Tag: surf with amigas

These are the Top Surf Gear Recs from the SWA Community

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When planning for a surf trip or retreat, packing often becomes overwhelming. There are so many options on the market for surf gear that it’s easy to get lost in the sauce of potential purchases. In this post, we’ve broken down our recommendations, straight from the Amigas community, so you can lose the stress next time you find yourself with an overflowing shopping cart.

SUNSCREEN

All Good – Overall best, multi-use sunscreen. The face sunscreen has a creamy, easy to apply consistency and is sold in an aluminum tin. There are tinted and non-tinted options. Many options for face and body, plus a sunscreen stick that is bound to be your lip’s personal guardian angel. It’s great reef safe, chemical free sunscreen. Our favorite part about this company: it’s female-founded and made in California, USA!

Avasol – We rate this sunscreen best for face, a mineral sunscreen with zero waste packaging! Not to mention, all products are USDA Certified 100% Biobased – that means it’s
completely natural, with no fillers, synthetics or preservatives.

Some other sunscreen favorites include: Summer Lotion, Naif Care and Sunbum mineral

HATS

Kaiola – Our all time favorite surf hat, impeccable design and engineering with small yet strong straps — this hat stays on and keeps you protected. Now available in bucket, visor, and baseball cap styles!

Some other favorites include: Sunward Bound and Dakine

BATHING SUITS

Salt Gypsy – Ethically made Australian swimwear brand, we especially love their surf shorts and rashguards (many come in turtleneck style for extra neck coverage!).

Seea – We rate Seea best for its one piece surf suits, rash guards, unique vintage-inspired styles and great prints! Suits are all California made.

September the Line – Very high quality surf suits, rash guards, and leggings that last long. Timeless, elegant and sustainable!

Dkoko – An amazing women-owned and operated bikini company based out of Costa Rica! Some of our favorite items from this brand include their onesie surf suits (pictured below), and surf leggings (made with a super helpful drawstring so they never fall down).

Jolyn – Our amigas say these suits stay on, have awesome drawstring bottoms and are sold at great price points!

Left on Friday – Long lasting swimwear that performs well in strong surf! Our Amigas recommend the Hi Tide bottoms and Sunday top.

Sensiswim – Our amigas say these suits stay on and last for years!

Carve Designs – Great, supportive tops for bigger chests. Many size options and women-owned!

Sweaty Betty – Our amigas highly recommend Sweaty Betty one pieces.

Oysurf – We love Oysurf for their fun color options and bikini styles that are supportive and snug in the surf.

4 Financial Tips to Help Create Your Dream Surf Lifestyle

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Money, money money! It’s a bit of a sore subject for some and definitely can be a difficult topic to broach. Whether you like it or not, don’t have enough of it or consistently find yourself rolling in the dough, there’s really only one way to slice it: money matters.

Many people go their entire lives without achieving basic financial literacy and learning skills that can help anyone succeed, regardless of background. We recently chatted with finance executive Alix Tucker and had an open and honest discussion about money, and how deeper knowledge of financial strategies can facilitate new possibilities.

ABOUT ALIX TUCKER

Alix Tucker is the owner of the financial coaching business financewithalix.com and VP of the 3rd fastest growing tech company in the US, GitLab. Alix worked in the finance and tech industry for over 15 years before she created her own financial consulting business, eager to share her knowledge with others. She experienced a major shift in life after discovering surfing and yearned for a lifestyle with more freedom. Alix appreciates the work-life balance and encourages others to do the same; a primary goal in her work is to “lead with kindness and empower those around [her].” Alix began thinking about money at an early age, she explains:

“I’ve been thinking about retirement since I was 12 years old. It’s something that’s really motivating to me because I knew that I didn’t want to work for the rest of my life. I’m not that type of person.”

Alix believes that, “the biggest gap that we have today for most people is really around financial literacy and education. People don’t understand how the economy works, how the stock market works, how compounding interest works; these sort of things that can really change your life and help you achieve retirement at a younger age.”

An ideal financial situation for you is bound to be different from someone else. When thinking of your finances, ask yourself the question: What truly matters? Alix explains, “people today in California or New York or Seattle, they’re spending so much money on their housing that they can’t afford to go on vacations. So it’s just about a trade off. What would you prefer? Do you want the daily lifestyle? And how realistic is that for you anyways?

