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Surfs Up: Yoga for Surfers Can Improve Your Ride on the Waves
MyYogaWorks.com offers online yoga classes to help surfers get the most out of their time in the water. The Yoga for Surfers Journey Series on MyYogaWorks features the following online yoga classes for surfers: Paddle Out, Pop Up and Balance. Follow the three week plan as outlined on MyYogaWorks to improve three key components important in surfing: the stamina and upper body strength it takes to paddle, the core strength and coordination needed to “pop up” and the focus and firm foundation you need to balance, even on the moving surface of a wave. To boot, yoga will help improve your breath control so you can hold your breath longer when you wipe out and foster the mental calm you need enjoy the ride.
Yoga is a great cross-training workout to help surfers improve strength, flexibility, balance and coordination. When all of these physical components are working together, surfers will feel strong and in control. Yoga for Surfers: Paddle Out uses plank pose, chatarunga and strengthening back bends like locust to build strong muscles in your arms and upper back. Practiced regularly, you will see your endurance for paddling out, even to the furthest breaks, increase dramatically. Popping up from a lying down to a squatting position can be a challenging series of movements for new surfers but in Pop Up you can practice it on your mat before trying it on your board through Sun salutations, especially jumping forward to standing and jumping back to chatarunga. This class will also help strengthen your core muscles, making this transition smoother and easier. Finally, the Balance class will use balancing poses to foster greater stability and make balancing on your board effortless.
A consistent yoga practice will also aid in the mental focus and concentration required to ride the waves well. Surfers know what it means to be in the zone, but sometimes, getting there, can be difficult. Arriving at a mental state where the mind is clear and present in the moment, just takes a little practice. At the end of each Yoga for Surfers online yoga class, dedicate a few moments in Savasana (or final resting pose) to zone out, turn off the mind and completely relax. Practicing that mental state during yoga class, will help in achieving the concentration needed to ride the waves.
In the end, both yoga and surfing can be spiritual practices, reconnecting you to your own spirit and the spirit of nature. Surfers thrive on the energy of the ocean and yogis on the prana or internal energy they release and channel through their yoga practice. Ultimately, it’s all the same flowing energy of the universe, however you connect with it.
Yoga for Surfers is available at MyYogaWorks, along with over 500 online yoga classes. For just $15 a month, get access to the complete library of classes and Journey Series available at MyYogaWorks.com.
