All over the world, surfers are turning to yoga to treat surf-related injuries, improve their surfing-related strength and flexibility, and become more mindful people in and out of the water. Today, wherever you travel to surf, you’ll likely encounter yoga as well. Whether you’re on a surf and yoga retreat in Panama or a strike mission to Bali halfway around the world, you’ll find no shortage of yoga studios and classes by world-class waves. If you’re looking for ways to better your surfing and reduce your risk of overuse injuries, while also increasing your strength and flexibility, yoga will change your life. To find out how yoga can improve your surfing and to learn about how the two are connected, continue reading below for Yoga for Surfers 101: How Yoga Can Improve Your Surfing Journey.

Gerry Lopez and Yoga’s Early Association with Surfing

One of the first notable surfers to take up yoga in the interest of their surfing and overall health was Mr. Pipeline himself, Gerry Lopez. While Gerry rose to fame by mastering the world’s most dangerous wave, Banzai Pipeline on Oahu’s North Shore, he became equally well-known for his yoga practice. After discovering the book, Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda, Gerry’s outlook on life changed, and he incorporated a regimented yoga practice into his daily life. Gerry Lopez competed at the highest level of surfing and could be found practicing yoga quietly by himself on the beach before each of his heats. Lopez found that yoga not only helped him develop the strength and flexibility he needed to excel in the water, but it became a transformative tool for managing stress, staying grounded, and maintaining a balanced perspective amidst the demands of professional surfing and life in general.

How Yoga for Surfers Helps Us in the Water

While surfing may be one of the most meditative activities on the planet, it requires an enormous amount of effort. There are dozens of ways that surfers train to perform better in the water, but yoga is perhaps the most all-encompassing training method out there. Yoga for surfers:

Increases paddle strength
Surfing is a total body activity. When we paddle, we recruit muscles in our shoulders, chest, and back. During yoga, we use these same muscle groups to stabilize our bodies and guide us through various flows. Like surfing, yoga isn’t about brute strength but rather muscle endurance. Yoga for surfers can help build paddle strength out of the water, while also providing a total body workout.
Improves Balance
Both yoga and surfing require an enormous amount of balance and body control. Nearly all yoga poses engage our core and stabilizing muscles, improving our balance and total body coordination. Through yoga for surfers, surfers develop proprioception (the sense of body position) and learn to engage different muscle groups to maintain stability on the board. This enhanced body awareness translates into improved control and coordination while surfing.
Enhances Breath Control
In surfing, breath control is vital. When we wipe out, it’s tempting to panic, but if we panic, we use more oxygen. Learning to remain calm while underwater is essential to surf progression. In yoga, the practice of breath control is called Pranayama. Regular breath control work, like what’s done in yoga for surfers, will increase lung capacity and improve our composure in difficult situations in the water.
Prevents Injury & Boosts Recovery
It’s no secret that surfing is physically demanding. Surfers are often plagued by overuse injuries from paddling, sitting hunched over in the lineup, and surfing, which develops muscular imbalances. Yoga for surfers helps prevent overuse injuries by strengthening stabilizer muscles and improving flexibility. Additionally, yoga helps our bodies recover by promoting healthy blood flow to sore muscles and increasing flexibility.

Find out first-hand how yoga can help your surfing when you travel to Panama on a surf and yoga retreat. When you join our Waluaa Surf & Yoga Retreats, our Yoga classes are tailored to compliment and enhance your surf experience. With a focus on stretching and strengthening key areas in the body to keep you in prime condition throughout the week, and whole lot more blissful too. Visit our booking page for more about our retreat schedule, and stay tuned to our blog for more surf, yoga, and travel content.