Some practitioners of both sports may tell you that yoga and surfing often go hand in hand … both activities benefiting from the physical and mental enhancements as a result of the other. There are the obvious physical benefits of practicing yoga as a surfer, namely the improved balance and flexibility, plus the addition of core and physical strength. In this aspect, some yoga instructors/surfers like Peggy Hall have produced DVDs that target the surf-yoga market, touting the benefits of the practice especially for pro surfers such as Rochelle Ballard and Taylor Knox.

What often is underplayed are the mental benefits of yoga for people, and in this case for surfers. Especially for beginners, the often intense physical sequences bring about an increased sense of focus and awareness to the human form and body. The intense concentration on what your body is doing, and how it is reacting, often has the immediate effect of bringing calmness to the mind, and to the breath. As surfers, being aware of your breath and being aware of how you breathe allows the natural rhythm and flow of the body to rise to the surface. A more rhythmic body focuses your surfing on the core skills – balance and internal rhythm.

So what does yoga do for your surfing?

Practicing yoga gives you an increased awareness of your own body. In yoga, you are often called upon to make small, subtle movements to improve your alignment. Over time, this will increase your level of comfort in your own body. This can lead to improved posture and greater self-confidence. Translated to surfing, this means better balance on your surfboard, a more rhythmic approach to paddling and moving on the board, as well as an increased awareness of your connection to the water, the waves, and your board.

Where to begin with yoga and surfing?

As always, you have to start slow and allow your body to adapt to the use of muscles in a new or different way. Much like learning to surf, you have to ensure that your body can adapt to the new physical activity in a smooth manner. Group classes in your community is a great way to start, allowing you to learn yoga and be guided by more advanced practitioners of the sport. Although there are a number of types of yoga available, the most common yoga practiced by surfers are based in the Ashtanga style or the Bikrams method. There are also a number of DVDs available that can get you started in the right direction.

Whatever you choose and in whatever style, just start slow, start now, and get going!

At some point and time during the learning process, most of us have voiced the desire to chuck it all and quit. Some long-time surfers have seen their surfing skill development flat line periodically because they are concerned with looking “stupid” trying to learn new things. Pro surfers even leave the sport altogether in defiance of the popular expectation of what surfing should be like. As beginners, the feeling of  ”giving up the sport” often arises from letting your own expectations, and at times the expectations of others, to override what surfing is (and should be) all about: learning.

And fun. Learning and fun. The fun in learning.

If you place things in perspective, the most incredible thing about surfing is that there is no right or wrong way! You can go out into the lineup and get hammered by a wave, and another, and another … even dragged underwater for a bit, but you check yourself and then catch a good wave. All is good again, and you have learned something about yourself, the waves, and determination.

That’s right, beginning surfers, determination! The fact that you are out there in the middle of the ocean, participating in one of the hardest sports around is a testament to your determination. Surfing does not discriminate; it does not care about your heritage or financial bottom line, your color, race , or creed. Surfing takes on all comers, and allows your inner spirit to come out.

Every wave is different, every break offers new experiences, and every moment dares you to be great. It’s just you and your inner self working the water over and iver again, looking for the next new thing to learn about the ocean and yourself.

One of the best lessons that surfing taught me that I often share with people is mired in the idea of control. The ocean is in control, period. The ocean is your master out there, and you are but a speck to be done with as it pleases … and most surfers that have learned this understand the momentary notion of “not getting it“. There is nothing to get … there is no right or wrong … just you and surfing. Once you admit this and actually accept it, the more enjoyable your surfing experiences will become.

So stop “trying” to surf … stop trying to fit yourself into some pre-determined mold that you may have gotten yourself into about what surfing should look like. Stop worrying how you look out in the water, and whether or not someone saw you get trashed by that last wave that rolled in. WE ALL HAVE HAD THAT HAPPEN TOO! Just get out there, stick to your guns and determined spirit and paddle back out. You never know when the next wave will be the good wave … but you can only catch it if you are out there looking for it!

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But you don’t have to live on the beach and surf all day to get some of that laid-back karma into your busy lives. A few simple principles inspired by the surfer lifestyle will help you to reduce stress, deal with problems and give you that ‘all’s well with the world’ feeling. So here are five ways to bring out your inner surfer, man:

