Tag: surf yoga retreat

Q&A with Holly Beck: From Pro Surfer to Surf Therapy Intern

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After a career as a professional surfer, SWA Founder Holly Beck ran off to Central America to find herself. She built Surf With Amigas (and a family) over the course of 11 years living between Costa Rica and Nicaragua. In 2021 she decided to move back to calling California home base.

The ocean was always a place holly went to escape and find healing.

Now, she’s pursuing a Master’s in Counseling on the path to become a licensed surf therapist. She’s interning with Groundswell Community Project and partnered with Jess Ripley to create and lead surf therapy programs in Southern California.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=-lzTyldc8UI&feature=youtu.be

Q + A with Holly

Q: What do you hope to accomplish in working with women in the world of holistic surf coaching?

A: After spending the last 12 years involved in surf coaching, i’ve realized that beyond the physical tips like looking down the line, putting more weight on the front foot, and all the other common bits of coaching advice that i’m typically giving Amigas, there is often a mental component as well. Whether it’s the un-helpful voice of our inner-critic, a fear of bigger waves, anxiety about getting in someone’s way, etc., there’s a lot going on in our heads that affects our surfing performance. I’ve been really interested in exploring that internal stuff both in my own life and then also adding it to a coaching program to create a more holistic approach to surf coaching that would be even more effective in the water, but also spill over into benefits to someone’s personal life as well.

Q: You’ve made a few big career changes in the past year. Looking forward, what are you most excited about?

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Surfing with Shelly in Morocco

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With a gorgeous cliffside backdrop, super stylish surfer, and phenomenal videographer, this windy afternoon in Morocco was a recipe for greatness. Well, now that I think of it, the entire retreat season was destined to be great!

The retreat setup looked like this: We surfed long, peeling rights every single day, then relaxed at the luxury villa in between sessions. We explored old cities and shopped for Moroccan treasures, then slid down sand dunes at sunset. We laughed, cried, danced, and ate a TON of amazing food. For each and every one of us, it was the surf adventure of a lifetime.

Enjoy this video of SWA surf coach Shelly Massie taking an afternoon slide at our retreat location in southern Morocco
To learn more about our 2022 Retreats in Morocco, click here.

*videos captured by @itchyfeetmood & @amine_nader_photography

Our New Favorite Wetsuit Brand

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Designed by women, for women. That’s Mamala Surf.

Mamala Surf is an independent wetsuit company that’s making premium wetsuits, specifically designed for women. We had the pleasure of meeting the founder of Mamala Surf, Angela, this spring at one of our Longboard Surf House Retreats in Southern Costa Rica.

We’ve tried them, and we love them!

They’re lightweight, high quality, and perfect to use as your daily suit or travel suit. Most importantly, Mamala Surf wetsuits are designed for women. Sleek black wetsuits with an epic shark/mermaid logo displayed on the leg anyone? It’s a company we are SO happy to support!

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Meet the Owners: Jackie George

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They’re the SWA power duo! Surf With Amigas Co-Owners, Jackie George and Holly Beck, have been running ladies surf & yoga retreats together for almost 10 years. Both ladies typically split their time between Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and California- running retreats, surfing, and living the sweet & simple life.

Meet Jackie George

HOMETOWND: San Clemente, California

HOW DID YOU LEARN TO SURF? I grew up at the beach and learned to surf so young that I barely remember learning! I do remember early mornings at San O with my dad and his buddies. I remember the doyle sessions at Junior Lifeguards. I remember my first real surfboard was the Hobie Peter Pan Slug (still love that board). I didn’t really take surfing too seriously until High School, when my girlfriends and I would get dropped off at Trestles and spend long days on the beach. We all loved surfing and pushed each other to get better. To this day, we’re still close friends and love surfing together. 

FAVORITE BOARD AT THE MOMENT: My new Christensen log that I scored in a trade. I’ve also been indoctrinated into the twin fin revolution program here in Costa Rica.

WHAT’S PLAYING ON THE SPEAKER WHEN YOU GEAR UP FOR A SURF? Cardi B, Yoncé, or some dirty dirty dancehall beats. I’m also always up for praising Jah a bit before a surf.

IF YOU COULD HAVE ONE SUPERPOWER, WHAT WOULD IT BE? Teleportation. Or breathe underwater. Or know every language.

DAWN PATROL OR SUNSET SESSION? DP is always more reliable… but when sunset comes together, it doesn’t really get much better.

