Yoga was defined by the sage Patanjali as "Yoga is the complete cessation of the fluctuations of the mind." Ashtanga Yoga Master Sri K Pattabhi Jois defines it as "Mind controlling system is Yoga." There are several tools used in Yoga to teach us how to control and calm our minds. Breath coordinated with movement is one of them. When you combine deep breathing, conscious and coordinated movement, steady and comfortable postures with focus and atention, your mind becomes steady and calm. When practiced consistently, Yoga will transform your body, making it more flexible, strong and balanced. Instinct, awareness and Intuition will remove fear, delusion and doubt, allowing you to act more spontaneously and consciously. Your mind is a powerful tool that has the ability to create amazing things but when it is missused it can work against you. Yoga can teach you how to use your mind and your body wisely. Yoga practice is like surfing, if you learn it properly, It will gradually teach you how to ride those mental waves. Your potential is limitless, It is up to you to decide how big of a wave you want to catch. Our mission as teachers is to guide you how to transcend and overcome your own limitations and preconceived ideas of what you think your body and mind can do.
How could surfers benefit from Yoga?
Yoga is the oldest system of self-development, health improvement and self knowledge known to man. Yoga has been around for thousands of years and it has survived the test of time. There are many different branches, styles and approaches to Yoga but that doesn't mean that all Yoga is good for surfing. Based on our experience over years practicing both Yoga and Surfing, we have fined tuned our routines, sequences and diet, in order to surf better and longer. Our method is based on traditional yoga from South India and It combines sequences of Postures, movements and advanced breathing exercices. We have also designed simple yet effective deep relaxation and visualisation exercices to help you recover faster from fatigue, stress and tension.
Yoga can increase your flexibility, balance and strength. You will learn to control your breath and mind so you can easily overcome stressful situations without energy loss. Yoga is more then a practice or a set of postures, it is a practice that will change your life for ever.
How Yogis could benefit from surfing?
Yoga was once based on the observation of Nature. Yogis across the world are loosing connection and references with the sourse of this practice. Surfing re-connects you with the raw energy of Nature. A wave is generated by the energy of the Sun. The sun changes the temperature at the ocean's surface generating storms thousands of km away from shore. That energy propagates in the shape of waves and when it reaches it's peak, that wave breaks, allowing surfers to harvest that energy by riding it wile floating above the water. It is a magical feeling to know that surfers also salute the sun, not by ptracticing yoga but by riding ocean waves generated by the sun. A wave is a living metaphor to change as it is aways different and unique. The Ocean is a living, moving, ever flowing entity that has so much to teach for those who want to develop the hability to listen to it.
What yoga styles do we teach?
Our retreats are mostly Mysore Style based so we can teach both beginners and advanced, all at the same time in the same room. Surfers with a focus on improving their performance will have the practice adapted to their needs and capacity. It is up to the individual how deep and how far they want to go. As experienced teachers our task is to guide every student safely so they can reach their goals.
Yoga practice is a energy management system. It teaches you how to preserve your energy and how to use it wisely when you need. The practice is demanding in many ways and sometimes less is more. If you want to learn yoga to have more energy to surf you will have to find your own balance. Every person is different and the practice should be adapted to the individual's needs. If you are a weekend surfer maybe you should do more yoga every day. If you are a pro surfer you should keep your yoga practice at a "maintenance" level during contest season and practice more Yoga when the waves are small. Based on our years of experience and thinking about surfer's needs, we have adapted three main sequences of exercises from traditional Yoga, designed to cover all mental and physical requirements for any surfer to elevate his or her performance levels. We have preserved all the deeper and relevant aspects of Traditional Yoga within our adapted sequences. It is said that: "There are as many yoga postures as there are stars in the sky." Our conclusion after so many years practicing many of them and surfing at the same time, is that not all the postures are beneficial for surfers and some of them, when taught or done incorrectly, could even cause unwanted pain and injuries. Compared to the average Yogi, surfers are generally more prepared then the majority to practice Pranayama or advanced breathing exercises. We have been practicing pranayama for many years and using it to prepare ourselves for the big wave season.
It is a 30 to 45 minutes dynamic set sequence of postures coordinated with the breath designed to be practiced at least 3 times a week to every day, preferably in the morning. It combines sun salutations, standing postures, seated postures, backbends, inversions and relaxation. The Foundation series will increase Flexibility, strength and balance very fast and you will be able to maintain these levels for a long time, specially if you make smart dietary and lifestyle changes.
It is a 30 to 45 minutes conscious / passive set of postures designed to release mental and physical tension caused by imbalanced and repetitive posture or movements. It works on all the main parts of the surfer's body that tend to accumulate more tension and stress like neck, shoulders, back and hips. This series can be practice at the end of the day when the surf is good, during competitions, big wave riding etc.
Designed to heal injuries and to avoid all the main common ones that so many surfers suffer from. The prevention series can be tailor made and be adapted to a group setting or to the individual.
Designed to expand lung capacity, expand vital energy and longevity. Pranayama exercises can also calm and focus the mind allowing the practitioner to control and hold his breath in challenging situations such as big wave hold downs.
You can teach yourself how to relax and focus by using simple, yet very effective deep relaxation techniques. Yoga and meditation has been around for so long simply because it works.
It has never been so easy to become a vegetarian, at the same time it has never been so complicated to choose what diet to follow. There are just too many choices when it comes to food. Yoga is a energetic system and food is one of the most important aspects of Yoga. To eat well means that you can absorb and generate more energy from the food you eat than the energy you spend on digesting it. Over the years we have tried different vegetarian diets focused on different food groups. Today we follow a very simple yet very "tasty" and nutritious plant based diet. We normaly surf longer and stronger then the majority of people who we share the lineup with. That shows us that the way we eat is working.