Many times I don’t. Either way, it’s exhilarating, and I’m increasingly mindful of the wave. If I time it just right, an incredible energy carries me forward to pop up for a spine-tingling ride. Just as likely, I’ll topple over and grapple in the bubbling water for my board and bikini bottoms that might have plummeted to my ankles. Tomorrow morning, after countless rides like this today, I’ll be immensely grateful for the recuperative powers of yoga.
It doesn’t take long to realize that yoga and surfing share common threads, both spiritually and physically. While it might take a long time to catch a wave or learn a new pose, both practices allow ample space for contemplation, focus, and conscious balance. Both command complete physical and spiritual presence. Both can be transformational and sublime. And they share an appreciable simplicity of gear.
Paddle, paddle, paddle, push…it’s the same glorious feeling as when your yoga instructor assists you with an extra twist in Triangle or a pull-up in Downward Dog. With a gentle shove from a coach, I learn how catching a wave is supposed to feel—then settle in for the ride. Out of the water, surfboard clinics teach us about waxing our boards, the physics of fins, and how not to commit the cardinal un-cool sin of strapping your surfboard to the car’s roof with the fins facing backward.
Waves are a simple, beautiful gift of nature. Catching them requires a single-minded focus and a heightened connection to the surroundings. Balancing on a surfboard is as tricky as finding your center in a standing pose. At first, it’s tough to find; but eventually, you know just where it is. Surfing also makes you acutely conscious of the water’s energy and flow. Much like a yogic breath, that energy and flow should be used to their full potential.
In the hiss of the waves, I tune in to the energy around me. Instead of paddling hard against it, I slowly learn to integrate my own physical power into the water’s flow. When I stand up on the surfboard, blissfully riding even the smallest of waves for a brief moment, it’s pure joy—and a taste of enlightenment.
[by Jennie Lay via YogaJournal.com]
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