How early do you have to go to work? If you go do a two hour surf session, are you going to be able to balance that? How often are you taking advantage of that?

So it’s just about what you prioritize more. Would you rather do the vacations or would you rather do the daily lifestyle?”

In addition, Alix advises to start with a goal: ask yourself, how much annual income would you need to be financially independent?

4 STEPS BEFORE LOOKING TO INVEST:

  1. Start saving 20% of your income

  2. Do your research

  3. Remove all high-interest debt

  4. Keep a long-term perspective in mind when thinking about the stock market

To learn more about Alix’s work or how you can find financial freedom, listen to our podcast episode available on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

For those looking to dive a bit deeper, Alex suggests thinking about the following strategies:

Top 5 Reasons to Go on a Surf Trip in Portugal

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surf with amigas retreat portugal

Whether you’ve just started surfing or you’re already practicing barrel riding, Portugal has waves that will keep everyone stoked. Here’s what you can look forward to on your next surf trip:

1. World class waves

The waves in Portugal are arguably some of the best and most definitely the biggest in the world. In November 2017, Brazilian surfer Rodrigo Koxa rode an 80ft (24m) wave off the coast of Nazaré, a small fishing village north of Lisbon.

The power and the spray of these waves felt from the shore alone is enough to leave you with sweaty palms and shaky legs. The sheer beauty of the surf often inspires the question: should I just watch, or should I send it? But never fear, if big waves aren’t your thing, there is a little something for everyone that can be found in Portugal. Believe it or not even Praia do Norte, the beach home to the infamous wave of Nazaré, offers some cute punchy waves when the swell isn’t pumping.

2. consistent swell

Portugal is surrounded by 1,115 miles (1,794 km) of beautiful coastline that faces both west and south, so you can find many different kinds of waves year round, from barreling beach breaks to reeling points. It is perhaps one of the best destinations in Europe to score consistent surf. The Algarve region, located in southern Portugal, has one of the longest swell seasons in the country and is a new Surf with Amigas retreat location.

3. The food

A good surf trip isn’t complete without amazing food to fuel the froth and Portugal definitely does not disappoint. From bacalhau (salted cod) to soups and stews, roasted chestnuts and sweet treats, Portugese cuisine provides it all. Pastel de natas are without a doubt Portugal’s biggest gift to the culinary world (and our lucky bellies). These cinnamon egg tarts can be eaten as a breakfast treat with a cup of coffee, dessert, or snack at any time of day. Wine lovers also delight in Portugal, the birthplace of port, a popular dessert wine. Although many other countries produce port-style wine, only port produced in the Duoro Valley near Porto can actually be called port. You won’t be complaining about having to surf in cold water when you know Portugese delicacies wait for you at shore.

4. Art and culture

Flat day has you frowning? Get ready for the ultimate facelift while exploring quaint Portugese towns brimming with color and history. In the shadow of both France and Spain, it’s easy to forget that Portugal was one of the first countries to begin “discovering” countries in the Americas and other continents in the early 1500s. Portugal has a fascinating history and culture that permeates through modern daily life; It’s easy to feel as though you’ve stepped off the pages of a history book while meandering through old cobblestone streets and taking in the beautiful architecture. Azulejos, or tiles, adorn many buildings in Portugal and are a personal favorite of mine. You’ll be amazed by the colors and stories they depict.

5. Incredible landscapes

Portugal has sunny weather about 300 days per year, making it one of the sunniest places in Europe and the ultimate destination for a surf vacation practically all year round. Dreaming of breathtaking cliffs, coastal castles, sea caves, sandy islands and wild stretches of golden beaches? The Algarve region is your ticket to paradise. This year, we’ll be hosting our Portugal surf retreats in May, an ideal time to miss the summer crowds and van-lifers who descend upon the shores of this region.

 

Learn more about our surf retreats in Portugal!

7 Ways Surfing Can Help Manage Pain, Stress, and Trauma

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Every one of us has experienced stress and trauma, often beginning back in childhood. In many ways, trauma represents our waves of tolerance in life. The nervous system is disturbed after each exposure, causing the body to learn and adapt to new stressors. The more frequently our bodies are held in these environments, be it one of pain, illness or trauma, the more likely we are to be deeply affected by it.

