Aloha Tribe,
So, Thanksgiving was awesome. The waves in the morning for all those able to surf the traditional pre-Thansgiving Dawn Patrol Appetite Builder were a perfect NW magic surf.
The full days food ideas came favorites from, for the most part, truly awesome surfers from all over the planet.
Out here, in the wilds, the day of feasting began with Mike Doyles recipe for Huevos Mexicanos. In addition, we had Sam Bleakley's Fruit Salad with Honey Spiced Yogurt. With this, was simply a few extra plain bananas, which, many surfers consider the perfect surfer breakfast.
Lunch was non-existent due to an overall feeling of an awesome days mellowness of simply watching the sea.
Much later in the day, in the early evening actually, after rewaxing boards with fresh wax (I love the smell of fresh Bubblegum Wax, what can I say?), stowing gear, and just hanging, it was time to lay out appetizers.
For appetizers, we had a recipe from Sofia Mulanovich for Peruvian Ceviche. We also had Sushi, Sashimi, and Darrick Doerner's favorite - Hawaiian Poke.
Talk Story was a huge part of the day, and following leisurely nibbling of appetizers, it was time for the Main Course.
For this, we had a recipe from Ian Cairns for Garlic and Rosemary Lamb, Ben Dunn's Sausage and Crock Pot Stew, and my own recipe for my style of Baja Fish Tacos!!! Okay, fine, I'm partial to those, after all, I practically live on them almost every day, along with a bit of fruit (mangoes, papayas, pineapple, bananas). With this, we had a recipe for Mango Salsa from Bruce Irons, as well as his version of Fish Tacos (one can never have too many kinds of fish tacos - for a surfer, it's a moral imperative).
As Sides to go with the Main Courses, there was Gerry Lopez's awesome Brown Rice with Teriyaki Sauce (this is probably what I had most of), and Donald Takayama had a recipe for Surfer's Choice Clam Chowder which was to die for.
And, to top it all off, in Memory and Honor of Andy Irons, we made Andy's famous Chocolate Brownie Supreme - which, I must add, was pure magical yumminess.
Naturally, at a surfer party, there HAS to be beer, in fact, some consider the perfect Surfer Thanksgiving as, beer. Yep, beer. Surfer food in a bottle.
Our beers of the day were Longboard Lager, Corona Extra with limes, of course, and Fat Tire. The plan was for endless bottles of Jamaican Red at midnight along with our weekly Midnight Cubano Sandwiches over endless games of Jamaican Dominoes and Cuban styled cigars (Jamaican Dominoes is the version where you gamble with poker chips on each play - much fun and a game I love).
All in all, a perfect day. Everyone around had tons of food, much Talk Story, lots of laughter and joking, super waves, and just pure holiday magic. I hope that all of you had as much fun for your own Thanksgiving, and, no matter where you are in the world, remember, as surfers, we all belong to The Tribe, and, for us, every day there's surf is a day and reason for thanksgiving, so, I hope that all of you could celebrate in true surfer style, Especially, with the beer, of course.
Special Thanks to Nava Young for her most excellent surfer's cookbook Surf Food: The Ultimate Surfers Cookbook. Ride on chica!!!
Bodaciously Stoked,
Lily of the Valley
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Surfer's Thanksgiving Coming Soon
Aloha Tribe,
Thanksgiving, here in the U.S. is coming in a few weeks, and, this year, I'm doing a Surfer's Thanksgiving. My whole meal will be planned around foods that famous surfers from all over the world have loved. I'll be using surfing food instead of the "traditional," Thanksgiving grinds.
I'll keep you posted on my menu plans as things get closer.
That being said, my surfing and Watergirl Mentor, famous big wave surfer Darrick Doerner (DD) has shared his traditions with me of sweet potatoes, raw fish - I will prepare sushi, sashimi, Baja styled ceviche (my favorite) and poke to honor DD, gravy, and apple pie, all of his favorites, so, they will all be part of my Thanksgiving Meal, along with the rest I am planning.
Naturally, one of the traditions for Thanksgiving, for surfers that is, is to surf Thanksgiving morning. For a surfer, it's a moral imperative. So, no matter who you are, no matter where you are in the world, for this Thanksgiving Day, even if it's not a tradition you normally practice, why not head to the beach for some waves and just give thanks anyways. Thanks for all the great surf you've had and all the great surf you hope to have. And, simply offer that thanks to whoevers.
Personally, I love the idea of making a ton of food, bringing it to my local break, and, just setting up a campfire with tons of hot food for any surfer to feel free to dig in, Talk Story for a spell, then, hit the swells again with a fully tummy. Then again, living in the wilds like I do, that might mean I'm sharing my food simply with the local wildlife, but, hey, whatevers. When it comes down to it, it's the thought, I guess. I love sharing with the Tribe, to me, that's a big part of what surfing is all about, each of us watching each others back at all times, sharing what we have, hanging and talking story, surfing together, and, just being.
Bodaciously Stoked,
Lily of the Valley
Thanksgiving, here in the U.S. is coming in a few weeks, and, this year, I'm doing a Surfer's Thanksgiving. My whole meal will be planned around foods that famous surfers from all over the world have loved. I'll be using surfing food instead of the "traditional," Thanksgiving grinds.
I'll keep you posted on my menu plans as things get closer.
That being said, my surfing and Watergirl Mentor, famous big wave surfer Darrick Doerner (DD) has shared his traditions with me of sweet potatoes, raw fish - I will prepare sushi, sashimi, Baja styled ceviche (my favorite) and poke to honor DD, gravy, and apple pie, all of his favorites, so, they will all be part of my Thanksgiving Meal, along with the rest I am planning.
Naturally, one of the traditions for Thanksgiving, for surfers that is, is to surf Thanksgiving morning. For a surfer, it's a moral imperative. So, no matter who you are, no matter where you are in the world, for this Thanksgiving Day, even if it's not a tradition you normally practice, why not head to the beach for some waves and just give thanks anyways. Thanks for all the great surf you've had and all the great surf you hope to have. And, simply offer that thanks to whoevers.
Personally, I love the idea of making a ton of food, bringing it to my local break, and, just setting up a campfire with tons of hot food for any surfer to feel free to dig in, Talk Story for a spell, then, hit the swells again with a fully tummy. Then again, living in the wilds like I do, that might mean I'm sharing my food simply with the local wildlife, but, hey, whatevers. When it comes down to it, it's the thought, I guess. I love sharing with the Tribe, to me, that's a big part of what surfing is all about, each of us watching each others back at all times, sharing what we have, hanging and talking story, surfing together, and, just being.
Bodaciously Stoked,
Lily of the Valley
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Gibbon Slackrack for Balance Practice
Aloha Tribe,
I got an early Birthday present last night. It's the Gibbon Slackrack for slacklining indoors. It's a way totally awesome portable steel rack that holds a slackline. I do not know it's exact weight, but I'd gues maybe 70 pounds or so. You can tension the line as tightly or loosely as you would like and it can hold any type of webbing or rope, though the way it is made, it is specifically made for Gibbon slackline products, of course. To use something else, like your own webbing, or a rope, you simply tie it on rather than use the ratchet system for a Gibbon line. The rack is 10 foot long and about a foot high. The base is gray and the end supports are a sort of magenta, it's rather pretty.
