How to use yoga to improve your surfing skills
July 5, 2023It goes without saying that the best way to improve your surfing is to get into the ocean and surf. But there are many great ways to improve your surfing skills on land in between your sessions. Here we list our top 8 yoga poses that will help you become an overall better surfer.
Yoga and surfing aren't an unusual duo. The two share physical aspects like balance and flexibility, as well as mental ones. Adding yoga to your daily or weekly routine will make you stronger and more comfortable on your board. It can even make you feel calmer in the water. For some, both these practices are also spiritual. Yoga is a cultural and spiritual Indian practice that's over 5 000 years old. Yoga can be explained as a discipline or a way of life that connects the body, mind and spirit.
Why is yoga good for surfers?
By continuously practicing yoga you can improve your surfing. Some benefits include a wider range of motion, improved breathing and a lesser risk of injuries. Antonia Tauscheck has been practicing yoga for twelve years and became a yoga instructor six years ago. Outside of the yoga studio, she surfs as often as she can.
– Yoga is really helpful for surfing because you have the physical side of yoga where you improve your strength, stability and flexibility. We need a lot of flexibility in our hips, shoulders and ankles as we surf! Strong shoulders are also important for paddling and doing pop-ups. In yoga, you work your core a lot, and in surfing a strong core will keep you stable on the board when you paddle.
Then there's the mental side of yoga.
– While doing yoga poses you focus a lot on your breath. During the day we tend to just breathe into our chest and not breathe fully down to the belly. By taking deep inhales and exhales you calm your body, which is super helpful if you have a wipeout or if you dive through a wave.
Surfing is a demanding sport and if you start surfing without the flexibility and core power it will be even more challenging for you. Therefore you can use yoga as good preparation to get physically and mentally ready for the waves. But it's also great to practice as a warmup at the beach.
8 yoga poses that will help you to get better at surfing
Here, Antonia shows and comments on some of the best yoga poses that you can practice to improve your surfing skills. The names of the poses are written in English and in Sanskrit.
1
Downward Facing Dog – Adho Mukha Svanasana
This is arguably the most well-recognized pose in yoga. You keep both the palms of your hands and your feet on the ground while you balance your weight evenly on them. Your feet are hip-width apart and your shoulders are shoulder-width apart. The hips are raised to the sky and both your arms and your back are straight, the legs are preferably straight too, but can be kept as much bent as you need if you don’t have the flexibility yet.
– The downward-facing dog is a really nice pose. This pose will strengthen your shoulders, stretch your legs and lengthen your spine. I think what's great about this pose is the part of walking in Downward Facing Dog; when you're standing in the pose you can move your heels up and down. It's a good thing to do on the beach right before surfing!
2
Warrior 1 – Virabhadrasana I
– There are different warrior poses in yoga, what differs from them is mainly the alignment of your hips. Your hips are facing to the front in Warrior 1, so you have a really deep stretch in the rear leg. The front leg is bent almost to a 90-degree angle, so you are activating the muscles in your front leg too.
Really try to keep your front knee stable and secure. You can always lift your hands to get even more into this stretch, but remember to relax your shoulders. This is a great pose for surfers to practice because it helps you to be more flexible in your hips and you'll also practice your stability.
3
Warrior 2 – Virabhadrasana II
In the Warrior 2 pose, you will have your feet at a 90-degree angle while your heels are in one line. The front leg is again bent close to 90 degrees and your hips are now aligned to the long side of your yoga mat. Your arms will be extended straight out to the sides with your shoulders relaxed, keep your gaze over your fingers on the front hand. This is a good pose for practising focus and balance.
– In Warrior 2 you are opening the sides of your hips. This pose is a bit similar to the stance you have while surfing, except that the surfing position has a smaller stand. Warrior 2 is also good to open up your chest.
4
Pigeon Pose – Eka Pada Rajakapotasana
This pose is stretching out your lower back and your glutes. It’s one of the most efficient poses if you want to open up your hips and get a deep stretch. It targets your hip flexors and is a great pose to add to your routine to increase mobility. Your front leg is bent and is laying flat on the ground, your back leg is in a straight line behind you. Your chest is proud and relaxed.
– This is a classic pose in yoga and it’s a fantastic stretch for your glute muscles. In surfing, you need to be flexible in your hip area and this is a great way to build up that flexibility. If you aren't too flexible yet then it can be nice to use blocks for this pose. Just put a block or a pillow underneath your butt, eventually, you will go further and get more flexible. It is also very nice to start from a Pigeon Pose and then lay down.
5
Side Plank Pose – Vasisthasana
The Side Plank Pose will strengthen your abs as well as your shoulders and wrists. You will also practice your overall balance here. Start by getting into a side plank with one arm on the ground and the other straight up towards the sky. Remember to keep your core and your shoulders engaged and activated. Put your upper foot on the inside of the knee on the leg that's on the ground. The body should be aligned with a neutral neck.
– In this pose, you activate your side core muscles and get a stretch at the same time. Remember to have your lower arm right underneath your shoulder and lock it in here. This pose is good for shoulder stability, your side core muscles and the hips. It’s a good combination where you’re pretty much working every part of your body, just like surfing. To make this more advanced, you can lift your upper foot and hold on to it with your raised hand.
6
Cobra Pose – Bhujangasana
This pose is great to relieve pain in the lower back and increases the spine's flexibility. You begin the Cobra Pose by laying on your stomach with your hands next to your chest. Extend your legs back at a hip-width distance. Press your hands down and lift up your upper body from the ground, keep your shoulders away from your ears and have a proud chest.
– This position looks similar to how you lay on your surfboard. In my yoga classes, alignment is very important for me. People tend to move quickly from one pose to another, but I think it's better to really think about what you want to do with the pose. In the Cobra Pose, you have your chest up which gives you a slight backbend, while you try to keep length in your lower back so there’s no uncomfortable pressure! Especially in surfing, I think many people have problems with their lower back because they are arching and compressing their spines. They just bend their backs but they don’t think about creating length, which is very important.
7
Upward Facing Dog – Urdhva Mukha Shvanasana
The Upward Facing Dog is a backbend that helps to improve your posture. This pose is quite similar to the Cobra Pose, but here your arms are straight and your weight is distributed on the palms of your hands and on the top side of your feet.
– In this pose, you stretch your arms and lift your hips a little bit from the ground. Try to focus on opening your chest, keeping the shoulder muscles activated and keeping the length in the back.
8
Cat Cow Pose – Marjaryasana/Bitilasana
The Cat Cow Pose is always a good idea to stretch the spine and relieve pressure from the lower back. Your hands are shoulder-width apart and your knees are hip-width apart. For the “cat” part, you bring your belly button towards you and arch your back. Then, you make your lower back into a curve by bringing it closer to the ground, this is the “cow” part of the pose. This pose is great to reduce the risk of lower back pain that can occur while you paddle on your board.
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