Former Surf with Amigas amiga Tracey

ABOUT TRACEY CHESTER

This week we got a chance to chat with former amiga Tracey Chester about her work and experience with mental health issues, chronic pain, trauma and their common denominator in healing: surfing. Tracey is the Founder and Clinical Director of San Diego Medical Pain and Trauma Institute, a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, a Certified Clinical Trauma Professional and a Certified Grief Counselor and Surf Therapy Facilitator. Her mission is to promote awareness and widespread change for primary care and pain management clinics to utilize Trauma-informed Care based on collaboration of mental health providers and medical doctors. Tracey is amongst a small professional community that studies the relationship between grief, trauma and chronic illness/pain. Her research primarily focuses on the treatment of trauma through state-of-art new modalities such as ecotherapy, surf therapy, ketamine-assisted-therapy and the effects of THC/CBD on symptoms of pain and emotional trauma.

“How did I find my own path? That is not a short answer, but essentially, when you are ill, you are forced to find feeling. Your pain is saying, “you need to stop or you will get hurt.” [My] path began the moment I realized I had a chronic condition that couldn’t be “fixed” by a surgery or medication.”

Tracey never realized how her difficult childhood had affected her until later in life, when her work as a geologist put her under immense amounts of stress due to hectic travel. After suffering from massive breakdowns and panic attacks, she became interested in organizational and industrial psychology and eventually began taking some pre-requisite courses for a graduate degree. After graduate school and an additional eight years of working to obtain her therapy license, she ended up working at the Therapeutic Center for Anxiety and Trauma.
It was there “[she] started to meet many doctors and healers, some bad, some good.” She realized that there was a gap in understanding between doctors and patients when it comes to pain, both in terms of its diagnosis and origins. Inspired to fill this niche within the industry, Tracey worked to create her own clinic in San Diego. Today, her practice collaborates with many other healers, some working directly on her team and others as external resources. Tracey’s philosophy regarding pain and trauma management involves taking a deep dive inwards. She explains:
“As humans, we are aware of our mortality, yet we have learned to go through and live each day without thinking about it. That’s a pretty neat trick our ancestors gave us. So when illness presents itself, we are wired to pay attention. Our doctors prescribe medicine and we are forced to at least track our symptoms to see if we feel better. The internal attention begins here and to be mindful is always a challenge. To move and accept growth despite illness, we first have to feel the pain, over and over. We cannot skip our grief.”
An appointment at Tracey’s clinic looks very different for each patient. Whether you’re dealing with chronic pain or recovering from a broken arm, Tracey and her team look at the individual holistically and take a multidisciplinary trauma therapy approach. Treatment varies from somatic healing and naturopath guidance to Cognitive Processing Therapy and surfing. But how, you might ask, could getting outside and surfing in the ocean help manage something as deeply personal as pain? Tracey breaks it down for us:
“Surfing and spending time outdoors can offer various benefits that may help with chronic pain. While it’s important to note that individual experiences may vary, here are some potential ways surfing and being outside can be beneficial:

1.Physical activity and exercise: Surfing involves paddling, balancing on the board and riding waves, all which provide a low-impact workout. Engaging in regular physical activity can help improve flexibility, strength, and overall physical health, which may alleviate some chronic pain symptoms.
2. Natural pain relief: Spending time outdoors and being exposed to natural sunlight can trigger the release of endorphins, which are natural painkillers and mood enhancers. These endorphins can help reduce pain perception and promote feelings of well-being.
3. Mind-body connection: Surfing requires focus, concentration, and mindfulness. Being fully present in the moment while catching waves can promote a mind-body connection, helping individuals manage pain by reducing stress and anxiety.
4. Vitamin D exposure: Being outside exposes you to sunlight, leading to an increase in Vitamin D production in your body. Vitamin D plays a crucial role in bone health and the functioning of the immune system, which can be important for managing certain types of chronic pain.
5. Stress reduction: Chronic pain can often be exacerbated by stress and tension. Spending time in nature, whether it’s at the beach for surfing or simply taking a walk in the park, has been shown to reduce stress levels, which may indirectly help manage pain.
6. Social interaction and support: Surfing can be a social activity, and spending time with friends or like-minded individuals can provide emotional support. Social connections and a strong support system can positively influence a person’s perception of pain and their ability to cope with it.
7. Distraction and enjoyment: Engaging in enjoyable activities like surfing can divert your attention away from pain and discomfort. Participating in activities that bring joy and fulfillment can help in reducing pain perception.