Jackie George Surf With Amigas

NAME A SURFER THAT INSPIRES YOU: I’m inspired by the people that can surf any craft in any conditions and have a good time. I’m inspired by the people twice my age that can surf twice as long as me, and I’m inspired by the people that only come out when the waves are properly pumping. I love watching good longboarders ride shorter boards in heavy waves. I’m a sucker for a relaxed style, and anyone that can do a cheater five in the tube. I’m also inspired by ladies that come on the retreat and look at surfing with a fresh perspective. Inspo everywhere!

FAVORITE QUOTE: “Be here now.”

Check out the Q&A with SWA’s other half, Holly Beck!

Practice Yin Yoga with Reesie: Full Class!

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The spine is the highway connecting the brain to the body and is home to our spiritual centers, the chakras. It has 76 joints and 24 bones. It’s a big deal. Stretching to maintain a well-oiled spine is vital because it helps to keep the body mobile and fluid (and ready to surf).

The spine is a big deal

So, we’re stoked that we have another opportunity to practice Yin Yoga and get our spines movin’ with SWA’s resident yogi-surfer, Reesie! In this class, “…we’ll bend forward then backward then forward then backward and top if off with a twist”.

Grab one block and a few pillows (or a bolster if you have one), then click the video below to dive in!

Donations for Reesie’s online Yin Yoga classes are being accepted at Venmo – @cherise-richards or paypal – [email protected]

We Love Party Waves

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Surf With Amigas Party Waves

If you’re like us, you know that the only thing more fun than riding a wave solo, is to share it with a friend.

If you happen to surf in a crowd regularly, maybe you want to team up with your friends and work on your party waves. Here is a selection of party waves from our surf coaches over the last couple of months to give you some ideas.

Surf Video: Ladies Longboarding in Costa Rica

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Surf With Amigas Costa Rica Longboard

Here are some highlights from our very first retreat fully taking over the Longboard Surf House in Southern Costa Rica for what had planned to be the whole season. We had an awesome group of 12 ladies of all ages from early 20s to 50s! This was the last retreat that we were able to run before the COVID-19 situation closed borders and had us all sheltering in place. It’s awesome to look back on a sunny, surf-filled happy time with friends and dream of the time we’ll be able to enjoy this sort of thing!

Do this Yoga Sequence to Improve Your Duck Dive

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This duck dive-inspired yoga sequence is easy to do at home! Many of the same muscles engaged during a duck dive are also engaged during a simple vinyasa flow.

This simple yoga exercise aims to address three parts of the duck dive:

  1. Core Strength

  2. Arm Strength

  3. Balance

Add this sequence to your daily practice to help commit these duck dive movements into muscle memory, so that once you hit the water to surf your duck dive will feel natural and strong.

 

New SWA Instructor Releases Surf Film

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Surf With Amigas Costa Rica

One of our newest surf instructors, Florida grom Jazmine Dean,  just spent her first season working retreats and adventuring with the Surf With Amigas crew down in Nicaragua and Costa Rica. She created this super rad little surf film and just released it last week! Enjoy the film and a note from Jaz below-

Surf with amigas x Jazmine

Pura Vida!

 

My life changed in the season I spent down here as a first time Surf With Amigas instructor just as much as Amigas often say their lives change during retreats. I’m currently still down in Southern Costa Rica and I’ve spent more consecutive months living here than I have spent living in any other foreign country before. I spend my free days in-between retreats almost the same as I spend my, “work”, days during retreats, and most of my closest friends down here were formed through the connections and roots that SWA has created here in the local community.

This film barely scratches the surface of how this life has reconnected me to my roots as a soul surfer and the good times had. I understand surfing and have for a long time, but these retreats are just as much about personal growth as they are about surfing a wave, and for that, I thank the guests, our Amigas, so much.

I’m most grateful of all for the women I’ve met through the retreats and I took a little from each person I spent time with. It’s possible that some of you reading this were on some of the retreats I worked at and maybe even appear in a scene or two! Anyways, please enjoy the film and thanks for watching.

Pura Vida,

-Jazmine

The Sun affects The Tides As Much as the Moon (Mind-blown!)

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This clip from Neil deGrasse Tyson is pretty mind-blowing, especially for all of us that think it’s the moon that powers the tides. When we chat about how the tides affect waves during retreats, we often only hear about the moon’s role. Ok, so the moon is still involved, but did you know the sun is also a major player in the dance of the tides in and out?

If not, watch this video to be surprised.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=dBwNadry-TU&feature=emb_logo

Also… have any yogi, spiritual, hippy friends that swear they’re “really feeling this moon!” Yeah, me too. Of course there is something to be said for the extra light produced at night by the full moon, but if we’re thinking about the gravitational pull that a full moon may have on us, Neil easily dismisses that theory. Here’s some ammunition to use the next time a friend gets all heady about the affect of the moon.