I have it set up in my Surfing Room. I really love it. It's great practice for slacklining, and the skills you learn can certainly apply to surfing. Regarding surfing, on a slackline, you are developing all of your balance muscles, so, having something like this lets you practice in any kind of weather and at any time since it's just in your home. It can break down into two 5 foot sections (I'm simply guessing but maybe 35 pounds each perhaps) for taking to a park or wherevers, it easily fits inside of both my Subaru Outback Sport and my new model turbo VW Bug, thus I can bring it on surfing trips for those times when I'm not camping and doing outdoor slacklining but instead, staying in a nice hotel and want to slack in my hotel room.
If you want to simply practice slacklining, this product can do anything you'd like. You can walk, bounce, stand motionless meditating, or even do slackline yoga on it. Or my favorite, of course, slackline chi gung. In fact, here it is about 1:30 AM and I'm still practicing on my slackrack. The balance possibilities are endless. For example, regarding surfing, you can lay on it and paddle, it's high enough, then, sit, as though you were in the line up, then, paddle again with wave catching speed, pop to your feet, and, practice your surfing moves. Sure, it's not a board, it's a slackline, thus, it doesn't have the width a board had, yet, surfboards have stringers, and, knowing your stringer perfectly is what surfing is about. I've found that slacklining has dramatically improved my surfing by cutting off years of training, and, likewise, my surfing has radically helped my slacklining.
It will be interesting to spend a lot of time on the slackrack, like I do on my NOHO Surf Balance Trainer when I do my Silver Surfer Training Camp sessions. With my longboard on my NOHO, I spend as much time on it as I can during such training camps, and, likewise, I plan to do the same thing on this slackrack, simply hanging on it for hours at a time, ever increasing that time limit. I want to make it so comfortable that it is home to me, just like my longboard has become due to my Silver Surf Camp training I do so often. With my surfboard, I want to know every millimeter of it, and, I want the same for my slackrack. I want to know what it can do, how I can push the limits, where I can go with it and what mystery awaits me, what hidden treasures it holds within.
This is a great product for keeping your slacklining skills honed to perfection, especially also, if you are using it to keep your surfing in perfect shape.
I highly suggest one studies Chi Gung and bring it to the slackline and, your surfboard for it will open doors of exploration in ways you've never imagined, offering new moves, increased balance, and greater freedom in truly expressing yourself physically.
Since the slackrack is so adjustable, you can, of course, tension it up like a traditional slackline, that is to say, the line is tensioned "straight," and then it sags when you walk on it. Or, you can use cavellettis and tie your line off, if you like, thus making your slackrack more like a tightrope line. Or, if you prefer, which is way fun I must add, you can simply tie your webbing or, as I prefer, manilla rope, loose, and thus have a loose rope or soft rope system, which is especially interesting if you're interested in Chinese Soft Rope Penetration Arts. Thus, if Chinese Single Bamboo Pole Drifting is in the future for you, this is a great way to practice for that too. Drifting, by the way, rocks, and it makes SUP (Stand Up Paddle) which is so all the rage in the States now, seem rather calm and easy and, well, sorry SUPer's but, dull. There's just so much more you can do on a Bamboo Pole that offers such a greater challenge for those who love such things. Shooting the rapids, instead of in a kayak like the local boys do, try it on a bamboo pole, you'll not only turn heads but also hearts yearning for adventure.
Bodaciously Stoked,
Lily of the Valley
I got an early Birthday present last night. It's the Gibbon Slackrack for slacklining indoors. It's a way totally awesome portable steel rack that holds a slackline. I do not know it's exact weight, but I'd gues maybe 70 pounds or so. You can tension the line as tightly or loosely as you would like and it can hold any type of webbing or rope, though the way it is made, it is specifically made for Gibbon slackline products, of course. To use something else, like your own webbing, or a rope, you simply tie it on rather than use the ratchet system for a Gibbon line. The rack is 10 foot long and about a foot high. The base is gray and the end supports are a sort of magenta, it's rather pretty.
I have it set up in my Surfing Room. I really love it. It's great practice for slacklining, and the skills you learn can certainly apply to surfing. Regarding surfing, on a slackline, you are developing all of your balance muscles, so, having something like this lets you practice in any kind of weather and at any time since it's just in your home. It can break down into two 5 foot sections (I'm simply guessing but maybe 35 pounds each perhaps) for taking to a park or wherevers, it easily fits inside of both my Subaru Outback Sport and my new model turbo VW Bug, thus I can bring it on surfing trips for those times when I'm not camping and doing outdoor slacklining but instead, staying in a nice hotel and want to slack in my hotel room.
If you want to simply practice slacklining, this product can do anything you'd like. You can walk, bounce, stand motionless meditating, or even do slackline yoga on it. Or my favorite, of course, slackline chi gung. In fact, here it is about 1:30 AM and I'm still practicing on my slackrack. The balance possibilities are endless. For example, regarding surfing, you can lay on it and paddle, it's high enough, then, sit, as though you were in the line up, then, paddle again with wave catching speed, pop to your feet, and, practice your surfing moves. Sure, it's not a board, it's a slackline, thus, it doesn't have the width a board had, yet, surfboards have stringers, and, knowing your stringer perfectly is what surfing is about. I've found that slacklining has dramatically improved my surfing by cutting off years of training, and, likewise, my surfing has radically helped my slacklining.
It will be interesting to spend a lot of time on the slackrack, like I do on my NOHO Surf Balance Trainer when I do my Silver Surfer Training Camp sessions. With my longboard on my NOHO, I spend as much time on it as I can during such training camps, and, likewise, I plan to do the same thing on this slackrack, simply hanging on it for hours at a time, ever increasing that time limit. I want to make it so comfortable that it is home to me, just like my longboard has become due to my Silver Surf Camp training I do so often. With my surfboard, I want to know every millimeter of it, and, I want the same for my slackrack. I want to know what it can do, how I can push the limits, where I can go with it and what mystery awaits me, what hidden treasures it holds within.
This is a great product for keeping your slacklining skills honed to perfection, especially also, if you are using it to keep your surfing in perfect shape.
I highly suggest one studies Chi Gung and bring it to the slackline and, your surfboard for it will open doors of exploration in ways you've never imagined, offering new moves, increased balance, and greater freedom in truly expressing yourself physically.
Since the slackrack is so adjustable, you can, of course, tension it up like a traditional slackline, that is to say, the line is tensioned "straight," and then it sags when you walk on it. Or, you can use cavellettis and tie your line off, if you like, thus making your slackrack more like a tightrope line. Or, if you prefer, which is way fun I must add, you can simply tie your webbing or, as I prefer, manilla rope, loose, and thus have a loose rope or soft rope system, which is especially interesting if you're interested in Chinese Soft Rope Penetration Arts. Thus, if Chinese Single Bamboo Pole Drifting is in the future for you, this is a great way to practice for that too. Drifting, by the way, rocks, and it makes SUP (Stand Up Paddle) which is so all the rage in the States now, seem rather calm and easy and, well, sorry SUPer's but, dull. There's just so much more you can do on a Bamboo Pole that offers such a greater challenge for those who love such things. Shooting the rapids, instead of in a kayak like the local boys do, try it on a bamboo pole, you'll not only turn heads but also hearts yearning for adventure.
Bodaciously Stoked,
Lily of the Valley
Sunday, November 7, 2010
The Perfect Longboard Car: VW Bug vs. Subaru Outback
Aloha Tribe,
So, I imagine that a lot of you dream of finding the perfect car for your surfing sufaris. And naturally, there are many cool vehicles that fit the bill, after all, we all need and love something different.
