Surfing is a challenging sport that trains your strength, balance and endurance. From surfing, you will gain strength and be in shape. However, surfing demands a lot from your body. It can cause back stiffness, a rigid spine, a closed chest, strained shoulders and neck, and weakened wrists and ankles.
What will help to prevent these problems is by practicing yoga. Yoga poses help to strengthen the spine, and also open the chest and shoulders. Specific yoga poses also helps to improve the balance and strengthen the wrists and anchors joints. At Pelan Pelan Bali, we have a special yoga class for surfers. In this yoga class, we put some extra attention on the yoga poses that benefits for your body if you are surfing.
There is a reason why the nine-times world champion surfer Kelly Slater practices yoga regularly. Next to all the physical effect, yoga and surfing also intersect on the mental and spiritual aspects. They both keep you present. Yoga helps to practice you breathing through your nose, filling your entire lungs. Hence, surfers can experience a more relaxed breathing in the water, keeping them calm while getting washed in the waves after a big wipe-out.
Stiff and tired shoulders after a long surf session are very common, especially when you do not have a perfect paddle technique yet. Usually it bothers surfers that haven’t surfed in a long time, or for first-timers who may feel so tired in their shoulders and arms. Yoga can help to recover faster.
We like to share with you the 5 best yoga poses for surfers.
1. Any Seated Position with the Spine Straight
Lotus pose – Padmasana
We use this Asana during meditation and often to start our yoga practice, to calm the mind and connect with the spiritual side. It also helps us to stretch knees and ankles, and to regulate proper blood circulation in the lower body.
2. Sun Salutations, With in Specific
Downward facing dog – Adho Mukha Svanasana
One of the most popular yoga poses in the world. The ultimate all over stretch. This asana loosens and opens up the muscles in our shoulders, upper and lower back, and hamstrings. It is very helpful to increase the effectiveness of your paddling in surfing. It also helps to warm up the ankles and toes.
Upward facing dog – Urdhva Mukha Svana
This asana helps to strengthen the spine, arms and wrists. It also stretches the chest, shoulders and abdomen.
3. Warrior 2
Great pose to stretch our hips, pelvis and shoulders. It relieves a strained back, and improves blood circulation in the body.
4. Backbends
Camel pose – Urdhva Dhanurasana
This asana is perfect for relief of stiffness in the back and neck area. It improves flexibility in the spine, while opening up the chest.
5. Seated Twist Pose – Ardha Matsyendrasana
This asana lengthens, nourishes, and realigns the spine. It strengthens your abdominal muscles, and relieves spinal tension and increases spinal flexibility. The twist expands your chest and shoulders.
If you are a surfer and you have never practiced yoga before, you should at least give it a try. And if you are going to surf for the first time, you can perfectly combine it with your yoga practice.
At Pelan Pelan Bali, our Canggu Surf Camp is the ideal place for both beginner and advanced surfers to start or elevate your surf journey.
Our surf and yoga package offers the perfect balance, giving you the chance to improve your surfing while enjoying rejuvenating yoga sessions.
And, if you find yourself falling in love with yoga, feel free to book additional sessions during your retreat to deepen your practice.
