Surfing
Exploration
How yoga and surfing can actually help you live a happier, healthier life
If one of your New Year’s resolutions is to peel yourself away from the digital world and reclaim your brain and body, it might be time to consider the killer combo of yoga and surfing.
Welcome, friends, to 2018 – where the powers of yoga and surfing have combined to create a new breed of super-retreat. From hotpots in Byron Bay to the beaches of Bali, these new ventures are harnessing the benefits of both pastimes in a bid to boost the physical and mental health of those in search of betterment.
Most Australians know that a good day on the surf is a sure-fire way to keep in shape and get those endorphins cranking. But did you know that yoga, in addition to helping you become more bendy, boasts a heap of physical and mental health benefits?
Yoga’s been shown to reduce stress and improve symptoms of depression, hyperactivity and attention deficit disorder. It can even help produce more of the chemicals in your brain that help fight anxiety. And in these anxious, smartphone-ridden times (by the way, did you know that your smartphone is making you tired and anxious?), we’ll take all of the above, thanks.
Yoga can help fight stress, anxiety and depression
© Soul & Surf
Not only that, but both yoga and surfing improve upper body strength, hand-eye coordination, balance, flexibility and patience. With all this crossover, it’s no wonder people all over the world have cottoned on to this killer combination. Hailing from the UK, Ed and Sofie Templeton are prime examples of the life-changing magic that comes from a dose of yoga and surf.
Practicing yoga and surfing are key ways of staying in the present moment and keeping yourself grounded.
Leaving their jobs and home in Brighton, England years ago with “an open-mind and no responsibilities”, they soon found something special in southern India. “We stumbled upon a little patch of paradise in Kerala and decided to set up a retreat there,” says Ed. “It was a major lifestyle change – a reaction to the hectic lives we had been living. We wanted to enjoy the things we love – surfing, yoga, socialising and good healthy food whilst immersing ourselves in Southern India’s way of life for a while.”
And so the Soul & Surf retreat was born, and has now expanded to include a second site in Sri Lanka and a range of pop-up retreats in places like Peru and Portugal.
"...it’s the simple moments of stillness."
© Soul & Surf
With the retreat business growing popular “almost by accident” Ed believes that yoga and surfing work hand-in-hand to bring about the stillness so many of us crave. "We find that practicing yoga and surfing are key ways of staying in the present moment and keeping yourself grounded," he says. "One day you’ll learn an element in yoga which transcends into surfing, and vice versa. Whether you’re on your board, or on your mat, gliding down the line or in downward dog, it’s the simple moments of stillness that you can’t quite experience through anything else."
And it works, too. Witnessing formerly tense guests transform into relaxed, open people over the course of their is a regluar experience for Ed. “We hear time and time again from our guests that Soul & Surf has inspired them to make positive changes within their own lives," he says.
While many yoga and surf retreats around the world cater to people with surf skills on the absolute opposite spectrum of Kelly Slater, some surf pros are also turning to yoga to give themselves an edge when competing at an elite level.
Australian pro surfer Nikki van Dijk is a yoga convert who believes that yoga and surfing are a match made in heaven. Travelling the world for up to 10 months of the year, Nikki practices yoga to ground herself when dealing with the pressures of travelling, competing and being away from her beloved hometown of Phillip Island.
Yoga works so perfectly with surfing because it teaches you to channel your breath, energy and thoughts in a healthy way.
Incorporating yoga into her routine for the last two years, Nikki has noticed significant changes in her life since. “It’s been so amazing for my mind, my surfing, who I am and how I feel," she says. "I’ve learned so many things about my body that have helped improved my surfing. I’ve noticed significant improvements in my fitness. Not only has it made me stronger and more flexible, it’s also influenced my breathing.”
Pro surfer Nikki Van Dijk credits yoga for keeping her grounded
© Red Bull Content Pool
Believing that yoga and surfing complement each other in innumerable ways – ways that transcend just the physical – yoga is now a huge part of Nikki’s life. “Yoga works so well with surfing because surfing is such a spiritual, soulful sport," she says. "There’s so much energy flowing when you’re in the ocean. Yoga and meditation work so perfectly together with surfing because it teaches you to channel your breath, energy and thoughts in a healthy way.”
Having found yoga, Nikki can’t imagine her life without it. “Just like surfing, I really can’t go a day without yoga," she says, "If I get to the end of the day without having been in the ocean or in a yoga pose, I feel like something is missing. That hour or two to myself makes me feel so amazing. If I don’t get it, I miss it.”
With 85% of Australians living within 50km of the coast and yoga schools, online tutorials, books and apps making the practice more accessible than ever before, adding a little surf and yoga to your life has never been easier. While you may not end up on the pro surfing circuit or running a retreat business in a far flung corner of the world, you may just find inner peace.
Head to Soul & Surf for more retreat information or sign up for a site like Yoga.com to begin your journey to a better body and brain today.