For me, I have, as I have mentioned, two cars. One is a new model VW Bug, bright orange, orange hubcaps, black and orange leather interior and steering wheel, turbo model. She's cute!!! I even have a safari rack I mounted on her roof above the sunroof. It's sort of like a metal cage that sits up there, capable of holding anything and everything.
With my VW Bug, I can get my 9 foot longboard (plus a second one if I wanted too) inside of the car. I simply take the headrests off the passenger seat and then fold the passenger seat down and, I also take the headrests off the back bench seat and fold it down too. Then, I simply slide the board in through the trunk, resting the nose of the board on the dashboard of the passenger side, and the tail of the board at the end base of the trunk. Granted, with this setup, I can be the only one in the car, but, that's cool, my friends have cars anyways, and besides, when you're heading out for Dawn Patrol in the dark of night, it's fun to have a caravan of vehicles filled with surfer brahs all following each other for a day of surfing.
There is room in the car, by the way, for pretty much as much camping gear (plus slacklines and slackropes as well as my NOHO Surf Balance Trainer), as I'll need for even extended trips of several months. As it turns out, I don't need the safari rack on top of the car, but, well, it makes the car look like a true Baja Bug, and, I so love that image.
My other car is a Subaru Outback Sport. She's bright fire engine red. With this car, I also can get my 9 foot longboard (easily with a second 9 foot longboard if I wanted) literally inside of the car, basically doing exactly what I did with the Bug. I simply fold the front and back passenger side bucket seats down, do not have to remove the headrests, and, still have room for a passenger behind the drivers seat, plus, enough gear for several months of camping also including enough slacklines, slackropes and such to share with anybody who wants to try, and my NOHO Surf Balance Trainer.
So, when there are times that I might want to have your boards safely in your car, either of these vehicles way totally can do this. On the other hand, I always loved the look of my longboard on top of my car, fin forward, adventure to the wind. It presents sort of a cool girl-of-action kind of look that appeals to my spirit and sense of adventure and taste. Besides, in the case of the VW Bug, it's kind of fun to have a surfboard on the roof on top of my safari rack, people who see it seem to love the look.
Oh, while my VW Bug is a turbo model and thus goes faster, my Subaru Outback Sport has All-Wheel Drive thus it can go anywhere, snow mud, ice, sleet, rain, whatevers. And, being a cold weather surfer, surfing in the worst the Pacific Northwest can throw at a girl, such a feature is rather awesome to know that no matter what, I can always make it to the beach regardless of driving conditions.
Either car would be perfect for anybody. It's then simply a matter of style. For me, I love them both. In warm weather, like the Summer, it's my VW Bug for sure, for what could be cooler than that, a bug with a few longboard surfboards and an elephant gun and perhaps a thruster all strapped on top, using, by the way, Baja straps, those are those extra wide, extra thick, extra strong ones with huge strong steel buckles, that, if you''re a Baja girl, you just HAVE to have. And, when the Winter storms rage and the seas rise to near 50 foot like they did a week ago, how are you doing to see me get to my surfing break out in the wilds, well, in my Subaru Outback, but of course, for she WILL get me there for those epic waves when it really counts.
Bodaciously Stoked,
Lily of the Valley
So, I imagine that a lot of you dream of finding the perfect car for your surfing sufaris. And naturally, there are many cool vehicles that fit the bill, after all, we all need and love something different.
For me, I have, as I have mentioned, two cars. One is a new model VW Bug, bright orange, orange hubcaps, black and orange leather interior and steering wheel, turbo model. She's cute!!! I even have a safari rack I mounted on her roof above the sunroof. It's sort of like a metal cage that sits up there, capable of holding anything and everything.
With my VW Bug, I can get my 9 foot longboard (plus a second one if I wanted too) inside of the car. I simply take the headrests off the passenger seat and then fold the passenger seat down and, I also take the headrests off the back bench seat and fold it down too. Then, I simply slide the board in through the trunk, resting the nose of the board on the dashboard of the passenger side, and the tail of the board at the end base of the trunk. Granted, with this setup, I can be the only one in the car, but, that's cool, my friends have cars anyways, and besides, when you're heading out for Dawn Patrol in the dark of night, it's fun to have a caravan of vehicles filled with surfer brahs all following each other for a day of surfing.
There is room in the car, by the way, for pretty much as much camping gear (plus slacklines and slackropes as well as my NOHO Surf Balance Trainer), as I'll need for even extended trips of several months. As it turns out, I don't need the safari rack on top of the car, but, well, it makes the car look like a true Baja Bug, and, I so love that image.
My other car is a Subaru Outback Sport. She's bright fire engine red. With this car, I also can get my 9 foot longboard (easily with a second 9 foot longboard if I wanted) literally inside of the car, basically doing exactly what I did with the Bug. I simply fold the front and back passenger side bucket seats down, do not have to remove the headrests, and, still have room for a passenger behind the drivers seat, plus, enough gear for several months of camping also including enough slacklines, slackropes and such to share with anybody who wants to try, and my NOHO Surf Balance Trainer.
So, when there are times that I might want to have your boards safely in your car, either of these vehicles way totally can do this. On the other hand, I always loved the look of my longboard on top of my car, fin forward, adventure to the wind. It presents sort of a cool girl-of-action kind of look that appeals to my spirit and sense of adventure and taste. Besides, in the case of the VW Bug, it's kind of fun to have a surfboard on the roof on top of my safari rack, people who see it seem to love the look.
Oh, while my VW Bug is a turbo model and thus goes faster, my Subaru Outback Sport has All-Wheel Drive thus it can go anywhere, snow mud, ice, sleet, rain, whatevers. And, being a cold weather surfer, surfing in the worst the Pacific Northwest can throw at a girl, such a feature is rather awesome to know that no matter what, I can always make it to the beach regardless of driving conditions.
Either car would be perfect for anybody. It's then simply a matter of style. For me, I love them both. In warm weather, like the Summer, it's my VW Bug for sure, for what could be cooler than that, a bug with a few longboard surfboards and an elephant gun and perhaps a thruster all strapped on top, using, by the way, Baja straps, those are those extra wide, extra thick, extra strong ones with huge strong steel buckles, that, if you''re a Baja girl, you just HAVE to have. And, when the Winter storms rage and the seas rise to near 50 foot like they did a week ago, how are you doing to see me get to my surfing break out in the wilds, well, in my Subaru Outback, but of course, for she WILL get me there for those epic waves when it really counts.
Bodaciously Stoked,
Lily of the Valley
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Ultra-Primitive Slackline Setup
Aloha Tribe,
As a longboard surfer, I've taken to slacklining to improve my surfing. And, while my path to both actually intertwines, beginning with surfing as a little girl, the progressing to Monkey Style Kung Fu where one learns to move, stretch, fight, and even sleep on a Monkey Bed - which was basically just a rope slung between two trees with the purpose of creating perfect balance, then, about 10 years ago being given my first webbing slackline from my carpenter for my home - tied in the Ultra-Primitive Style, to today, living the life of a Vagabond Feral Soul Surfer and Vagabond Feral Soul Slackliner.
Such a life calls for following both the waves, and, the wind. For both elements become your home, harmoniously blending as the Shamanic quest for balance. You'll find, as you dare this quest, that the first door that opens for you is the mysterious and magical door to your subconscious.
