Surfing and yoga have a lot in common and are great schools of life. Basically, we can’t control the ocean or the waves, but we can learn to really meet what is happening and to respond intelligently.
Surfing and yoga are not really practices of control, but more practices of relationship.
1. You can't control the waves, but only your response.
The ocean doesn't care about what you plan. Some days are perfect conditions, some days are terrible. But the question is, can I remain present when life doesn't match my expectations?
This is what I was talking about with Abhyasa, showing up and doing our best, and Vairagya, letting go of our attachment to how things should be, letting go of our expectations.
There is an amazing aliveness that arises when we can meet what is, as it is, instead of how we would like things (or others..) to be..
2. We learn how to assess before we act.
A beginner tends to paddle for every wave, whereas a more seasoned surfer will spend time watching.
How waves are breaking?
Who catches a lot of waves?
What are the current and the tide doing?
What are the timings of the set?
Which wave opens up and which one closes out?
Our actions become more intelligent when they emerge from observation.
In yoga, we call this Viveka Khyati, or discerning awareness. So it's not so much about trying harder, but maybe watching a little bit longer.
3. Not every wave is yours.
If we try to catch every wave, we exhaust ourselves and usually end up making a lot of mistakes.
Not every opportunity needs to be acted on.
Not every battle needs to be fought.
Not every argument needs to be won.
Not every thought needs to be followed.
Not every invitation deserves a yes.
Discernment is learning which wave to pass, which wave to take..
When to act, and when to be still..
4. Effort and surrender work together.
Surfing is a lot of work: Paddling, positioning, timing, duck diving, getting the hell out of the death zone.. And then, when you catch a wave, all effort is released and dissolves into the present, very much like a bow and arrow. An archer that loads the bow, that's the effort, observes and aims, and then eventually, releases the arrow so that it should fly straight to the center of the target.
5. Balance is not stillness.
From the beach, a surfer looks stable, riding the wave, but really there's a lot of adjusting and trimming with every parts of the body.
Balance is not the absence of movement, but the ability to continuously respond to movement.
We sometimes imagine arriving at some state of balance in our life where everything will be under control, and we can be happy. But real balance, real happiness, is more like surfing. We don't need the world to stand still. We need to learn to tune in to the rhythm of what is happening and become responsive.
6. Falling is part of learning.
You will fall, and sometimes you will fall spectacularly! The ocean doesn't judge you, and you just paddle back out.
Surfing gives you immediate feedback. You cannot intellectualize your way out of a bad takeoff. You're either cut the wave or you didn’t. And then you get another opportunity. Fall or fail, breathe, learn, and try again. That's how we grow.
7. The body knows things, the mind doesn't.
Surfing happens so fast, you don't have time to think about every movement. You have to feel the wave. Adjusting the pressure under your feet, the position of your body, the relationship between your eyes and the board. With every wave, you cultivate a sense of embodied intelligence, which actually precedes intellectual analyzing.
In yoga, we call this Prajna or direct experience, which is embodiment, cellular intelligence. Your body is not just the vehicle that carries your mind around. It has an intelligence of its own that you can learn to harness.
8. You cannot surf yesterday's wave.
Every wave is different; Even though it’s the same spot, the same swell, the same board, every time is a different experience. You cannot recreate the perfect wave you rode yesterday. Each moment is unique, irepeatable, and therefore special.
Life is always happening only now. In yoga, this is what we call Atah; The yoga sutras open with this highest teaching: “Atah yoga anushasanam”. When we awaken to the now unfolding in this very moment, we are in the state of yoga.
9. Fear does not mean don't do it.
Surfing is scary. Water mountains rolling towards you; Taking off on the face of a cliff; Avalanches crashing behind you. In the mind, one voice screams: “don’t go”, while another voice says: “prove yourself”.
But the stillness invites us to distinguish fear from real danger, and to commit, not in the absence of fear, but in spite of the fear.
Sometimes, wisdom says “go”; Sometimes it says “wait”; Sometimes it says: “Paddle the hell out of here”. Courage is cultivating a healthy relationship with fear.
10. The ocean teaches us humility.
You can be a very experienced surfer and still get humbled in seconds. A wave doesn't care about your level, your reputation, or even your Instagram account, or how good you were yesterday.
Nature has a wonderful way to dismantle the ego. Surfing, and yoga teach us to not try to become extraordinary, but to become less preoccupied with being special, with being important.
In yoga, we call this “ Getting your head out of your ass-ana”.
11. Sometimes the best session is doing nothing.
There are days when the waves are terrible or flat, or you're tired, or it's blown up by the wind. And so, you go for a walk instead, or sit on the beach, or maybe watch someone else struggle in the waves.
That's also part of yoga, knowing when to take a break, when to have a rest. Rest is not failure. (I’m still working on this one..) Sometimes, wisdom is knowing when not to practice and cultivating JOMO, the Joy Of Missing Out.
12. The goal isn’t the wave; it’s the relationship.
The relationship we cultivate with the ocean, with ourselves, and with life. Simply sitting in the ocean, watching, breathing, feeling, and when a wave comes, hopping on. There's no longer such a strong separation between surfing a wave and sitting on the water, being engaged in an activity or just sitting there.
Same with yoga. It's not about doing or achieving a posture; it's about cultivating a sense of presence, a sense of relationship, a sense of discernment, surrender, and freedom. Yoga and surfing both teach us that life is not something to control, but something to learn how to ride gracefully.
See you on the mat.. Or in the water!
Damien de Bastier
