Big Wave Mindfulness: Surfing For A Connection



Learn Motivational on motivational-info.com. Big Wave Mindfulness: Surfing For A Connection article will help answer your questions on Motivational.We at motivational-info.com specialize in Motivational. Motivational at motivational-info.com provides the most up to date news and articles. If you have questions please do not hesitate to contact us.

Surfing is mindfulness in action. Riding the biggest waves is an all-out, fully-present-or-die-trying proposition.

Thanks to a persistent case of aquaphobia, I've never tried surfing. However, I've done my share of snowboarding, and I am trying to imagine what it would be like to carve the slopes with several tons of avalanche chasing me down the mountain. First of all, I would have to hike to the top and wait to catch the biggest avalanche, getting pummeled by several in the process. Oh, and then try not to think too much about the abominable snowman poised to take a hunk out of my leg when I least expect it.

Yeah. I'm stoked.

I don't really 'get' surfing, but I stand in awe of it. It's impossible to avoid acknowledging the strength, timing, grace and heart-blazing courage required just to catch those enormous waves, let alone ride them smoothly without wiping out.

Whether or not you're into water, 'Riding Giants' is a breathtaking film guaranteed to raise your pulse rate. Following the rise of big wave surfing from its ragtag roots in the fifties to the jet-ski boosted endorsement deals of today, 'Riding Giants' offers a fascinating look at surf culture in all its guts and glory--not to mention its sun-bleached hair, wave- toned bodies, and plenty of pre-cancerous skin cells.

Although several world-class surfers are profiled, the one I find most amazing is Jeff Clark, a 43-year-old native of Half Moon Bay, California who is credited with discovering Mavericks, a notoriously gnarly big wave mecca twenty miles south of San Francisco.

Clark spotted the monstrous waves from the cliffs of Half Moon Bay as a teenager. One day, he decided to paddle the half-mile in chilly ocean water to check it out. Never mind that he was too far out for his worried friend--or anyone else--to save him. Forget that these waves would turn out to be so huge that, years later, seasoned pros from Waimea would find them jaw-dropping. Disregard the razor-sharp rocks waiting to chew up anyone unfortunate enough to be slammed to the shore.

Clark had his first of many ride-of-your-life experiences that day. He couldn't believe the power of it, the magic, the unimaginable thrill.

He went out to surf that incredible vortex every day. Alone. For fifteen years.

I'm guessing that his parents were either a) clueless about where he was, or b) powerless to prevent him from returning. He couldn't find anyone insane enough to join him.

He wasn't doing it for the attention, for the chicks, for the cameras, or for the money. He was out there getting pounded for the sake of that big ol' grin on his face and the unfathomable sense of connection to something larger than himself.

Clark was like some modern day ascetic, putting himself through tortuous rites and death defying acts of faith while living in seclusion. He became one with the water on a daily basis through rigorous attention and exhaustive exploration.

I am humbled. I envy him. And I can't stop thinking about how most of us will never have this all-consuming passion or such a magnificent opportunity to experience oneness with anything.

Jeff Clark may be crazy. He may be obsessed. But he is a man whose mindfulness has inspired and elevated him--and saved his skin on numerous occasions.

We should all be so lucky to discover such a wondrous wave.



PaidForFree.com - Make Up To $150/hr. - Over 600+ companies will pay you for surveys, reading email, surfing the web, shopping, and more!
Pro-Surf-Secrets. - Electronic surfing book revealing the tips and stratagies that separate Pro Surfers from the rest of the surf crew.


Article Index: | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14


Advice
Home Business
Technology
Online Advertising
Motivational
Internet Marketing
SEO Help
Online Games
Science Articles
Happiness

More Articles:


1. The Ladder Of Life Part Two
The Mustard Seed - Lesson For living No. 20THE LADDER OF LIFE PART TWOAs you climb your ladder you will meet others on their way up or their way down. Those on the way down find life to hard to handle and have gone to join the easy crowd at the bottom of the ladder just milling around waiting for something for nothing to show up so they can grab it with minimum effort. But not you. You continue your upward climb taking those with you headed in the same direction and with purpose in mind. When is…

2. Self-doubt: An Obstacle to Success
Reprint article in print or via the Internet with these requirements: => Keep article intact => Include byline with active link => Please send a courtesy copy of newsletter or URL to coaching@premeditatedlife.com => Ask for changes you'd like made to an article or bylineWord Count: 603Summary: Self-doubt is quite possibly the biggest obstacle that individuals must conquer in order to be successful; here are 3 tips to overcome it. =================================================================…

3. The Self-Care Minder - Transition
'I don't know what I want (in my career / creative passion / relationships/ all of the above).''I know what I want to create next but I AM scared and I don't know how to do it so maybe this means I shouldn't do it.''I sense rumbling change brewing but I don't know what to do with this rumbling so I keep doing the same thing.''I've been in this not knowing fog for years... How do I know if I'm kidding myself? What if I never birth what's next?'Myself, I've been in a 'creative transition' for abou…

4. Perception
PERCEPTIONA friend of mine said to me one evening, “this is what I admire about you, whenever you say you’re gonna to do something, you do it”! People always ask me how do I stay motivated? How do I stay encouraged? Whenever I am asked this question my answer is always the same. I tell them that I stay focused and motivated by remaining in an autopilot mode. However, when I ponder that question on a deeper spiritual level, I come to the realization that the true answer is much more involved than…