To live the life of a Vagabond Feral Soul Rope Dancer or Slackliner, one simply, lives to Rope Dance or slack. And, just as a Soul Surfer, who travels Feral as a Vagabond carries one board and one board only, so goes such a slackliner or rope dancer. All you carry is but a single slackline or a single piece of rope, rolled into a carefully tied bundle such as a Lap Bundle or perhaps, if you like a Backpack Bundle, and tossed into a canvas satchel slung crossbody, low over one hip along with a simple canvas backpack. The search becomes a quest seeking more than the mere perfect walk, more even than a sense of physical balance, the quest, becomes mixed in with Chi Gung, and thus, the search for internal and external exploration of yourself and the world around you based on energy.
Chi Gung, the ancient 4000 year old Chinese study of internal and external energy within, around, and beyond the body, holds the true secret to this art and lifestyle of a Ultra-Primitive Rope Dancer. The art of Soft Rope Penetration Arts or Rope Dancing aka Soft Roping is also several thousand years old, holding untold secrets, mysteries, and treasures.
One's kit is simple. Of course, it's environmentally based, thus the natural fiber travel kit, but, the key is to travel as lightly as possible. A canvas satchel works perfectly for your slackline or rope dancing gear. And, as for living, you'll explore traveling and surviving as an ultralight backpacker.
Having a few simple ways to make money helps. Whatever your gig happens to be. For me, my skills lay with the Short Cons, namely, the Shell Game, Five Card Draw Poker - as a Mechanic, and Pickpocketing (all of which can be done theatrically if you are so inclined to not wander the outlaw trail).
As a Vagabond Feral Soul Rope Dancer, one is free to travel the world. For there are always places to practice your art as you search deeper and deeper for yourself and your limits physically, mentally, and spiritually.
Some will probably live the streets as a Grifter or Street Performer, honing the art of grifting to peak perfection, while, perhaps, keeping things sort of moderately legal. Others may explore the darker sides of the mysteries of life, depending, of course, upon your personal morals. And, for those who leave the cities and head into the wilds, you'll learn to live by whit and whim in the forests, jungles, mountains, plains, deserts, and beaches, especially the beaches if you also happen to be a Vagabond Feral Soul Surfer who also slacks.
Wandering as a slacker, you'll keep your eyes out for places to hang your line. And, while initially seemingly all similar, you'll find that the more you experience, the more depth you'll notice to your walking. Does it feel different to walk a line between two pine trees? Or two oaks? What about one strung between bamboo? Or boulders high in the mountains, how are they different than rocky ledges along the coast and over the sea? How does the humidity of Ghana effect your line? Or the dryness of a desert? Does height make a difference in how your line feels and thus, how the walk feels differently to you? Can you feel the pulse of a crowded city harmoniously dancing your line in ways that the wilds do not?
Each of these, of course, has different answers. And, if you're just starting out, you'll probably not notice much if any difference. Most likely, you'll probably start on webbing, tubular webbing specifically. And, even with some experience, you'll probably focus simply on line height, line length, or even how fast you can walk the line. But, as a Vagabond Feral Rope Dancer, you're after something deeper, much much much deeper. This is where the study of Chi Gung comes into play and carries you along a path that leads to the true lifestyle of the Soul Slacker/Soft Roper. You see, the more you walk the line, the more sensitive you become to your body and to the way the line moves and feels. With experience, you might find the shift from a nylon or poly type strap of webbing to a totally natural length of rope, more than likely manilla at first. Manilla, unlike nylon has living chi about it, it has secrets and stories to tell and share, and its chi is pure. With time, you might explore the lushess softness of a jute rope or the pure magic of the greatest of all, Italian Hemp (currently illegal in the U.S. thus opening a door for those of a smuggling mind and bent). And, it is at this point that you will begin to realize that there are physical changes that you can sense. At first, they'll register tactilly but with more experience, you'll learn to explore the depth of all of your senses, perfecting them, one at a time, to levels currently undreamed of by you. There literally are no limits within this art.
The advantages of a hemp, jute, or manilla rope to a nylon slackline is that instead of separating your from nature, you'll find that your rope, having been living material and thus still dancing strongly with it's own unique individual chi, offers a way to blend as one with all about you. The trippy part of this is that it is done all naturally, and, even if you use hemp, only rather slightly on the outlaw trail.
Walking a line, be it rope or webbing, opens your mind to your imagination, which, is the first step along this marvelous path. For in order to feel it and more so use it later, first, one must imagine it.
For those who do not know, Chi or Qi is the force that is within everything, all that is visible and all that is invisible as well as all that is animate and all inanimate things. Basically, it is in, around and beyond all. And the exciting part of the story is that you can, using Soft Roping and Slacklining skills, tap into this huge mass of everchanging, constantly morphing energy for shaping your life and the world around you. In a way, you could say that the New Age that was anticipated so strongly in the '60's is now here hanging on a rope, slung loosely as a Loose Rope, slackly as a Slackline or Slackrope , or tightly as a Tightrope, between two objects. There are few Loose or Soft Rope Specialists out here by the way, for it is still mostly an unknown art, lost to the antiquites of ancient China. In fact, the Ultra-Primitive Slackline Setup is based specifically the Loose Rope Dancer. You can use rope or webbing.
In a nutshell, tie a Double Bowline with Jack's Variation on the anchor end of the rope or webbing. This part is tied around a tree or boulder. Then, about 90 % of the way down the webbing or rope, tie a Butterfly Knot which is not to be confused with an Artillery Man's Knot or a Mantrap Knot, nor especially, a False Butterfly Knot. For the Butterfly Knot, by the way, simply turn both loops the same way, essentially counterclockwise. For the False Butterfly knot, which you must not tie, the first loop goes counterclockwise and the second loop goes clockwise, and, while the two knots look similiar, they are not, the False Butterfly Knot is not as strong as the Butterfly Knot. Continue with the rest of the rope or webbing running it around your second working tree or boulder, and, as soon as you go around it, tie a second Butterfly Knot. Now, take the leftover webbing or rope and run it first up through the Butterfly Knot you just tied, then, down through your first Butterfly Knot, then back to the Butterfly Knot near the tree and go down through it again, this time trying to get your webbing or rope beneath your first pass through this Butterfly Knot. Then, take the remaining line and run it up through your midline Butterfly Knot, and run it under your first pass through this knot. Now, draw the system tight by pulling on the remaining tail of the webbing or rope. If you want this set up as a Ultra-Primitive Slackline or Slackrope setup, the rope is pulled taught. Or, if you prefer to simply use an Ultra-Primitive Loose Rope or Looseline setup, then simply tie a second Double Bowline with Jack's Variation around the working tree instead of using the Butterfly Knots, and, just let the webbing or rope hang loosely like a letter U. When you walk on a Loose Rope, it will look more or less like a letter V, with you as the low point.
In either case, Ultra-Primitive Slackline/Slackrope or Ultra-Primitive Loose Rope/Looseline, you only use a single piece of rope or webbing, without the need for a second webbing like you need in a Primitive System, and, without the carabiners that a Primitive System also requires.
This Ultra-Primitive method is new, hot, unique, ultralight, and the wave of the future. I feel rather excited to have come up with these knots and this idea of hanging a rope or webbing slack or loose. It sure works for me.
The romance of the line awaits you, the call of the wilds and cities sings to your webbing and rope, heed the call. For you will find balance poetry, art, style, spiritual growth, mental and physical mastery all honed to perfection if you dare.