1. The ocean is unpredictable. Surfers never know what’s going to happen next so they just have to go with the flow. You don’t command the wave, you work with it. The unpredictable happens in everyday life. So just go with the flow, don’t get wound up if things don’t go as planned. Stay alive to possibilities and be prepared to go off in new directions.
2. Contrary to popular belief, not all surfers are lazy beach bums! Many surfers  work their butts off for 6 months during the spring and summer and save like mad so that come winter, they can make a surfing trip to warmer climates. Working towards a goal that is really important to you will help you get through the difficult times. Don’t wait twenty years to reward your hard work with an enriching personal experience.
3. Out in the line-up, beyond the breaking waves, no-one cares how much money you have or how many degrees you’ve acquired or how expensive your car is. All that matters is how well you surf and how you treat others in water. It is far less stressful simply to accept people on level terms and not to be blinded by social status. Focus on what you have in common with people, not what sets you apart. Hang out with people who are accepting rather than competitive.
4. Surfers have a great respect for nature and the power of the ocean. They spend much of their time outdoors in beautiful surroundings. Being outdoors is a great mood-improver and the power of nature has a humbling effect. Relive stress by getting outdoors as much as possible, preferably in beautiful surroundings. Oceans and mountains are particularly good for putting everything in perspective!
5. There is a truth universally acknowledged by surfers: everyone wipes out sometime. You take your pounding and you get back on your board and paddle out to do it all again. That knowledge that you are going to fail but try again and again is a very positive attitude. It’s easy to go into something expecting success all the time only to be completely cut up when you fail at something. Life is easier if you accept that things are going to go wrong at times but ultimately believe in your ability to conquer them.

What do you do to reduce the stress in your life? Who do you look to for inspiration?

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Did someone teach you how to surf? If you are like me,  my friends, and most surfers, then no one taught you how to surf. You may have paddled out with someone who knew how to surf, and they gave you a few pointers, but for the most part you figured it out on your own.

It seems to be that way in the working world today as well. Sure, we like something about you, you seem to have a resume that would lend itself to skills that we need or desire. Welcome aboard, you are sitting here. Now go figure out what you are supposed to do and do it….. Ok…. Now what? Try different approaches to projects and people; note the outcome and practice. Practice for 40 years and then retire.

Surfing; get a board, get in the water, try different stances and take-offs, note the outcome and practice. Practice for as long as you physically can. BUT here are some initial tips to get you going, consider it a freebie :

• CHOOSE the right equipment for yourself. This means selecting a board size and shape that is right for your skill level and body size. In addition, you will need to buy a leash, so you that won’t lose your board in the water and some wax, so your feet won’t slip.
• PICK A LOCATION where the waves break closely to shore, and the waves aren’t too big. You also may want to pick a day where the waves isn’t too choppy. Choose an area that isn’t crowded with other surfers, although this may be hard.
• WATCH OTHER SURFERS BEFORE YOU PADDLE OUT! Look at where they paddle out into, where they sit, where the breaks are, where the channel may be … BUT JUST WATCH! The biggest mistake is paddling out first, then looking. You will gain more respect from local surfers if you show that you are taking your cues from them …
• LOOK for an area in the line-up that you can sit and observe as well. The waves and the people behave differently once you are actually in the the water.
• FIND THE SHOULDER of the waves … this is where you want to sit and observe how surfers catch waves, what paths they follow, and how the ocean moves.
• RESOLVE that you will fall. A lot! SO leave your ego with your towel on the beach …
• THEN, once you have WATCHED for a while, push your board out into the water until you are waist-deep, just beyond where the waves are breaking on shore. Sit up on your board and practice riding the waves into the shore without standing up. Do this until you feel comfortable with the way your board handles, and how your body affects its movement.
• Practice how to TURN your board around the waves … usually involving placing your weight on any of the sides of the surfboard.
• Standing up is the hardest part of learning how to surf. The goal is to place both your feet on the board at the same time, in the right position, so that you will not lose your balance and fall into the water.
• Repeat ALL THE STEPS … it’s called practice!.

The Key is to always WATCH, and LOOK … it was the frs tthing the Dick and Jane books taught you in school, and it will serve you well in the water!

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Despite the damages brought about by the hurricane, surfers were lucky enough to experience some “pipeline” sized waves that rolled through some of the eastern coast’s beaches, like in Montauk new York. Although swimmers were not allowed to enter the water, the excited surf crowd paddled out to consistent sets and pounding waves. The scene reminded me of the North Shore of Oahu during the consistent winter swells, as crowds gather in increasing droves to gawk and stare at the brave watermen who paddle out into monster-sized waves.

Call them crazy, call them adrenaline junkies … whatever they can be labelled as, they are out in the waves for the same reason as every other surfer: the stoke. The ever mysterious, and elusively indescribable “stoke”.

What is “stoke”? The best way to explain it is to let someone experience it for themselves, but that is about as easy as hitting an arrow with another arrow while you are on horseback in the middle of a hurricane.

So for the lack of a better way to explain stoke, one has to turn to using metaphors that hopefully correspond to some reference point that people can relate to. The difficulty is that stoke defies definition, for the simple fact that it varies greatly from one person to another. Although most refer to it by the same name, the experience that an individual goes through is definitely unique within each person.

Stoke is, by all intent and definition, an individually personal experience that has no prerequisites – small waves, big waves, surfboard, body board, solitary, or surrounded by friends, it happens at any given moment in time. It is about your state of mind, and state of being.

Someone once said that the secret to life lies in one thing, and one thing alone. Once you find that one thing, you should spend all your energy and effort ensuring that everything you do and strive for is devoted to that one thing. When questioned as to what that one thing is, the answer was simply “I don’t know. It (the one thing) is different for everyone.” Go, and find your stoke … your one thing!

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