#surfset

Oh yes I did. 

Wednesday night I went to a new studio in my neighborhood called Hang 5 that does surf inspired workouts. You may recognize these boards from “Shark Tank” -- they are mounted to a base that makes them somewhat unstable and able to tip from side to side and front to back. The company is called Surfset Fitness and argues that the instability of the board and the flexibility required makes surfing the perfect workout.  

Now, I have taken a surf lesson in my life, several years ago on Long Beach Island in New Jersey. I bought one of those daylong fitness adventures where they take you out in a van and arrange for rentals and everything. Surfing is freaking difficult. The best I could do in 3 hours was to slightly cling to the back of the board before immediately dumping off. Standing was out of the question; I didn’t have the arm or ab strength, nor the balance, to make it happen. But it looked so glamorous and simultaneously chill! Truly, surfers make what they do look easy. I on the other hand spent the rest of my day on the beach getting sunburned and reading Infinite Jest ‘cause I make those look easy. 

Meanwhile, back on dry land, I took Surf Yoga in exactly the room above. The class was in a storefront on a busy street and we were definitely an object of interest to passerby. One of the first things the instructor (seen above in the back, next to the door) told us was “You will fall. Everyone does.” She was right about this.

Getting up on the board, even for an easy cat/cow, was freaky. We were advised that hopping on the board was more stable than stepping (for example, out of a downward dog) but that was also nerve wracking. You’re allowed to grip the sides of the board if you need them, but that is also a change in balance. I found that I needed to bring the concentration I would normally use for Tree or Warrior 3 poses to pretty much every move up there. Both times I fell off the board, I had both feet on the ground and simply got distracted for a moment (don’t worry, I was fine!) 

In total, we spent about a third of the class warming up and then two-thirds on the board, including the most eerie savasana with my hands trailing off. Unlike most yoga classes I have been to, I would definitely not tackle this as an absolute yoga beginner; mastering the poses and the balance would be a lot.  I might take this again just to see if I could get better. Then again, it’s almost outdoor yoga season so maybe I’ll pick it up again in the fall.