Despite these potential benefits, it is essential to recognize that surfing or outdoor activities may not be suitable for everyone with chronic pain, as each person’s condition and limitations are unique. Before starting any new physical activity or exercise regimen, individuals with chronic pain should consult with their healthcare provider to ensure it is safe and appropriate for their specific situation. Additionally, proper techniques, protective gear, and taking necessary precautions are crucial to prevent injury and further aggravation of pain.”

Although alternative approaches to pain management may not be suitable for all cases, Tracey’s work teaches us that it’s interesting and perhaps essential that we begin to search for more holistic approaches to healing. The mind/body connection is powerful and should not be ignored.

To contact Tracey and her team or learn more about their work at the Pain and Trauma Institute of San Diego, go to www.paintraumainstitute.com, or listen to her chat with Holly Beck on Second Breakfast, a podcast with Surf With Amigas, found on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

Participate in a holistic surf coaching retreat with SWA!

This Is Your Sign to Go to Morocco: A Food Lover’s Guide

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Morocco likely inspires a cornucopia of images: vibrant colors, bustling markets, walled cities, incredible architecture, the list goes on. But in all of my trips to the north African country, the food is what has truly left me speechless and salivating.

Whether you’re already signed up for a retreat with us in Morocco or simply curious to learn more about the culinary culture of this flavor-filled country, this post aims to display an epic, yet abridged, journey through food and drink (and may encourage you to dig into a new recipe!).

In order to properly explore the expanse of food options in Morocco, we must begin at the source: the souk. Traditionally, a souk was an open-air market where travelers and locals alike could come together to buy and trade goods once or twice a week. Today, you can still find many souks (and tourists) in the heart of cities, a bustling center of commerce typically located behind the ancient walls of a medina. From decorative pillows and poufs to dates, teas and spices, you can find anything your heart desires, and practice your bargaining skills to boot. The rich ingredients found at the souk are the soul of any great Moroccan meal.

Arguably one of the most fundamental components of Moroccan culture is mint tea. Morning, noon or night you’re bound to see someone drinking tea, be it at a corner cafe or elaborately spread on the sand dunes. Tea can be enjoyed on its own or accompanying any meal. For Moroccans, the secret to making good tea lies in the preparation and pouring.

Most traditionally, dried green tea is used with mint leaves added. Once the water is boiled and the tea is in the teapot, it is customary to pour small amounts of water into the pot to slowly infuse the tea. Next, the tea is poured into a small glass cup. After sitting for several minutes in the cup, the pourer throws the tea from the cup back in the teapot. This step can be repeated as needed until the desired taste is acquired (most Moroccans prefer to repeat this step several times and add a very generous amount of sugar cubes and mint leaves, erasing the bitter taste of the green tea). Finally, the last pour is executed. The higher one is able to pour the tea from the teapot into the glass, the better and bubblier the tea is. As a tourist, this is a hilariously fun challenge. You’re bound to illicit some smiles and laughs from locals when you try  to pour it as high as they do.

The crown jewel of Moroccan cuisine is tagine. Think of tagine as rich, slowly simmered stew with your choice of meat and/or veggies. A good tagine begins with classic household ingredients: onion, garlic, potato. Spices like harissa, chili, sumac, caraway and fennel are usually added, all working in perfect harmony to create a distinctly unique taste in your mouth. Traditionally tagine is cooked, served and eaten in a conical clay or ceramic pot.

The runner-up to tagine? Couscous. Apart from the rolled semolina, an assortment of veggies and meats can be added. Typically we see large pieces of carrots, eggplant and zucchini elegantly piled on top of the dish.

Fridays became my favorite day in Morocco after I learned it’s a day dedicated to couscous. traditionally The men leave the house and the women come together to create magic pearls of carbohydrates.

