yoga

[Alvin]

I do yoga everyday. Deflinately helps with daily life and surfing. Yoga for Surfers is an excellent yoga series. I think they use Tommy Carrol and one of their participants. I started it years ago when I broke 7 ribs in my back from hitting a tree skiing. I still ski. Not to mention after the accident I started surfing more than ever cause the action of surfing helped my back. I'm also a musician and sitting at the piano for hours takes its toll. Learn the sun salutation first. Its easy and there are lots of videos and classes that start with it. Really helps with deep breathing, focus and flexibility. Aum Sweet Aum

[ragdolling]

I am 39 and I find maintaining flexibility gets soo much tougher - and more important - as you get a bit older. I have the first Yoga for Surfers video and really, really like it. I keep meaning to get the next ones. They even have in-water stretches to do between sets that I've found really helpful.

I don't do a lot of actual yoga, but I incorporate a lot of yoga moves into the 15-20 minutes of stretching I do every day, usually while watching tv or whatever. It's really helped with my back pain and my bad rotator cuff.

[beachbreak]

there are other long older threads about yoga surfing here on swellinfo.
don't ever say anything bad about it or else you will be not a cool surfer.

[surfrr]

when I started doing P90X and I was amazed at how much more flexibility I had after doing it...as well as helping with balance and core...and breathing

What he said....Just my two cents. I've always done a little yoga to maintain flexibility but I more or less fell out of shape with college. After college I decided I needed to get back into shape and the P90 really kicked my butt. The program got me into the best shape I've ever been and really helped take my surfing to another level. Two years later I'm still doing the program, although not as intense as now it is a modified program that includes the yoga routine once a week. Some of you may not have the patience for a 90 minute yoga session, but if you want a serious yoga routine that makes you work and gives results, check out the p90.

[snobowin]

Yoga can be great for your flexibility and surfing. I know several top notch surfers on the west coast that do either Vanyasa Flow or Bikram Hot Yoga every day. Gerry Lopez is really into yoga and he still rips on the surf and snow. There are several really good Surfing for Yoga DVD's demostrating Vanyasa Flow especially centered on surfing. Yoga for Surfers by Peggy Hall comes in three versions from beginer to advanced. Peggy Hall, Rochelle Ballard and Taylor Knox demostrate the postures and some cool surfing. Rochelle Ballard has recently made her own. If you are going to a class I would reccomend going to hot yoga either Bikram or Vanyasa Flow which are the two available in my area. The hot sessions loosen you up more easily and are more of a work out. If you do everything right you will knwo that you have been there for a real work out. Drink a lot of water before you go. There are also plenty of in shape women at most of the classes too. Good luck, try it.

[zach619]

If you are a novice or beginning surfer, Yoga will not really affect your surfing. But if you have been surfing for a long time and have a good skillset, as you get older, Yoga WILL definately help your surfing. For advanced turns, moves, airs and everything else cool in surfing, it requires a lot of flexibility.

I went out and bought the Yoga for surfers a year ago or so because it was becoming increasingly harder to lean down really quickly and grab rail etc... It is really important to have a solid center of gravity and be able to grab your rail and guide it through the air, through barrels and everything else....

Yoga for surfers helped get my flexibility in check. So that over all output of your surfing is increased quite a bit....

But Yoga will not help you get better at surfer, it will just fine tune what you are already doing.