Surf and Yoga

Your ultimate guide to your next Surf &

Yoga holiday

1rst Edition 2017

Introduction

Original Surf Morocco is a 100% authentic Moroccan surf camp and it is the very first
project that tries to melt surf, yoga and Moroccan culture for one amazing
experience that is going to really change your life. You don’t have to choose if you
want to full immerse into the local culture, live the adventure or if you want to
reconnect and recharge after a long period of daily stress and crazy schedules. You
can have it all with our surf and yoga package, the perfect option to mix strength
and balance and to enjoy amazing outdoor scenarios and comfortable and
enchanting Moroccan style accommodation. With a team of experts Original Surf
Morocco will give you all the tools for a healthy, fit and fun experience between
asanas and waves. This is our e-book to get you all ready to live this adventure in
the most practical and easy way. We really hope to see you soon on both your
surfboard and your yoga mat!

Original Surf Morocco Team

Why you should mix surf and yoga

Surfing as a lifestyle suggests the idea of harmony with nature, concentration,

balance, flexibility, tune, rhythm, energy and fatigue plus, the sea is a formidable
ally for our health and there are many benefits we can draw from salt water and its
seaside scenarios.

Seaside holidays can be an important opportunity to regenerate the body and the
psychophysical well-being. The sea is also a great solution for those who want to
lose weight and feel better. In fact, iodine and other salts contained in the air that
can be breathed in the sea are very important to trigger our metabolism blocked or
subject to slow rhythms. Sea water is good for health as it is able to favor fluid
drainage. A nice swim can be a real touch against the water retention and swelling
that this can cause. Linking the benefits of the sea with sport is ideal for achieving
the right physical and mental well-
being. Among the sports that can be
practiced at the seaside, the surf
occupies a prominent position as it
reveals a complete physical activity
that can bring many benefits to our
body and also to the mind. What if you
can add to surf some yoga and live one
life-changing experience?

Surfing practice allows you to maintain concentration, coordination and balance

skills in training. It is a really functional activity that can be very useful in
downloading all the tensions we are subjected to during our work. That's why just
surfing is the right idea to find the right psycho-physical balance, which allows us to
go back to the usual commitments. The benefits of this magnificent sport do not
stop there. Surfing can be an excellent system for toning the body and promoting
muscle development. Additionally, the physical effort you have to use to overcome
water resistance allows you to dispose of excess calories and tone your entire body.

To be able to overcome your physical limits, have control of your balance and mind,
many of the world's most famous surfers, such as the American Kelly Slater, have
been practicing yoga for years. The interest in the joint practice of the two
disciplines is at the moment on the crest of the wave, but how are the two
disciplines affected, how do they correlate?
It depends on the need to not entrust our lives to others and to have the tools to
discover the strength we have as individuals: in listening to yourself, our authentic
life, or Dharma. The practice of yoga influences all the fields of our existence: it
starts from the ground exercises to gain a deeper understanding of our nutrition,
the way it communicates and interacts with others, moving around the world and
with it of life. But as you begin this journey you start from the mat to explore our
physical limits, practice after practice, out of our comfort zones. Personal awareness
makes a transformation take place; you have to make your own journey, clear the
holes of your story and leave behind the past.

Those who practice yoga learn to breathe consciously increases their flexibility and
balance: energy circulates through the breath and asana, the practice of the
different positions of yoga. You get what is called mental focus. Breath and mental
focus are aptitudes that could be very useful when you are on a board on the ridge
of a wave and on a wall of water meters. Concentration capacity is crucial to sport
performance. Yoga practice is useful to
those who practice surfing because it
prepares the body for sports activity,
reduces the risk of accidents due to the
heating phase before entering the water
and after the surf session to lengthen the
muscles contracted by the effort. The day
after a long practice in the water you will
feel the real benefits. There are
sequences for those who have to go in the water and surf: heats the body and
reinforces the affected areas: shoulders, ankles and even strengthen the core, ie the
belly, and the legs. After the sessions in the water stretch the affected muscle
bands, the cervical area, the lumbar region and the arms. By secular tradition, yoga
is an initiatory discipline, you have to follow the steps of a professional instructor to
understand and practice the positions correctly. For this and so much more our
team will be there for you!

