If you’re new here (thank you for your support, if you’re reading this, you’re the reason I can pursue this passion):
I’ve had a miserable year, like most of the humans on the planet. Seeking healing, I stumbled on Bessel Van Der Kolk’s The Body Keeps The Score. In it, he says that humans can heal trauma through movements like yoga and performance, effectively re-wiring the mind/body connection.
Hearing this, I upended my life and traveled to Central America to heal by learning unfamiliar movements.
I can walk on water.
As I’ve become more consistent over the last few weeks, I’ve been able to stand up on my surfboard regularly, slide up and down it as I travel through the waves, and choose when I fall, rather than falling out of control.
If you’re able to time it just right on a longboard, you can scoot forward and lean out over the front just a bit, experiencing the illusion of flying for a few seconds. It’s one of my favorite sensations now!
There have definitely been a few spills:
One of my favorite developments to come out of my surf training is that even after two weeks, I’m strong. Stronger than I’ve ever been. My shoulders have broadened, and for the first time in a while, I’m aware that I have core muscles. Surfing is a great full-body workout.
According to an article by surfmentor.com:
“When you stand up on your surfboard to catch a wave… You are engaging almost every muscular region in your body. When you push up from the board you are engaging your arms, chest, thighs and glutes. When you get into a squat position you are engaging your glutes, quads, and core. When you’re standing on your board and riding a wave, your body’s muscles (especially your legs and core) are engaged to help you balance and stabilize on the board.”
From my own observations, I’d add that:
When you’re paddling out, you’re engaging your back muscles to keep your head above the waterline and see what’s coming.
When you’re straddling the board to wait for a wave, you’re engaging your obliques to keep yourself stable as the waves rock you back and forth, over and over and over and over…
Paddling around is a low-resistance and zero-impact workout, meaning that the joints are not being battered.
Paddling engages the core, because as you reach forward and push back, you have to contract your midsection for extra power and balance.
But that’s not all
Most importantly, I’m noticing emotional benefits. In the first week, I was noticing the immediate benefits that surfing gave me on the waves, like quieting my mind. As time has gone on and I’ve returned to the waves day after day, I’m noticing that I’m not anxious or overwhelmed.
My sleep quality has dramatically improved, and the stress-related indigestion that I’ve struggled with for the last year has not reared its ugly head in the last few weeks.
There are many factors at play that don’t have to do with surfing. I’m spending consistent time in the ocean. I’m eating unprocessed, fresh food (just what’s around in CR). I’m not spending hours and hours in endless, time-sucking meetings with long-winded people.
Whether it’s the surf or the lack of beaucrocracy in my life, something truly special is happening!
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