The ultimate cherry on top of all Moroccan food: It’s usually not complete without a side fresh-baked bread. What’s better, you can forget about the propriety of the silverware and dig in with your hands, using the bread to help scoop and soak the goodness that lies at the bottom of the pot. You’ll want to use this technique for most dishes.

My favorite place to eat any of these dishes is on the cliff at our Morocco retreat location, filling my belly while watching perfect peeling rights fill the bay.

check out our retreat schedule to experience morocco with surf with amigas!

How Do You Cultivate Confidence to Follow Your Dreams?

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Do you pursue what you love even if it scares you? amiga, author, stand-up comedian and artist JJ Barrows shares her inspiring story about how surfing gave her the confidence to follow her passions.

The ocean has served as JJ’s medicine throughout life; helping manage fear and anxiety while also illuminating her talents and encouraging change. In her early days of surfing, JJ struggled to belong and find community. Throughout her surf journey, the ocean helped cultivate her inner voice, gain confidence and create a life of intention in ways she never could have imagined.

At some point in each of our individual surf journeys, we experience feelings of exclusion, an inability to “fit in,” or being outed as a “kook” in the water. JJ’s story is no different. She’d pull up to the parking lot at the beach and see serious-looking “surfer bros” ready to paddle out, zinc-ing up their faces without a smile in sight. JJ dabbled in surfing as a young girl, but the strong intimidation factor and xenophobic natures of the lineups she entered caused her to put a long-term hold on her surfing career.

While living in San Diego in her late 20s, JJ suffered from crippling anxiety, at times making it difficult to even leave the house. “It was the ocean that slowly pulled [her] out of being overwhelmed by her existence in the world. [She] felt like the ocean was this safe place to go and just be.” When she finally entered the water again, she swore she’d “just let herself feel how scary it is and do it anyways.” In addition to meeting many amigas after attending SWA retreats, JJ was also eventually was able to create her own community in San Diego through surfing. JJ knew any changes to her feelings of belonging weren’t going to happen overnight, but still her mentality remained, “I might not be so and so’s level, but it doesn’t mean I’m not allowed in the ocean. It doesn’t mean I don’t belong.” 

While battling mental health issues, JJ stumbled upon comedy. She was looking for a therapist but instead accidentally found herself in a standup comedy class. Fast forward a decade or so and she has now performed in comedy clubs, churches and awkward dinner parties all over America. She was able to find success and confidence in comedy but is still always striving for the ultimate balanced lifestyle, both in and out of the water.

She explains, “having work as a purpose for me was a huge thing. It’s like with anything, you can have something that you love or a hobby or a group of friends or a sport or whatever and maybe that thing is purposeful enough, but for me I lacked a lot of purpose and the ocean was great medication for that.” 

When JJ first started getting commissions or shows for her art, she’d hang the paintings and then walk away. She remembers thinking at her first art show experience, “this is exactly what I’m afraid of. People saying I suck. I couldn’t, I didn’t want to hear it. It just felt very vulnerable. But then after, I realized I was missing out on people saying, I love this piece and this is what it spoke to me.

“And so again, you learn how to glean and absorb and yeah, you’re not going to be everybody’s cup of tea, but that’s okay. You don’t need to be.”

To anyone looking to redirect or refocus their life path, JJ advises, “be a pursuer of that which you love. Don’t ignore whatever it is. I do think we’re all wired a certain way and I don’t think it’s a mistake or a random coincidence that we have the desires that we have. So I would say first thing is, start listening to what’s in there and pursue that. What I mean by that is not necessarily to go out and take a class tomorrow, but just to start pursuing can also be the act of listening, right? Pay attention. In the world that we live in, we’re just so distracted all the time.”

With a refreshing storyteller style, JJ displays the freedom a quippy sense of humor can reveal in all of us by giving breath to those gritty moments. If you’re interested in hearing more of her story, give her podcast episode a listen:

Listen now on Apple Podcasts or Spotify

You can also find JJ on Instagram @jjbarrows and watch her videos, shop her books and art (@jjbarrowsart) and sign up for her email list at jjbarrows.com.