Bodaciously Stoked,
Lily of the Valley
As a longboard surfer, I've taken to slacklining to improve my surfing. And, while my path to both actually intertwines, beginning with surfing as a little girl, the progressing to Monkey Style Kung Fu where one learns to move, stretch, fight, and even sleep on a Monkey Bed - which was basically just a rope slung between two trees with the purpose of creating perfect balance, then, about 10 years ago being given my first webbing slackline from my carpenter for my home - tied in the Ultra-Primitive Style, to today, living the life of a Vagabond Feral Soul Surfer and Vagabond Feral Soul Slackliner.
Such a life calls for following both the waves, and, the wind. For both elements become your home, harmoniously blending as the Shamanic quest for balance. You'll find, as you dare this quest, that the first door that opens for you is the mysterious and magical door to your subconscious.
To live the life of a Vagabond Feral Soul Rope Dancer or Slackliner, one simply, lives to Rope Dance or slack. And, just as a Soul Surfer, who travels Feral as a Vagabond carries one board and one board only, so goes such a slackliner or rope dancer. All you carry is but a single slackline or a single piece of rope, rolled into a carefully tied bundle such as a Lap Bundle or perhaps, if you like a Backpack Bundle, and tossed into a canvas satchel slung crossbody, low over one hip along with a simple canvas backpack. The search becomes a quest seeking more than the mere perfect walk, more even than a sense of physical balance, the quest, becomes mixed in with Chi Gung, and thus, the search for internal and external exploration of yourself and the world around you based on energy.
Chi Gung, the ancient 4000 year old Chinese study of internal and external energy within, around, and beyond the body, holds the true secret to this art and lifestyle of a Ultra-Primitive Rope Dancer. The art of Soft Rope Penetration Arts or Rope Dancing aka Soft Roping is also several thousand years old, holding untold secrets, mysteries, and treasures.
One's kit is simple. Of course, it's environmentally based, thus the natural fiber travel kit, but, the key is to travel as lightly as possible. A canvas satchel works perfectly for your slackline or rope dancing gear. And, as for living, you'll explore traveling and surviving as an ultralight backpacker.
Having a few simple ways to make money helps. Whatever your gig happens to be. For me, my skills lay with the Short Cons, namely, the Shell Game, Five Card Draw Poker - as a Mechanic, and Pickpocketing (all of which can be done theatrically if you are so inclined to not wander the outlaw trail).
As a Vagabond Feral Soul Rope Dancer, one is free to travel the world. For there are always places to practice your art as you search deeper and deeper for yourself and your limits physically, mentally, and spiritually.
Some will probably live the streets as a Grifter or Street Performer, honing the art of grifting to peak perfection, while, perhaps, keeping things sort of moderately legal. Others may explore the darker sides of the mysteries of life, depending, of course, upon your personal morals. And, for those who leave the cities and head into the wilds, you'll learn to live by whit and whim in the forests, jungles, mountains, plains, deserts, and beaches, especially the beaches if you also happen to be a Vagabond Feral Soul Surfer who also slacks.
Wandering as a slacker, you'll keep your eyes out for places to hang your line. And, while initially seemingly all similar, you'll find that the more you experience, the more depth you'll notice to your walking. Does it feel different to walk a line between two pine trees? Or two oaks? What about one strung between bamboo? Or boulders high in the mountains, how are they different than rocky ledges along the coast and over the sea? How does the humidity of Ghana effect your line? Or the dryness of a desert? Does height make a difference in how your line feels and thus, how the walk feels differently to you? Can you feel the pulse of a crowded city harmoniously dancing your line in ways that the wilds do not?
Each of these, of course, has different answers. And, if you're just starting out, you'll probably not notice much if any difference. Most likely, you'll probably start on webbing, tubular webbing specifically. And, even with some experience, you'll probably focus simply on line height, line length, or even how fast you can walk the line. But, as a Vagabond Feral Rope Dancer, you're after something deeper, much much much deeper. This is where the study of Chi Gung comes into play and carries you along a path that leads to the true lifestyle of the Soul Slacker/Soft Roper. You see, the more you walk the line, the more sensitive you become to your body and to the way the line moves and feels. With experience, you might find the shift from a nylon or poly type strap of webbing to a totally natural length of rope, more than likely manilla at first. Manilla, unlike nylon has living chi about it, it has secrets and stories to tell and share, and its chi is pure. With time, you might explore the lushess softness of a jute rope or the pure magic of the greatest of all, Italian Hemp (currently illegal in the U.S. thus opening a door for those of a smuggling mind and bent). And, it is at this point that you will begin to realize that there are physical changes that you can sense. At first, they'll register tactilly but with more experience, you'll learn to explore the depth of all of your senses, perfecting them, one at a time, to levels currently undreamed of by you. There literally are no limits within this art.
The advantages of a hemp, jute, or manilla rope to a nylon slackline is that instead of separating your from nature, you'll find that your rope, having been living material and thus still dancing strongly with it's own unique individual chi, offers a way to blend as one with all about you. The trippy part of this is that it is done all naturally, and, even if you use hemp, only rather slightly on the outlaw trail.
Walking a line, be it rope or webbing, opens your mind to your imagination, which, is the first step along this marvelous path. For in order to feel it and more so use it later, first, one must imagine it.
For those who do not know, Chi or Qi is the force that is within everything, all that is visible and all that is invisible as well as all that is animate and all inanimate things. Basically, it is in, around and beyond all. And the exciting part of the story is that you can, using Soft Roping and Slacklining skills, tap into this huge mass of everchanging, constantly morphing energy for shaping your life and the world around you. In a way, you could say that the New Age that was anticipated so strongly in the '60's is now here hanging on a rope, slung loosely as a Loose Rope, slackly as a Slackline or Slackrope , or tightly as a Tightrope, between two objects. There are few Loose or Soft Rope Specialists out here by the way, for it is still mostly an unknown art, lost to the antiquites of ancient China. In fact, the Ultra-Primitive Slackline Setup is based specifically the Loose Rope Dancer. You can use rope or webbing.
In a nutshell, tie a Double Bowline with Jack's Variation on the anchor end of the rope or webbing. This part is tied around a tree or boulder. Then, about 90 % of the way down the webbing or rope, tie a Butterfly Knot which is not to be confused with an Artillery Man's Knot or a Mantrap Knot, nor especially, a False Butterfly Knot. For the Butterfly Knot, by the way, simply turn both loops the same way, essentially counterclockwise. For the False Butterfly knot, which you must not tie, the first loop goes counterclockwise and the second loop goes clockwise, and, while the two knots look similiar, they are not, the False Butterfly Knot is not as strong as the Butterfly Knot. Continue with the rest of the rope or webbing running it around your second working tree or boulder, and, as soon as you go around it, tie a second Butterfly Knot. Now, take the leftover webbing or rope and run it first up through the Butterfly Knot you just tied, then, down through your first Butterfly Knot, then back to the Butterfly Knot near the tree and go down through it again, this time trying to get your webbing or rope beneath your first pass through this Butterfly Knot. Then, take the remaining line and run it up through your midline Butterfly Knot, and run it under your first pass through this knot. Now, draw the system tight by pulling on the remaining tail of the webbing or rope. If you want this set up as a Ultra-Primitive Slackline or Slackrope setup, the rope is pulled taught. Or, if you prefer to simply use an Ultra-Primitive Loose Rope or Looseline setup, then simply tie a second Double Bowline with Jack's Variation around the working tree instead of using the Butterfly Knots, and, just let the webbing or rope hang loosely like a letter U. When you walk on a Loose Rope, it will look more or less like a letter V, with you as the low point.
