but you can learn to surf
…We’re all specks of dust and nothing matters… When everything’s a bit too much just get in the sea, and then you’ll reset.”
Brett Goldstein, Unlocking Us podcast interview
Professor Jon Kabat-Zinn of the Mindfulness Stress Reduction Clinic is known for this famous surf phrase. I see it as not being able to control Mother Earth’s fluidity, but rather learning how to go with Her flow.
Both getting pummeled by and catching [a few small] waves during a special week in Morocco reminded me of a few aligned points that I am working on in my own mindfulness practices:
- On the other side of a sometimes scary incline is often much more ease. It might take some effort and facing a few fears to get there, but it is both a proud and beautiful moment when you arrive [only to do it all over again…].
- À la one of the Four Noble Truths in Buddhist teachings: clinging [in this case, via resistance and expectations] results in suffering. Having a goal and releasing the outcome – even the expectations for the journey itself – will result in far less pressure to achieve a thing and instead perhaps enjoy the thing, whatever happens.
- Presence and awareness is key. Paying attention in the water is non-negotiable due to its certain unpredictability. Same same for life, no?
- The body is a miraculous, resilient thing. Part of what made me brave enough to get out past the break was watching others get there – whether with success or errors along the way [i.e. getting over or taken out by a wave]. My arms were sore and tired, but the thrill of the experience kept me going.
- Repetition cultivates physical and mental intelligence. There is so much beauty in watching surfers swim, wait, paddle, wipe out or cruise, and repeat. We practice yoga asana in the same way – learning more about ourselves in every posture, even if we’ve done it thousands of times.
- Nothing is stagnant / everything is fluid. Just like no wave is the same, no day is the same. The weather and seasons shift like the tide; like perceptions and bodies; like feelings and emotions.
- The ocean / sea / nature is a magnificent healer and teacher. The healing and lessons don’t always come in the easiest of ways, but the wisdom to be received is inevitable and eye-opening if we are willing to listen and are open to learning.
In many ways, patient and excellent surf instructors like ours in Tamraght are true yogis by helping their students to navigate the waves in more ways than one; by teaching us how to communicate with he water, to face and overcome fears, to get back up when we fall, and most importantly to play.
I do not take lightly the great joy and privilege I have to explore the world and meet its peoples — we have so much to learn from nature and each other.
I hope to continue to share what I absorb and experience to open individual and collective minds; to better understand how to best take care of our Selves, each other, and our Mother.
Shout outs to the lovely Annsonia and Lori Ann for my first retreat as a student and guest vs instructor and guide — what a pleasure to be led by these women.
Props to Héléna and The Yogi Surfer for expert hospitality — such a pleasure to spend time with these humans and learn more about this majestic country.
Contact me for support in cultivating supportive mindfulness tools as you navigate your own waves.
Read the newsletter for Morocco meal inspo, last call for our French countryside yoga retreat 11-14 November, virtual yoga and meditation with me, mindful living tools and discounts, and good vibes.
What’s something you’ve learned from a person or place that has stuck with you?
Take good care of your Selves and each other,
xo
S
Photo: Melissa Lesnie at The Yogi Surfer, Morocco.
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