If You Can Relate to This, You’re Officially a Surf Rat

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Angie Surf With Amigas Costa Rica

How did you realize you were truly living the salty awesome life of a surfer?

If you’re in love with surfing as much as we are, you probably find yourself in unique scenarios that your non-surfer friends just don’t understand. Is your shower filled with sand? Have you ever canceled plans for epic waves? Has salt water ever dripped out of your nose during a work meeting?

Surf With Amigas Costa Rica

We recently did a fill-in-the-blank on our Instagram to find out how Amigas knew that they were living the life of a surf rat (a salty-haired, surf obsessed human). Enjoy the following compilation of hilarious submissions about the surf life from fellow Amigas.

YOU KNOW YOU’RE A SURF RAT WHEN ____.

“You don’t poop for 4 days because you’re on a surf trip in a van.”

“The last thing you do before going to sleep is check the forecast.”

“You don’t wash your hair because you know you’ll be surfing the next day.”

“Your feet are still sandy when you get to work.”

“You bail on your ‘land friends’ for your ‘ocean friends’ based on the forecast.”

“There is always a perpetual little pile of sand in the shower.”

“You cancel plans with your friends because the waves are pumping.”

Can you relate? Join us on an upcoming retreat to surf + explore with other women who know all about sandy showers and salty hair by clicking HERE.

From Surf Obsessed to Momlife – Exploring the Changes that Come with Motherhood

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“I really struggled to pull together the idea of parenting and family life and surfing, because I think a lot of us can admit that surfing is typically quite a selfish kind of sport. We’re a bit flaky as people sometimes. We drop plans and we gotta go when we gotta go. I was a bit concerned as to how that was gonna work.”

Many expecting mothers think that their surf lives won’t have to change when they have kids. But the reality is, our bodies and lives take quite the turn after bringing another human being into the world. In this episode, Ruby, a former SWA coach, gets raw and real with the truth about surfing after kids. She chats about the initial shock of her pregnant life, going from thinking that she’d be living her healthiest lifestyle to experiencing constant nausea and sickness throughout her pregnancy. We focus on one of the most key questions of surfing mamas, what happens when you can’t surf? Listen as we chat about the identity shift mothers go through and how we can work on ourselves to grow into or improve our motherhood and find the right balance with family life and surfing.

A PREVIEW OF THIS EPISODE:

“I started to get thinking, you know, what’s gonna really make me feel a little bit more whole, and what do I really want in life? How did I live in a way growing up that I would like to experience differently? And motherhood was kind of an obvious pathway going from there.

The thing I think I’m learning is that things are seasons, you know, and although I might not be getting prime surf time right now, as my young one is a toddler, I will surf again.

Parenting day to day to day, back to back to back, it’s pretty, it’s beautiful, but it’s exhausting and it’s relentless. So it’s definitely pushed me to my limits of where I thought I could go.

I think something I’ve really, really come to realize recently is, is your parenting is only as good as your nervous system, right? Like focusing on trying to keep my nervous system in check. It’s kind of like in the plane, you know, the air mask pops on, you’ve got to put it on yourself before you put on your child.

This is I think where sometimes it can be important to try and diversify. When you have to care for that little human and your primary coping mechanism (surfing) isn’t available to you. I would love to say that my first time back in the water gave me this giant sigh of relief, but I was just so stressed about being a new time mom that I was just spending my whole time worrying about her.”

 Listen now on Apple Podcasts or Spotify

Fighting Breast Cancer with Triple Positive Energy

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“Well, from the beginning, I knew that I was not going to go out without a fight. People walk out of their house every day not knowing that they could get hit by a bus. Do you think that they leave every day worrying that that’s going to happen to them? No, they walk out of their house cocky, taking on the day, like they’re gonna be fine and enjoying their life that way.”

1 in 8 women get breast cancer and younger women are experiencing breast cancer now than ever before. Alida Brandenburg, a former Amiga, shares her own breast cancer story. She begins by sharing her surf story, a journey that picked her up and turned her life in a different direction. But just like how she learned in surfing to let go of control in the water, she found herself completely surrounded by uncertainty when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. During a routine checkup at age 37 (with no symptoms present), she discovered two different types of breast cancer in both breasts.