In either case, Ultra-Primitive Slackline/Slackrope or Ultra-Primitive Loose Rope/Looseline, you only use a single piece of rope or webbing, without the need for a second webbing like you need in a Primitive System, and, without the carabiners that a Primitive System also requires.
This Ultra-Primitive method is new, hot, unique, ultralight, and the wave of the future. I feel rather excited to have come up with these knots and this idea of hanging a rope or webbing slack or loose. It sure works for me.
The romance of the line awaits you, the call of the wilds and cities sings to your webbing and rope, heed the call. For you will find balance poetry, art, style, spiritual growth, mental and physical mastery all honed to perfection if you dare.
Bodaciously Stoked,
Lily of the Valley
Friday, November 5, 2010
Books for Slackline, Tightrope Walking, Tightwire Walking, Rope Dancing, Tree Yoga, Soft Rope Penetration Arts, Highwire Walking, and all interested in Walking, Balancing, Dancing and Aerial Chi Gung and Slackline Yoga on something Tight, Loose, Solid, or Slack
Aloha Tribe,
Here are 20 books or so that I have and study constantly in my study of tying knots, creating tensioned wires and ropes, and all manners of ways to hook up lowlines, highlines, slacklines, loose ropes, and tightropes. I really love all of them and I highly recommend them all.
1. Ninjutsu: The Art of Invisibility by Donn F. Draeger - this book does not have much on "tightrope" but it does have a drawing of someone walking on a bamboo stalk lashed between two trees. One way to do this, is to have the bamboo literally tied to the trees themselves, creating a solid walking experience, like a tightrope. Another way is to suspend the bamboo pole by ropes at each end, thus making a very loose swinging platform.
2. Man On Wire by Philippe Petit - this is Philippe's book on his walk between the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York back in the early '70's. It is fascinating how he studied the scene, almost like a burglar would he said, planned everything, then, had to sneak it all in for his illegal highwire crossing.
3. 72 Consummate Arts of the Shaolin Temple by Wu Jiaming - this is a super martial arts book with tons of training ideas from an incredible amount of different Shaolin martial arts. There are several sections (perhaps half a dozen or so if you open your creativity a bit to see possibilities) that are very applicable to soft rope walking.
4. Funambule by Elgin Michel - this book is only in French - I very much like it. If you don't read French, you'll have to translate this, of course. It is a book about Philippe Petit and his highwire walk at the Eifel Tower in Paris. It covers his training, the planning, and the execution. Both this book and his book Man on Wire are truly necessary for any highwire artist.
5. On The High Wire by Philippe Petit - in this book, Philippe talks about his training and ideas on walking on the highwire. This is a truly phenomenal book that I read constantly. It is not so much a book about a particular highwire walking project like his other two books, instead, it is more like essays on his thoughts about highwire walking.
6. Knots and Ropes for Climbers by Duane Raleigh - a great book for those interested in knots. While it does not have tons of knots, it has most of the ones necessary for climbing, and all of the ones necessary for slacklining with easy to understand directions and drawings.
7. Fragments of the Artwork by Jean Genet - this book has a series of essays on numerous art type ideas, one of which deals with tightwire walking and, for this essay alone, the pure magic of it, the inspiration it offers, is worth it.
8. TM 5-725 Rigging : Department of the Army Technical Manual - a straightforward military type manual that offers most ideas of what you'd need for slacklining knots or soft rope knots and rigging.
9. Field Guide to Accompany High Angle Rescue Techniques by Tom Vines - has a wonderful chapter on highlining.
10. Handbook of Rigging by Joseph A. MacDonald - a textbook type book, huge, with tons to learn on rigging.
11. Arborist Equipment: A Guide to the tools and equipment of tree maintenance and removal
by Donald F. Blair - a great book for learning a bit about knots and tree climbing, thus useful for the slackliner.
12. Technical Rescue Riggers Guide by Rick Lipke - has a highlining chapter
13. Rope Levels 1 and 2 by Jeff Matthews - also has a highlining chapter
14. Engineering Practical Rope Rescue Systems by Michael G. Brown - this too has a highlining chapter
15. High Angle Rescue Techniques by Tom Vines - has a highlining chapter.
16. The Ashley Book of Knots by Clifford Ashley - I'd imagine this book has every knot there is in it. This book is the knot tying bible.
17. On Rope by Smith and Padgett - a great book with a wonderful chapter on highlining as well as one on circus rigging.
18. Rigging Handbook by Jerry Klink - straightforward rigging book
19. Wire Rope Users - if you want to know about wire, for wirewalking, you'll learn all you need to know about wire here.
20. Construction Safety Association of Ontario Rigging Manual - this book teaches tons on rigging.
21. Walk the Line by Scott Balcom - the only slackline book devoted totally just to slacklining out there and thus, a must have.
I so hope that some of you get these books, in fact, I'd love at least a few of you to get all of them, then, it would be so fun to get together in some local pub over a game of chess (but of course) while simulatneously sharing ideas and techniques over a fine glass of Merlot in front of a soft gentle fire. I love sharing, and, learning. And, just hanging, you know Brahs.
Buy the books, study them, learn some knots and rigging, then, get to the trees and buildings and such and slack and walk and balance and play.
Bodaciously Stoked,
Lily of the Valley
Here are 20 books or so that I have and study constantly in my study of tying knots, creating tensioned wires and ropes, and all manners of ways to hook up lowlines, highlines, slacklines, loose ropes, and tightropes. I really love all of them and I highly recommend them all.
1. Ninjutsu: The Art of Invisibility by Donn F. Draeger - this book does not have much on "tightrope" but it does have a drawing of someone walking on a bamboo stalk lashed between two trees. One way to do this, is to have the bamboo literally tied to the trees themselves, creating a solid walking experience, like a tightrope. Another way is to suspend the bamboo pole by ropes at each end, thus making a very loose swinging platform.
2. Man On Wire by Philippe Petit - this is Philippe's book on his walk between the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York back in the early '70's. It is fascinating how he studied the scene, almost like a burglar would he said, planned everything, then, had to sneak it all in for his illegal highwire crossing.
3. 72 Consummate Arts of the Shaolin Temple by Wu Jiaming - this is a super martial arts book with tons of training ideas from an incredible amount of different Shaolin martial arts. There are several sections (perhaps half a dozen or so if you open your creativity a bit to see possibilities) that are very applicable to soft rope walking.
4. Funambule by Elgin Michel - this book is only in French - I very much like it. If you don't read French, you'll have to translate this, of course. It is a book about Philippe Petit and his highwire walk at the Eifel Tower in Paris. It covers his training, the planning, and the execution. Both this book and his book Man on Wire are truly necessary for any highwire artist.
5. On The High Wire by Philippe Petit - in this book, Philippe talks about his training and ideas on walking on the highwire. This is a truly phenomenal book that I read constantly. It is not so much a book about a particular highwire walking project like his other two books, instead, it is more like essays on his thoughts about highwire walking.
6. Knots and Ropes for Climbers by Duane Raleigh - a great book for those interested in knots. While it does not have tons of knots, it has most of the ones necessary for climbing, and all of the ones necessary for slacklining with easy to understand directions and drawings.
7. Fragments of the Artwork by Jean Genet - this book has a series of essays on numerous art type ideas, one of which deals with tightwire walking and, for this essay alone, the pure magic of it, the inspiration it offers, is worth it.
