Reflections on how to be in the flow in and out of the water & how you may end up in an intensely magical place

Life is crazy. A lot of stuff happens all the time. Sometimes you need to stop and listen,
check in with yourself and re-align if needed – so that you can joyfully dive in again! This is
the approach of a yogi. As a surfer, I have found that the ocean itself is actually a master
teacher to apply this to life!
When I first started joining yoga classes, I felt overwhelmed with the word “flow”. Classes
were called “Morning Flow” or “Vinyasa Flow”, teachers in class said it all the time “relax and
just go with the flow”.
So I understood that being in flow was something that was inherently good and that everyone
wanted a piece of it. And it does feel good! I can feel it in asana practice when I allow my
breath to take over and guide me through my movements.
When you breathe into a contracted, tight part of your body (ouch, shoulders & neck anyone?!) you can literally feel how you can bring that part back into “flow” when alignment and breath work as a team.
Many years later however, as a more seasoned yoga practitioner and teacher thereof, I still
find myself in analysis with the definition of this condition. During times of spiritual guidance
available at our fingertips, and especially as a yoga teacher, I almost feel a pressure of
“having to” have my life in a state of blissful flow. If it isn’t, I must somehow be misaligned. I
must be doing something wrong. And I have definitely used the expression in the negative
sense, for example when my car broke down for the third time this year “Things just aren’t in
flow for me right now”.
It wasn’t until more recent years when I learned how to surf that I began to understand the
full meaning of what the yoga world was talking about.
When we go out and surf, every situation teaches us how to be in flow. Every surfer probably
remembers a moment when trying to paddle out, willingly or non-willingly ignoring the fact
that you are stuck against a current or incoming sets, and that you are simply wasting your
energy. The bigger flow of nature will always win. Surrender. And really, all you have to do is
to get to know the nature of things and work with it.
See if the force can pull you into a zone of lesser impact where you can step aside, take a breath and observe the situation. Find a new angle – alas the rip a little further down from where you are standing right now – which will take you to exactly to where you want to be: out in the line up and ready to play!
If you look at the anatomy of a wave, you’ll recognize that it has a circular form: the visible
part that we usually describe as “a wave” that pushes water forward and down when
breaking. And then there is the lower part of the wave, non-visible because the circular
movement continues underwater. Here, the water actually flows down and back up. This is
another example how surfers use the way nature moves and align their bodies: we use the
duck dive as a technique to literally step into the flow of the wave to smoothly come back up
on the other side.
Just like yoga, and especially meditation, surfing teaches us how to be in the moment with
full focus and awareness, but also to be humble and to accept things as they are.
If conditions (tide, wind, swell) are a certain way, they just are, even if your plan was different
that day. Nothing to be upset about. Conditions will always change. And the same wind that
blows difficult situations into your face will blast the next on-top- of-the- world-feeling to you.
It’s just nature doing its thing.
So the state of “flow” by its very nature doesn’t mean good nor bad. Flow doesn’t mean to be
in control of your life. It’s quite the opposite (I know, this sound harsh sometimes, as we all
just love being under the illusion of being in control!) Being out in the water has taught me
that I am always part of the flow. I am flow. We can never “not-be- in-flow”. And this is quite a
magical place to be in. Full of surprises and endlessly free.
This is exactly my approach with my Ocean Yoga Retreats. The tools that I am teaching
during the yoga practice are meant to be applied to life in order to create an experience of
being in unity with your surroundings, nature, your families, partners and friends. I want to
offer a space and tools to anyone who feels that they need a “time-out”, a moment to step
aside and breathe and possibly re-align – or even change perspective on a grand scale.
Since nature is an amazing teacher on the path of recognizing the flow, I chose to work with
Fernando and Eva, an adorable Portuguese/Czech couple, to host my retreats at their
beautiful, organic farm in a valley close to Aljezur, Southern Portugal. They grow delicious
veggies, fruit and herbs, live by the seasons and set a good example of living attuned with
nature. I learn so much from them all the time. From vegan cooking, to making your own
herbal oils and I even understand how a cabin can be built out of clay (and guests may stay
there, in fact). Definitely a place to “relax and just go with the flow” 😉
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