The New Wave in Adventure Travel- Surf & Yoga Camps

by Patrici White
(Canoa, Ecuador, South America)

Adventure seekers are now trading in their overtime for yoga time. Surf and Yoga camps, are blossoming on the travel industry horizon, as Americans abandon their quest for the perfect Pina Colada, in favor of a transformational experience getting healthy and fit. With books like Eat, Pray, Love capturing the nation’s attention, people are now looking for a personal journey of discovery and adventure during their hard-earned time off. At $130 a day The Betty Surf and Yoga Camp (www.BettySurfandYoga.com), for example, guides clients off the well trodden tourist path to the rural fishing village of Canoa, Ecuador.

From a practical perspective the cross training of Surf and Yoga make sense and go hand in hand. Not only does the inner body alignment and balance inspired by yoga help the surf initiate line up on their board and catch that elusive wave, it stretches the lower back and shoulders which are so often taxed during the “long paddle out”. A solid set of sun salutations is the ideal pre-surf regime while the stability of standing tree pose hones our sense of equilibrium for the pivotal moment when you stand on your board for the first time and find your balance. This is a rigorous work out don’t kid yourself and duck diving, paddling, riding waves in and doing it all over again can leave your muscles fatigued and heavy. A good morning yoga class before catching some waves can limber the body, focus the mind and bring you into alignment with the natural breath of the fluid world around you providing an innate sense of connection with the ocean.


Imagine the gently undulating liquid sea beneath your board as you breath, relaxing, waiting for the next wave... Suddenly you start to paddle, at first slowly, picking up strength and momentum, you count the strokes out loud while throwing your arms into paddling out the count 1, 2, 3 and then you feel it, the surging, lifting sensation of catching the wave. You look around and experience a scintillating joy realizing you are in the wave, riding it, coasting along the top of the building current, gaining speed. You made it, falling into harmony with such a vast amount of ocean that surrounds you, breathing in the living rhythm of the big blue!

Recently featured in such magazines as Yoga Journal, the Surf & Yoga Camp while few and far between are taking on a down to earth feel and budget. The catch words Surf & Yoga are out and spreading, finding appeal amongst the 25 plus crowd of travelers who yearn to spend their time away taking part in a defining journey. The vision of learning to surf in magical foreign lands is now being accompanied with a steady diet of yoga, adventure sports and kind food as flash-packers discover the new wave in adventure travel. Sippin’ on a little Zen and juice beachside doesn’t sound like a bad way to go.