8. TM 5-725 Rigging : Department of the Army Technical Manual - a straightforward military type manual that offers most ideas of what you'd need for slacklining knots or soft rope knots and rigging.
9. Field Guide to Accompany High Angle Rescue Techniques by Tom Vines - has a wonderful chapter on highlining.
10. Handbook of Rigging by Joseph A. MacDonald - a textbook type book, huge, with tons to learn on rigging.
11. Arborist Equipment: A Guide to the tools and equipment of tree maintenance and removal
by Donald F. Blair - a great book for learning a bit about knots and tree climbing, thus useful for the slackliner.
12. Technical Rescue Riggers Guide by Rick Lipke - has a highlining chapter
13. Rope Levels 1 and 2 by Jeff Matthews - also has a highlining chapter
14. Engineering Practical Rope Rescue Systems by Michael G. Brown - this too has a highlining chapter
15. High Angle Rescue Techniques by Tom Vines - has a highlining chapter.
16. The Ashley Book of Knots by Clifford Ashley - I'd imagine this book has every knot there is in it. This book is the knot tying bible.
17. On Rope by Smith and Padgett - a great book with a wonderful chapter on highlining as well as one on circus rigging.
18. Rigging Handbook by Jerry Klink - straightforward rigging book
19. Wire Rope Users - if you want to know about wire, for wirewalking, you'll learn all you need to know about wire here.
20. Construction Safety Association of Ontario Rigging Manual - this book teaches tons on rigging.
21. Walk the Line by Scott Balcom - the only slackline book devoted totally just to slacklining out there and thus, a must have.
I so hope that some of you get these books, in fact, I'd love at least a few of you to get all of them, then, it would be so fun to get together in some local pub over a game of chess (but of course) while simulatneously sharing ideas and techniques over a fine glass of Merlot in front of a soft gentle fire. I love sharing, and, learning. And, just hanging, you know Brahs.
Buy the books, study them, learn some knots and rigging, then, get to the trees and buildings and such and slack and walk and balance and play.
Bodaciously Stoked,
Lily of the Valley
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Surfboard Balance for the Vagabond Feral Soul Surfer expressing Chi Gung
Aloha Tribe,
Why balance works, or more specifically, how, is based on relaxation. Mentally, physically, and spiritually. The calmer you are, the more sensitive you are, the more aware you are, the greater your balance. This is so whether one surfs, walks a tightrope or slackline, or a softrope either loose or slack, or any other kind of balance work. Paradoxically, to reach such a state, requires, effort, lots and lots of specific training and more so, a way totally familiarization of your particular medium, be it surfboard, skateboard, snowboard, wire, webbing, or rope, rock, rooftops (for the catburgler types and urban equilibrists), limb, wall, rock ledge, street sign or light post, chain or vehicle (yep, urban car and truck balancing rocks - is moderately outlaw yet in the heart of art - rural vehicle balancing is fun too - tractors, cranes, bulldozers, wagons, etc.
I like to think of my longboard as having a personality and a soul. It is, to me, my friend. For, we spend a lot of time together, and, I learn from it.
I don't so much think of myself as riding my surfboard, but more so, as a Soul Surfer I see my expression upon my board as a way for the board itself to speak its own song.
Boards, I believe, are not something to be controlled, dominated, nor caged, but instead, to truly allow yourself the art of the board, requires finding a way to win the board over, in a sense, to help it help you, in your surfing quest.
To perform well with my longboard, to truly surf, is not, so much a reflection of me, but instead, shows the board in it's own sense of perfection.
For, it is not the board that wobbles nor carves too deeply on a hard bottom turn, nor is it the board who pearls or simply drops you off, instead, the board, is perfection in and of itself, thus, the lack of ability is within my own muscles. As such, to do the board the honor that it truly deserves requires total surrender to training for perfection.
When surfing well, it is the joy of the board coming forth, showing its thanks for your hard work.
As a Soul Surfer, we are artists, surfing alone, even when surrounded by countless others. The true Soul Surfer surfs not for awards nor fame nor money, but simply for the pure love of it, more so, at an even deeper level, not for oneself, but for the opportunity for the surfboard to do that which it was shaped to do.
This level of surfing demands not merely surfing well but more so, to surf with excellence and total precision in order for the board to reveal her secrets of flowing freely over the sea.
To surf well, truly freely, requires risk, just as with the bullfighter or the highwire artist. For, with each of these, living in-the-moment, fully, totally, with pure passion, one finds ones soul in the purity of your medium.
Surfing freely, unharnessed, as a true Soul Surfer, one finds that the world beyond ceases to exist. This allows pure movement of your body, for the love of movement itself, as an expression of what your board offers. The more you can lose yourself to your very act of surfing, the more you can focus only on that which is, the more beautiful, soft, and graceful your surfing will be, the more, you'll be truly one with your board, and more so, one with the sea.
This level of surfing requires the origins of the Feral Surfer, the lone surfer wandering the globe, as a Vagabond Feral Surfer, with but a single board and a single duffel bag for your kit. For, it is within this aloneness that you can find the stillness to notice that which leads your quest. This level of solitude can be seen in many of our surfing heroes and the true legends of our art and sport. People brave enough to surf the wilds, alone, simply, to surf. It is within such moments, even if that stretches to touch a lifetime, that the true Soul Surfer can find balance. And, it is at this point, that the journey truly merely begins, for from here on, one then begins to surf not as an outward expression of movement nor individuality, but, from within yourself. And, this great within is unfathomable, yielding treasures most know not to even seek. This is what something like Chi Gung brings to surfing, this ability to find surfing inside of yourself. At this level, you have taken the first step. It is here, within this first step, that you find the ability to truly explore the moves of your longboard, shortboard, elephant gun, or whatevers. Past quivering muscles lies stillness. Past stillness lies internal movement. Yang leading to Yin transforming to Yang in an endless cycle of surfing harmony. And, as for your board, well, it simply always is. Nothing more. Nothing less. Rather Taoist actually. And in that lies great truth and the mysteries of Vagabond Feral Soul Surfer.
Bodaciously Stoked,
Lily of the Valley
Why balance works, or more specifically, how, is based on relaxation. Mentally, physically, and spiritually. The calmer you are, the more sensitive you are, the more aware you are, the greater your balance. This is so whether one surfs, walks a tightrope or slackline, or a softrope either loose or slack, or any other kind of balance work. Paradoxically, to reach such a state, requires, effort, lots and lots of specific training and more so, a way totally familiarization of your particular medium, be it surfboard, skateboard, snowboard, wire, webbing, or rope, rock, rooftops (for the catburgler types and urban equilibrists), limb, wall, rock ledge, street sign or light post, chain or vehicle (yep, urban car and truck balancing rocks - is moderately outlaw yet in the heart of art - rural vehicle balancing is fun too - tractors, cranes, bulldozers, wagons, etc.
I like to think of my longboard as having a personality and a soul. It is, to me, my friend. For, we spend a lot of time together, and, I learn from it.
I don't so much think of myself as riding my surfboard, but more so, as a Soul Surfer I see my expression upon my board as a way for the board itself to speak its own song.
Boards, I believe, are not something to be controlled, dominated, nor caged, but instead, to truly allow yourself the art of the board, requires finding a way to win the board over, in a sense, to help it help you, in your surfing quest.
To perform well with my longboard, to truly surf, is not, so much a reflection of me, but instead, shows the board in it's own sense of perfection.
