Yoga and Meditation

The first thing I noticed when I started yoga was how much my surfing improved. You gain a crazy new understanding of how your body works and moves and it translates directly into your time in the water.

Also, the ratio of girls to guys in most of my classes is somewhere around 30:1.

 

Google Bryan Kest. My wife got his power yoga DVDs. That sh!t is a good workout. Do it in a really hot room. Do it with your gal too. It gets the gals all worked up in the loins.

 

Big proponent of both yoga and meditation. Been doing both for about 15 years.
Yoga promotes flexibility, strength, calmness.
Meditation is like yoga for the mind.

Yoga is super popular these days, so you will find a wide range of instructors out there, some you may like and others you may hate. The instructors you find in gyms, tend to teach the classes more like a fitness class compared to the instructors at the stand alone yoga studios. I tend to like the slower classes, where you hold the poses for 30-60 seconds, compared to the fast moving flow or core yoga classes.

 

Pretty spot on what Swellinfo said. There are a bunch of different types of yoga and all you can really do is experiment until see which ones you like the best. Some are more meditative, while others tend to lean more in the break-a-sweat workout direction.

It's tough to explain how specifically it helped my surfing, except to say that I felt like I had a better overall "awareness" of how my body moves/balances. Yoga puts you into some pretty funky positions and you find yourself running into these positions in some form or another in not only surfing, but in your daily life as well. Then suddenly you just know what you do. I found that in situations where I would usually not have been able to recover from a flub in the water, I was able to maneuver the board back under my feet.

Like I said, tough to explain, but there was definitely something different.

Most yoga studios offer a first-timer unlimited first week for like $25. Can't hurt to give it a go!

 

I'm a meditation teacher with a Very strong yoga practice. 40 years old and haven't lost a step. The benefit of smooth transfer of power through flexibility is Insane. You'll live better. You'll Surf better. You'll just BE better.

"From sound waves to brain waves, ocean waves and heartbeats--everything in the universe vibrates in wave-like patterns. Meditation is the art of skillfully learning how to ride all the varied waves of life, finding balance and keeping our poise amidst the tumult of life's ever changing challenges."--Jim & Kimberly Carson, creators of the Yoga Awareness Program

 

Come on. How bad could it be?
http://www.pqmonthly.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/fatyoga3.jpg

It could very likely be just the opposite. Very distracting

 

I can't get into the meditation. The ADHD inside of me doesn't allow it. No patience. As far as Yoga goes, I don't have the patience to sit in front of a class or instructor and do the dancing dragon for an hour...

What I did do to help surfing only and flexibility, is downloaed the Yoga Fro Surfers DVDs a few years ago. Its actually Pro Surfers sitting on a beach in Hawaii doing yago poses that are specific to surfing... They have the pre-surf yoga, the post surf yoga and then a bunch of stretches you can do out in the water with your board...

That was cool. You can pop the DVD in for about 5 minutes before your session and 5 minutes after and then tool around in the water in between sets....

Sorry to be debby downer, but the meditation just seems bogus to me... Meditation to me is forced on surfers anyway. When we are floating on our boards, waitinf for waves, that is the meditations. You can't help but clear your mind and let it wander.

 

I am in my mid 50s and due to yoga and swimming and tai chi I can still surf a shortboard in overhead waves. Yoga can be done many different ways. I like to mix my yoga up - do a gentile slow session on Mondays after work when I am stiff from sitting on my rear end all day. Mid week I do a power or more of a flow routine. It depends on how I feel. I can say it has kept me injury free (knock on wood) due to my back, neck, legs and shoulders being more flexible.

Meditation is the opening of the mind and using it like a muscle. Focus on the breath and only the breath and the conscious mind gives up control of your total mind. If you sit silently and observe the natural rhythm of deep abdominal breathing, you can begin to see your mind has no beginning and no end. It helps put things into perspective of our connectedness.

Tai chi, much like yoga is moving meditation and is of great benefit to balance - physical and holistic.

Thanks for reminding me that I need to meditate more today and every day.

And yes - I tell all my single male friends - if you want to meet real women, join a yoga class. My wife would kill me if I ever went to one, so go for me!

 

Yoga and meditation? Do it! I learned the benefits of meditation in my early teens, I'm just scratching the surface with yoga. I need to practice both daily even though I don't (daily). One of the places my mother teaches yoga is the YMCA btw, and she is legit. I can't speak for every instructor though.

Zach, your missing out.

 

Yoga has helped my surfing tremendously. It strengthens your back and especially your core muscles. It also keeps you limber and builds strength. Surfing is meditation for me as well, but I would like to try to do at least 20 minutes a day at home.

 

What, you're not interested in learning more about LSD?

 

There are a bunch of great Buddhism and Zen books out there that you'd enjoy reading. Would be helpful for this pursuit of mindfulness.

 

Have not tried yoga but I do train in Taekwondo and Hapkido and practice meditation at each class. Great way to refresh your mind .

 

I got introduced to the teaching of a Zen Buddhist named Thich Nat Hahn bout 8 years ago. you can find numerous books by him at Barnes and Noble. I found his teachings to be not so complicated and easy for a beginner to pick up without going to some meditation class.

BTW don't go to any kind of group meditation class. you don't know what kind of energy others might bring. Meditation is meant to be done alone and is a personal experience.

If you find advancement through the basics of meditation and continue on into more advanced practices(like Kundalini Yoga), than the universe is unlimited and anything is possible, without the use of psychedelics. I've had more than my fair share of LSD and Fungus when I was younger, and can honestly say I get higher through meditation.

 

Starchy this is the best thing I've ever seen from you. Essential Writings and Miracle of Mindfulness are two books from him that have amazing stuff. I read a ton of Zen in the mid-2000s. This thread is getting me back into it.

 

Meditation, Zen, martial arts (including T'ai Chi), and yoga are good practices for dealing with and reducing stress, anxiety, worry, and anger. All involve mindfulness and living in the moment. Also, they can be beneficial supplements to surfing. I too have read some of TNH's material.
Don't need the mind-altering substances. Killed enough brain cells with beer and other forms of alcohol in my younger days.