Yoga is a union with all elements of nature and living creatures. There is a flow, with
yoga, breath, body and mind, a powerful and delicate flow at the same time. When
surfing you feel the same flow: it connects with elements of nature, in a dance
similar to Surya Namaskara – Sun Salutation. The surfer moves in the waves in a
position similar to those of the Downward Facing Dog, to go under the waves and a
similar position to the Upward Facing Dog to go over the waves and, to stand and
maintain balance on your board you have standing position such as Warrior II and
III: all these postures are in connection with the breath and movement in a profound
communion with the ocean. The yoga practice, before and after the surf, allows the
body of the surfer to be connected and tuned.

Surfing makes us rejuvenate, cleanses and helps our body get rid of stress and
toxins. Already being alone in salty water is invigorating; when you are having a
good workout, riding the waves and surfing with friends makes this activity fun and
exciting. Being in the ocean and riding the waves can help to reflect as the ocean is a
place to tune in and focus. This is also true for yoga. It is usually a matter of intimate
personal reflection, but in a group, with friends or with a partner, it can be very
pleasant and stimulating. Strength and balance are, moreover, two fundamental
points, key words, both in surf and yoga. For good mastery of movements, you must
have strength in the muscles of the legs and elasticity in the ligaments of the knees,
ankles and ankles. To practice surfing you need to be flexible and responsive: with
yoga you can improve on all fronts and also avoid overloads and fatigue on back,
lumbar, shoulders.
How to prepare to your surf and yoga holiday in
a proper way

If you are up to a surf and yoga holiday there are some things you should keep in
mind to really make the most of this experience. Let’s find out together what we are
talking about

The right mood

To really get ready to your surf and yoga holiday you should start practicing both
disciplines on a daily basis and take
your time to understand what this
experience is about. You have to
consider it as a chance to reconnect,
to challenge both your body and soul,
to grow a little bit at a more precious
level. You have to face this trip with
an open mind, an open heart and
ready to nourishing yourself with all
the good things you are going to
learn, to experience and live during your days-off by the sea. Settle a little routine
waking up early, try to spend most of your time outdoor to start reconnecting to
nature, to the world and the whole universe. You don’t have to push too hard on
yourself during these days but, instead, be gentle and commit to a gentle and easy
yoga practice and choose some easy scenario to surf just as a warm up to your next
adventure. The most important thing during these preparation days is your
commitment: try to be persistent and present during your time on both the mat and
the surfboard. Some time is better to spend some short quality time than hours of
random practice. Of course, if you need that you have to go for it. These amazing
disciplines are strictly related to your inner vibe, to your body and mind so you have
to really feel when it’s the right time to practice and you have to respect your body
and mind when it comes to your own limits. Once you accept them and you work on
 your little obstacles you find all over your
journey, you will be ready to go beyond
and to grow, learning something more a
little bit, every day.

Body ready

Before heading to this incredible surf and

yoga experience your body has to be ready to the huge amount of activity and
physical presence you have to put in this type of journey. Don’t underestimate the
importance of a full, rich and various nutrition plan eating all the veggies, a tons of
proteins and staying hydrated all over the preparation.

Workout to surf

Elasticity is the ability of muscles

to relax and tend to be a
fundamental asset in table sports
especially in its freestyle
component, all centered on
twisting, contractions and
stretches, the tension phase
should be reduced through
appropriate exercises involving
hands, wrists, forearms, biceps and triceps in the arms, dorsal and abdominal
muscles with weights. Strength, composed of power, resistance and coordination, is
paramount in all disciplines. The ability to lead the table and body with the right
strength, speed and sensitivity determines the ability to close the various radical
maneuvers as well as to perform aerials or other tricks. Resistive force is achieved
thanks to repeated loads, isometry and natural-weight training without weights,
while the explosive force is trained with submaximal loads with repetitions that are
exhausted, performed quickly or with plyometric exercises. So three weekly weight
training sessions by subdividing muscle groups appropriately during the three
appointments with the gym are ideal for your workout to which you will need to add
a portion of aerobic activity (cyclists, racing, etc.) to maintain weight and make
"breath".
Learn how to warm up before your surfing session

This will be crucial and fundamental to your surfing experience. You will have our
team to support you but it would be better to really know how to boost your
movement with a perfect execution.

