-
Connect to Nature
Step out into the largest bodies of water while connecting and respecting the beauty of PapaMacha "Earth Mother". A daily motive, researching the science behind the natural ebb and flow of the planet - just to find the perfect waves. It's no wonder so many surfers are environmentalists and caregiving lovers of Earth. The land that meets ocean is a barren oasis between civilization and the vastness beyond, an absolute tell-tale sign of the health of our planet.
At Shokogi we are always finding more ways to stay humbly connected to Earth, involving ourselves in beach cleanups, marine-life sustainability projects, and teaching our new students and clients about love and respect towards nature.
-
Escape For a Moment
Experience something mystical, within the quiet serenity of the ocean, flowing with the waves. There is this relationship; a sense of love towards the ocean, when we catch an amazing wave and dive deep into the thrill of the moment. It later becomes a sense of gratitude when surfing gives us the option to break from our daily-routines and escape into the water. You become thankful when you hit the road with your surfboards strapped down, chasing the moment where nothing else matters except for right here, right now. Finally getting out there, time to surf, sitting in the line-up as the wave lifts your body up and down between sets of waves. There's nothing quite as gripping to the soul then to dance on water. Release.
-
Improves Health
Every surfer knows that feeling - Going to bed at 9am because the surf will be great at 6am the next day. Where on a Friday night you'll find the keenest of surfers having an early one, just to make sure they catch the best waves in the morning. Between sets, surfers are constantly trying to improve their fitness in and out of the water. It's no wonder that you'll find a yoga studio next to a surf school, vegan-options in the restaurant across the street, and a bunch of beautiful bodied surfers on the beach.
It's a physically demanding sport, that requires flexibility and high stamina to perform. Just by being in the water, paddling for the next wave, you'll feel your heart pounding as your smart-watch counts the burning calories. A great cardiovascular exercise, surfing is also known to improve mental health and help coordination and balance.
-
Relax and Sleep Better
There's an epic story from Hawaii, where on a big winter swell lays in the middle of the ocean a surfer sleeping on his surfboard. The locals would joke, "he surfed himself to sleep."
It's a sport where surfers push their bodies to maximum physical capability. Exposed to the elements of salty waters, off-shore winds, and sunny skies, the average surfer is guaranteed to feel more relaxed after a morning-session and tend to have longer sleeps.
Studies have also suggested that being in the ocean, paddling around, stimulates the parasympathetic system which is responsible for rest and repair, triggering the release of dopamine and serotonin. In other words, the two vital ingredients for feeling happy and lowering levels linked to depression.
-
Humble Beginnings
Learning, always learning. In the forever changing conditions, every wave is different from the next. No day in the water is the same as we progress in the world of surfing. The feeling of making a new maneuver, improving a technique, and standing on a new board will always award the soul and mind. A lot of surfers experience the humbling, wall-climbing growth in and out of the water.
There is also a mysterious world within the waters as the oceans and seas covers 70% of the planets surface. The ever-changing environment, filled with species of creatures that are both beautiful and sometimes terrifying. In the world of surfing, we become more humble and respective towards the homes that those species live within. A paid respect and love that we carry on our shoulders every time we enter a surf break. We naturally become humbled towards our accomplishments in such environments.
The adrenaline junkies, adventure seekers, and controllers of energy understand humble beginnings the most. In the late 1990s and early 2000s when competitive surfing started to pay professionals more money for their accomplishments in competitions and free-surfer around the world, a test of humbleness for each sponsored competitor came into factor. Some of the surfers became more humble as they chose the direction of health and wellness, to eventually still be competing 20 years later. Others went down the less humbling road of success and allowed the fame and fortune to overwhelm their lifestyle, resulting in many professional surfers losing their titles as they slipped down the slope of addiction and abuse.
Stay Humble Surfers.
-
Travel and Surf Community
Surfing has grown a lot in the last 30 years; a newly added sport in the 2020 Summer Olympics, it has become a sport for everyone to enjoy. Resulting in more surf towns, surfer innovation, and surf trips around the globe. Within the surf communities is an international conglomeration of tight-knit, stoke-filled humans where you'll always find helpful advise on the nearest surf-breaks and best activities out of the water. On nearly every surf break, in every country, remote and wide spread you're likely to find a group of surfers keen to share a wave. Welcoming faces in welcoming places for the travel surfers. Within the surf communities around the globe you'll find a healthy balance of environmental-consciousness, good vibes and good times.
"If your sad, go and surf... If your happy, go and surf..."