Alida survived multiple surgeries and 16 rounds of chemotherapy all in just one year. She recalls her story, both mental and physical while also offering advice to other breast cancer patients. She swore to beat her triple negative cancer with a triple positive attitude. Her experience has radically changed her view of her body and what it does for her, most especially in the water.

A PREVIEW OF THIS EPISODE:

I loved surfing enough that the perfectionist in me was willing to be incredibly uncomfortable with my failure because I wanted to keep doing it so much. It became this mindfulness practice in motion.

Last year in January, I went in for one of my routine breast exams and they found that I had breast cancer in not just one type, but two types and in both breasts. So yeah, it was shocking in the sense that I wasn’t expecting it to happen so young. I was 37 at the time I was diagnosed. So I went through 16 rounds of chemo, four of which are the most hellish, terrible type that you can get. There’s actually a lifetime max of four rounds that you can do of that chemo because it is so brutal. It will kill you essentially if you do more than four.

It used to be that over 50 they recommend you start getting mammograms every year. Just this week it was announced that they’ve lowered that to 40 because it is now so common that women get it. And what they’re seeing is that younger and younger women are getting it. So PSA, don’t skip your screenings.

So much in this situation is very destabilizing and challenging. And to harken back to what I was talking about earlier with what surfing has taught me is, you know, it’s like, well, I have to be okay with that. I can’t control all of this. I can’t control the way that the wave moves. I can’t control my strength that day, I might just be having an off day. I can’t control this other surfer that just snaked my wave.

 Listen now on Apple Podcasts or Spotify

An Alternative Approach to Yoga and Expression: with Reesie Richards

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“I was such an awkward weirdo at 11, but I was really really flexible.”

 

What is yin yoga? 

Yin is a really simple vocabulary. There are only 12 archetypal poses. It’s a slower-paced type of yoga inspired by traditional Chinese medicine beliefs. Everyone is believed to possess Qi (energy pathways); holding longer poses allows these pathways to open up and flow more freely.  In Reesie’s yoga class, “[she] sets the timer for 5 minutes at a time and you sit there as relaxed as you can be. The goal is to target your fascia, allowing it to slowly release and open up.”

In this episode, SWA head yoga teacher, Reesie Richards, describes her background and introduction to body movement, which centers around dance and yoga. Since age 16 she practiced yoga and learned with Paul Greeley, the “creator” of Yin yoga. She chats about the differences between Yin and restorative yoga and how she caters her yoga practice specifically to surfers at SWA retreats. Reesie’s yoga offers a space for all to experience freedom of expression. It is a hilarious and entertaining blend of relaxation and education about bodily functions. She emphasizes functional vs. aesthetic yoga, and the idea that different bodies are bound to move in varying ways. 

A PREVIEW OF THIS EPISODE:

“Being a yoga teacher isn’t so much of how I identify myself. I would go more towards, I’m a surfer or a dancer or a goofball. Again that’s part of the beauty of how yoga has been this awesome vehicle in the backdrop my whole life. It’s sort of sexy indifference on my part. It’s not the thing I care about the most, as much as that feels wrong to admit.”

Reesie’s yoga practice initially came from dance. One of her favorite forms of dance growing up was capoeira,

“A hodgepodge of African influences brought to Brazil by africans during the slave trade. They weren’t allowed to have any sort of self defense, so they disguised martial arts through ritual and dance and it’s an art and so many things, it’s like a chess game.”

Dance, capoeira and surf have always been the things I’ve been obsessed with. But those things have always come in and out, yoga has been the silent rock in the background of my physical life that has been keeping me safe, sane and healthy.

My dance teacher’s husband was Paul Greeley, the “creator” of Yin Yoga. He kind of invented how it is in today’s world. He got the form of the long yin poses from this super out-there guy Paulie Zinc, who’s a martial artist who Paul used to practice with. I started taking his classes when I was 16.

After an hour of Yin Yoga with Reesie,

You feel really grounded because you’ve had an hour with yourself. Mentally you get really calm, your breath slows down. At the end of class you’ll find you’re breathing super shallow and slow. I don’t exactly know how to describe how sparkly the feeling is.

Listen now on Apple Podcasts or Spotify