Warming up (10/15 minutes max) before entering the water is essential, as it allows
your muscles to be "ready to use" as soon as you put your feet in the water.
Especially in the winter if you do not get warmed up, your muscles may start
cramping because of the cold water as you start your first arm. Heating consists of
exercises, muscle actions and physical activity that aim to increase body
temperature and facilitate neuro-muscular conduction. This can be done with some
free-body exercise, a lightweight stretch and some stretching exercises dedicated to
the limbs and major muscle groups (pectorals, backbones, legs). The warm up is
often overlooked due to lack of
time and desire, yet warming is a
fundamental part of training (sea or
gym) and must therefore be
addressed with caution. The
benefits are many: prevention
of muscular injuries,
especially if the sea exit is
particularly demanding (wind
and waves). Your warm up is
critical to reducing accidents and sports trauma due to its ability to decrease muscle
viscosity and lactate formation at the start of performance. Finally, warming raises
body temperature, reducing the frictions at the articular level, while biochemical
reactions are favored at the muscle level.

These preps are perfect to perform in a gym or at home, at your own pace as we
know that it’s not so easy sometime to have the right outdoor scenario or even the
sea nearby where you live, especially if you live in a city! These preparation will be
what you need to get ready before heading the incredible beach that will host you
for your surf and yoga holiday with us.

If you need some more action to your routine try to add some running session,
some treadmill and of course, some swimming session as its fundamental to get
ready to make it to your board if it slipped away and you have to endurance your
strength and resistance.

Yoga sessions to insert daily to your routine

Create a little and easy routine to warm up your body: do a series of Sun Salutations,
which awaken your muscles, toning and improving elasticity. To keep the muscles
and backbone flexible, there are good positions for a torso twist. For example,
Matsyendrasana, which tones the abdomen and relieves back pain. Useful to
increase the elasticity of the back are also other positions stretching the back and
neck, correcting the posture: for example, Utthita Parsvakonasana and Utthita
Trikonasana. Both asanas tone and strengthen the muscles of the back of the body,
and in addition, being standing posture, improves the sense of balance and
strengthens the legs, ankles, calves.

Doing yoga before and after the practice

of surfing will help you achieve perfect
performances: eliminates the pain that
might prevent you from surfing the best
way it helps to improve lung capacity,
thus increasing resistance increases
strength in the arms, agility in the
movements improves strength and post-
workout recovery allows you to have
your mind relaxed and concentrated, even in the most demanding situations It is not
indispensable to be yoga experts, the important thing is to perform the positions
properly, to enhance the surf experience. Supta Padangusthasana is very helpful in
dissolving the muscles of the legs and relieving back pain; In addition, it acts on the
ligaments of the knees, very stressed in the surf. To stretch the cervical area try with
inverted positions: for example, Ustrasana, Camel Pose, which compensates for
incorrect positions with the extension of the torso and the opening of the chest and
shoulders. It is also useful for improving circulation and rhythm of the breath and
stretching the abdominal muscles. At the end of surfing practice, relax your back,
leg, arms, and back muscles: Take advantage of stretching positions like
Paschimottanasana, stretching the spine, especially in the lumbar region, and
stretching the back muscles of your legs. Learn
how to perform these asanas and these easy
routines so you will be ready to make the most
of it once on the field!

A little meditation to boost your focus

If you want to take things to the other level

before heading to your surf and yoga holiday
you can add some meditation to your regular daily routine. As we all know surf
requires a lot of concentration and mental focus and, especially before jumping on
your board and ride the waves, you need to stay calm and relaxed with a mindful
and synchronized breath together with the moves. Meditation can be a useful tool
even to face the entire journey in a positive and zen attitude, something that can be
really helpful to really embrace this experience in a proper way. Try to meditate at
least 5 minutes a day, first thing in the morning or before heading to bed setting an
intention and focusing on how you really feel at that specific moment in time and be
mindful and ready to accept what’s next.
Conclusion

These are our best tips to let you really appreciate your experience made up of surf,
yoga and an incredible Moroccan scenario to full immerse into the enchanting
culture and the marvelous nature for a huge change to reconnect to what’s really
important and to nourishing your body and soul with two incredible disciplines all in
one amazing chance with our surf and yoga holiday package.

Copyright © 2017 by Original Surf Morocco