Give this girl a board, blow some wind in her hair and watch her come alive. Ambassador Carolyn Anne Budgell, has been an avid skateboarder, snowboarder and casual surfer since the young age of 15. Just imagine her delight when she discovered yoga and realized all the amazing ways her practice on the mat could also transform her life on her board.

from sun salutations to hanging ten

I didn’t think my board sports could get any better until I found yoga (cue the trumpets). Sparks flew in my life and athletic endeavors when I began practicing yoga regularly at 19 years old. Not only could I enjoy newfound peace amidst the turmoil of young adult angst, in my board sports I also noticed significant changes. Thanks to yoga, I developed muscle tone and balance, stiffness was reduced after hours on my board and gratitude towards the natural environment increased a thousand fold.

So when yoga/surf retreats started becoming really popular, I wasn’t all that surprised. Here is a closer look into how yoga and surfing naturally complement one another.

yoga for surf

Yoga helps you build a strong body. A strong body will get you up (and keep you there).

I’m going to say it: Surfing is not easy. Simple yoga poses target muscles that are engaged while you’re catching waves:

• Greet your surfing experience with a few Sun Salutations beforehand (and every day!) to lubricate and strengthen your joints, lengthen muscles and help fill your body with breath.

• Chaturanga builds strong arms for paddling and gets you ready to “pop up”.

• Cobra builds strength to keep the chest and head elevated off the board while you’re watching out for the perfect wave.

• Use a High Plank position to help you brace against gnarly oncoming waves as you’re paddling out. Hold yourself in High Plank so that the waves crash between you and the board rather than throwing you overboard.

• Warrior 2 cultivates balance and strength so you can ride your wave all the way to the shoreline.

Yoga frees up tightness in the body (duh).
You’ve prepped your body for the various positions and the general exertion of surfing and you had an epic day in the ocean, cheering on your buddies… and you want to do it all over again tomorrow. A post-surf yoga class can release muscular tension after hours riding the waves and also help shorten recovery time between surf sessions. Neck stretches and shoulder openers will help maintain full rotation of the joints and will help prevent a stiff neck and pectorals that us casual seasonal surfers are prone to.

Plus, who doesn’t love a good unwinding yoga practice outside on the beach gazing towards the serene waves – talk about bliss.

Can’t wait to catch waves and get Downdog? Join Carolyn on her surf and yoga retreat this November. 

warm up

You don’t want to just dive right into this one. It’s important to warm up the pivotal muscles in the body that are used in this posture. Try the following to prepare the body:

• downward facing dog
• shoulder openers
• core work
• hamstring stretches 

the five steps to headstand

1. Use a sticky mat (doubled over, if you want extra cushion). On your hands and knees, bring the crown of your head to the ground. With your palms flat and near your head, bring your hands away from your face – this creates the ‘tripod’ between the head and hands. Your forearms should now be perpendicular to the ground. Lift your knees up and walk your feet in. Stay here for 5-20 breaths.

2. When your feet are in as close as possible (essentially your bum is aligned on top of the head and the shoulders), try bringing each knee, one at a time, to rest on top of your triceps (teddy bear headstand). Stay here for 5-20 breaths.

3. In teddy bear headstand, engage your abdominals and float the knees off your triceps, bring your knees to touch and keep your legs bent, with your heels near your bum. Stay here for 5-20 breaths.

4. With your knees and big toes touching, roll your bent legs slowly upwards, until your knees are pointing up to the ceiling. Going through all theses motions slowly requires engaging core strength. Stay 5-20 breaths.

5. Finally, extend your legs straight up into the air. Seal the inner legs together. Hold for as long as you desire, then come down slowly, the exact same way you rolled up!

These five steps break down the posture so that you can push yourself only as far as you feel comfortable. If you only get to step one the first time, that’s okay! Any other postures you’d like broken down by our experts?

* Those with high blood pressure or acute neck pain, women on their moon/menstrual cycle and women who are pregnant should consult a physician before attempting Sirsasana.