This is a great article, and it applies so well to life. And bump skiing.
This is wildly inspiring and uplifting. Thank you.
2
I can relate, in fact I wrote an article on surfing into one's middle ages: https://medium.com/@mattosurf/surfing-well-into-middle-age-461d55a173eb?...
1
Pretty much the same lessons my ski instructor taught me. No slouching, tight core, taut rear and relax. Most importantly, you will fall so fall right.
3
Living in San Juan Capistrano , Orange County, Southern California many surfers from the 1990’s near San Clemente Highschool had old VW bugs & short boards & like Stacy Hutchinson, she loved surfing after classes or church! Stacys’ oldest sister Shelly, who was a professional hair stylist in Hawaii on the main island with Evans were big time surfers like Stacy surfing with Evans wanted the freedom of the water or swimming to stay healthy!Thanks to good surfing & good boards we can learn from Australia ~down & under ~the trilogy of surfing stories or injury & competition to mindfulness & wellness today and thrive! For the love of Santa Cruz & what environmental concerns we are faced with on the beach or in the water!! The Bounce Back of surfing or how to thrive in the face of adversity, setbacks, and losses and how to be happy, dammit, or the Buddha and the Terrorist like ,“Sister, pain is part of life. By accepting it, it’s intensity is reduced. Do not resist it. Resistance to pain brings tension & anxiety, anxiety leads to fear. Fear of pain is worse than pain itself. This pain will pass.” Good surfers know the cruel waves & breaks or swells that run it all & healing ..........
2
I’m not good at sports, but I instantly recognize the wisdom that the fear of something often
leads to more of that something in life.
Yesterday I had an excruciating conversation with a relative who is in financial distress. Her deepest fear is living without “assets”. Trouble is, she cannot afford the mortgage payments on her homes in a declining town, nor can she afford the taxes or upkeep. These properties are worth far less than she paid for them. Her fear of not being a homeowner is directly causing the likelihood that her homes will be taken by foreclosure. I have not found any rational argument that will persuade her to dispose of her homes now to avoid an impoverished retirement.
Oh, how I wish she could receive this surfing wisdom.
7
In other words, surfing obstacles in life is not just about not hesitating, it is about taking risks. Every time we fall or fail, getting up is a risk we take to fall, or fail, again. But we have to get up. Not doing so is the same as missing the thrill of that great wave and living a life on the ground when we are not dead yet. It is easy to do nothing.
1
We have a saying in surfing, "he who hesitates gets tossed...."
Of course, the other famous saying is, "what could possibly go wrong...?"
5
As a 35 year surfing veteran I’ll offer one secret shared by many aging boarders - yoga. Much of the practice focuses on getting on your feet and staying there - and the added flexibility helps absorb the inevitable impacts.
10
Being totally in the moment means you’ll be sore and bruised after the moment.
Yeah, it’s worth it.
5
Fear of falling can cause tumbles in horseback riding as well. If you stiffen your body in any way to “prevent “ a fall, you lose the rhythm and you lose your connection to your horse through your legs , hands, and seat. A smart instructor taught me to sing , and to look straight ahead past the obstacle while jumping, to keep my breath even , and to prevent stiffening up.
18
Hmm: Gchas mentioned yoga, LYF skiing and you brought in horseback riding. They all do have things in common: breathing is important, a strong yet flexible body is ideal, and rigidity means trouble. Used to have some good skiing days where it felt like I was gliding over the mountain's contours, and that is like riding when you are "sitting" with and not on your horse. And getting rigid - often from fear - snatches that flow away. Yoga helps not only with flexibility but breathing. with all of it , you also have to practice enough to get what to do, but eventually be able to do it without that little voice in your head analyzing every single part of the movement.
1