the ocean’s proverbs
Arriving at a Surf Camp in Portugal, a total virgin surfer, it doesn’t take long for me to absorb stories of the catharsis surfing provides for the people here.
Chiara, a glowing goddess from Italy, describes her experience in the water:
“It means a lot of things. Connecting to nature and water makes me get in touch with my body, which is a beautiful part of it. It’s such a challenging sport because you need to let go of control and perfectionism. You’re going to have bad days and good days – and it doesn’t just depend on you – it’s a mix of the conditions of you and the ocean. If you don’t accept the falling and failing as part of it you will get frustrated. It is so full of metaphors for life; every time I am in the water I realise things I can take out of the water and into my life. It is so healing.” These words flow out of her mouth so easily and poetically like butter; I guess surfing has that effect.
And she’s right about the inner and outer conditions. I think about the days there is some bridge between myself and yoga. I’m doing it and I feel conscious of my breath and my senses and my body… but there’s an undeniable disconnect. I’m here but I can’t touch the moment. Especially for women, it’s so important to honour our cyclical and transient nature; regardless of meditation and presence there will be biologically induced times of fatigue and fog. This is where we can engage in frustration and resistance, or tune into acceptance.
It's actually Chiara who inspires me to dip my toe into the realms of the surfing universe. I came here to teach yoga, from a background absent of ocean waves and never contemplated I would ever have the agility or bravery to enter the surfer’s cosmos. Something about the way she lights up when she talks about her intimacy with the water.
Next, I ask Carlos, from Mexico, another member of the surfing world, how he feels when he’s marinated in the air and water elements.
“I feel peace in the water. I recognise that when I lack patience and get frustrated, I don’t catch the wave. Relaxation and patience is key. Do not rush because there’s always more waves coming. I translate this patience and calm into my daily life.”
Not rushing. An anomaly in our hustle culture. The paradox that when we slow down we have more capacity to take more concise, more conscious action. Taking breaks to cultivate balance is also so important. It’s an act of trust and courage to have faith that taking a day or two, or even a week off, is not lazy or a rebellion of dedication, but a respect towards our body and our relationship to the sport. It is trusting the repetitive sequencing in yoga and surfing enhances mind body connection enough that it’s productive to take a rest. Our body won’t forget. Like any relationship, trust and space is vital so that when the ocean and the surfer or the yogi and their mat reunite, the conversation flows. There is mutual respect between waves, ourselves and our body’s internal compass.
I ask Bram, a physiotherapist from Holland and an avid surfer, of areas in the body most susceptible to aching in surfing:
He explains “the shoulders from paddling and the lower back” are most common. His friend, and fellow surfer, Nicholas from Switzerland, echoes that these body parts suffer the most aches.
As a yoga teacher previously residing in a non-surfing environment, shoulder and back aches are equally prevalent. Usually from hunching over desks, long periods driving and anxiety causing a tense posture. From a more energetic perspective the shoulders can carry emotional weight, responsibilities and demands. The lower back is linked to our sacral chakra, the energy centre connected to our creativity and coincidently associated with the water element. When our sacral chakra is imbalanced it can affect our hips, kidneys, pelvis, sexual organs and lower back. Whether you apply logic or a more spiritual approach, it makes sense to me to focus on yoga relevant to releasing and strengthening the shoulders and the lower back. The power of yoga is how it improves flexibility and strength and balance…but also how it promotes vitality and alchemises stagnant energy. As a novice in the surfing world I intend to continue with yoga practices to support the shoulder joints and release lower back tension as well as focus on breathwork to increase my energy. I am definitely also inspired to continue to work on my balance. This is natural after multiple premature falls off the board.
Experiencing for myself the salty taste of both exhilaration and liberation, panic and peace, frustration and satisfaction, I am guided back to lessons first taught to me by my great teacher – my yoga practice. I begin to open myself up to a myriad of links from the water to the mat. When I teach, I guide my students to experience the sensations of the stretch as they occur in the present moment, without force and without avoidance. I notice when students scrunch up their face and create pain for themselves by holding their breath in an attempt to control getting closer to their toes. I also see when the first sign of tight hamstrings creates discomfort and students confirm they are too inflexible to do yoga and it’s not for them. Always connecting me back to the truth that both resisting what is, and forcing control when we need to surrender, creates suffering.
Translating this to me facing the waves: anxious and confronting a consistently terrifying concept: the unpredictable, I tense up, resisting the experience. Eventually I return to what is so familiar to me in yoga, to be with the experience, accepting the little control I have over nature and embracing the yin and yang – softening into surrender, because attempting to exert power where I have none is insane and shrinking the strength I do have out of fear-induced freeze mode is insanity. It always comes back to trusting it is safe enough to exist here, in the present moment.
Jorge, from Peru and a regular surfer here in Carcavelos said:
“Surfing to me means peace and disconnection to everything else; just focussing on the present moment. I value this lesson in my daily life too.” A tattoo in Latin transcribed across his chest: HERE NOW is a permanent reminder of this message. He goes onto say “The lifestyle connected to surfing alters my perspective of the water; I become more conscious and respectful of the water. It’s alive; you need to flow with it and adapt every time.”
I intend to continue to embrace my newfound relationship with the water, and letting the ocean’s proverbs weave wisdom into my life: working with, not against, the literal and proverbial waves as they arrive. Deepak Chopra said, “The best way to prepare for any future moment is to be fully present in the now.”
I am humbled to be a beginner in surfing; to discover over and over again that there is purpose in “failing” and trying again from a space of curiosity. There is no way to avoid discomfort in life, both on the mat and in the water, but the solution is always simple: reconnecting to the now, listening to the wisdom of your body and letting nature be as it is; nature will always be as it is anyway. There will always be ebb and flow, and it is only resisting the natural rhythm that resistance births suffering. The expansion of our inhale and letting go in our exhale is both tool to create space and an example of honouring the innate rhythm within.
This blog post was initially going to explore relevant yoga poses useful for surfers. But as I usually find, the words have a stubborn, determination to say what they need to say. There is a spiritual nature to surfing and yoga and I am grateful both have found me. Maybe a future post will cover the more anatomical aspects, detailing which movements will support a surfer’s stance, how to increase flexibility and post surf recovery. But for now, the lesson is one that is important to renew daily: there is power in acknowledging what I am powerless over, as much as there is freedom in focussing on what I can control. It is evident from those I’ve conversed with, and from my own limited personal experience, that surfing brings about gratitude. Gratitude multiplies the more we create space for it. The same happens when we release tension in the body; room is created to see the magic within us and around us.