For, it is not the board that wobbles nor carves too deeply on a hard bottom turn, nor is it the board who pearls or simply drops you off, instead, the board, is perfection in and of itself, thus, the lack of ability is within my own muscles. As such, to do the board the honor that it truly deserves requires total surrender to training for perfection.
When surfing well, it is the joy of the board coming forth, showing its thanks for your hard work.
As a Soul Surfer, we are artists, surfing alone, even when surrounded by countless others. The true Soul Surfer surfs not for awards nor fame nor money, but simply for the pure love of it, more so, at an even deeper level, not for oneself, but for the opportunity for the surfboard to do that which it was shaped to do.
This level of surfing demands not merely surfing well but more so, to surf with excellence and total precision in order for the board to reveal her secrets of flowing freely over the sea.
To surf well, truly freely, requires risk, just as with the bullfighter or the highwire artist. For, with each of these, living in-the-moment, fully, totally, with pure passion, one finds ones soul in the purity of your medium.
Surfing freely, unharnessed, as a true Soul Surfer, one finds that the world beyond ceases to exist. This allows pure movement of your body, for the love of movement itself, as an expression of what your board offers. The more you can lose yourself to your very act of surfing, the more you can focus only on that which is, the more beautiful, soft, and graceful your surfing will be, the more, you'll be truly one with your board, and more so, one with the sea.
This level of surfing requires the origins of the Feral Surfer, the lone surfer wandering the globe, as a Vagabond Feral Surfer, with but a single board and a single duffel bag for your kit. For, it is within this aloneness that you can find the stillness to notice that which leads your quest. This level of solitude can be seen in many of our surfing heroes and the true legends of our art and sport. People brave enough to surf the wilds, alone, simply, to surf. It is within such moments, even if that stretches to touch a lifetime, that the true Soul Surfer can find balance. And, it is at this point, that the journey truly merely begins, for from here on, one then begins to surf not as an outward expression of movement nor individuality, but, from within yourself. And, this great within is unfathomable, yielding treasures most know not to even seek. This is what something like Chi Gung brings to surfing, this ability to find surfing inside of yourself. At this level, you have taken the first step. It is here, within this first step, that you find the ability to truly explore the moves of your longboard, shortboard, elephant gun, or whatevers. Past quivering muscles lies stillness. Past stillness lies internal movement. Yang leading to Yin transforming to Yang in an endless cycle of surfing harmony. And, as for your board, well, it simply always is. Nothing more. Nothing less. Rather Taoist actually. And in that lies great truth and the mysteries of Vagabond Feral Soul Surfer.
Bodaciously Stoked,
Lily of the Valley
Monday, November 1, 2010
Chess, Surfing, and the Flowing Feeling of Passion
Aloha Tribe,
Hmm, well, some of you may have read recently that I'm sitting here with a torn meniscus in my left knee, my back foot, of course, being goofy foot, and as such, I'm not out on the waves on my beloved longboard. I'd love to Talk Story on some tropical shore, sipping local brews while spinning yarns of how I raced down the face of that damned 47 foot monster, flying like liquid mercury over the wrenching white water, carving lines of beauty at breakneck speed over the rippling swirls of death, yet, alas, I slipped off a stupid porch - a wooden deck, a moss covered wooden deck of doom, after stopping at my neighbors to pee, of all things. Darn I should have simply gone at the beach like a surfer girl should.
But, such an injury has given my chess game a chance to grow a bit these last few dark, cold, rainy, sleepless nights, windows flung wide to the open air, allowing the night's embrace to chill my bones, yet, at the same time, to draw comfort and light from the lone fire stirring in my cast iron wood burning stove and the single candle burning amidst an iron candle holder atop my 250 year old London pub goat's cart wheel dining table. Naturally, as I see it, chess, vodka, and long lonely nights all tremendously aid surfing skill.
But first, the dishes.
Okay, back from the dishes, now, later in the dark. Chess and surfing. Let's see...
Chess, to me, is all about art, and, feel. Sure, I'm a tactile girl, I love feeling things, and, the feeling of moving, physical sensations in fact drive me wild so, since all movement effects me so, all sense of touch so drives me, even the seemingly mundane task of holding beautiful wood chess pieces, especially those of my beloved Russian chess set, feeling their curves, their weight, the balance that each piece has as it shifts in my soft grasp, brings thoughts of how I ride my longboard. With unbridled passion.
Chess offers lessons in foresight, logic, planning, taking risks, seeing and playing art, study, friendship and hanging with a brah, special language, tribal rules, history, legends, heroes, all like surfing does. Surfing can simply be hopping on a board and racing to the shore, just as chess can simply be pushing wood and crushing your opponent. But, there's so much more to both sports and arts. For lost in mundane mediocrity, one ceases to dance, and it is in the dance where the art of chess and surfing rise.
In studying to be a Soul Surfer, that is to say, a girl who simply surfs for the pure physical pleasure and love of it, one can explore the depths as shallowly or as deeply as one might care to delve. The same, for chess. In surfing, there's so much to learn, from weather and waves and beaches to board shapes, lines, fin placement, who's who, surf science, Surf Language, moves, techniques, strategies, sharing with friends, and a gazillion other things. The same, as I mentioned above, chess.
I find that the study of one, truly enhances the other. As odd as it sounds, I love to catch a wave, and, in it, find a new exploration on the chess board regarding an opening or perhaps an ending, even during a typical 8 to 10 second ride, my mind races with thoughts driving in at about 1/25th of a second or so, thus allowing me ample time for not only feeling my board, but also mental exploration of my ride, or, as the case can be at times, chess applications. My surfing allows me to see chess moves in the waves, in the way my body moves and flows, in the feeling of the sea upon my muscles, the smell of the air, the sound of the breeze, the warmth of the sun on even the coldest of days. And, as I surf, I find myself imagining how I can express a given ride as a series of chess moves, whether it is in Openings, or Endings, or my favorite, the beautiful and artistc Middle Game. Likewise, on the chess board, I see new ways to Carve or Acid Drop, alternative methods of Bottom Turns or Pearling Control such as my Submarine surfing move into new and exciting disciplines. Oh how I love the Submarine, by the way , for it's such a radical move that. There's nothing like it anywhere by anyone!!! And, just as with great chess, sometimes, things come by seeming accident, yet, in reality, are actually the result of fully, totally, 100% passionately living in-the-moment with total focus.
A perfect chess en passant is, to me, like tickling white water and bouncing off it into a beautiful Cutback. The feeling is the same.
To me, I don't see either sport or art as inclusive upon itself, but instead, find expression for both in all about me, as, in each other, in expressions of seeming total disparity.
For some, perhaps many, to run as fast as you can with your board and leap into the sea in a diving swoop of unbridled spontaneous joy, is a beautiful path. But, not typically mine. I'm more the type who loves to study the sea first. To feel her, to know her movements and expressions as I sit upon an overhanging cliff or beneath a shading tree. I watch, and observe, and learn. Just, as with chess. I love to watch other surfers ride, feeling total stoke for them as though it were me out there riding. Just, as I love to sit and watch a hearty game of chess at the local club, imagining the feel of the pieces as I watch others move them, seeing the moves in my mind before they are made before me. The love and joy of others, whether in chess or surfing, fills my heart with just overwhelming excitement for those dancing in the moment of their passion, for I truly feel bodaciously stoked for them. You see, in the movements of others, using Chi Gung, I can literally feel what the other feels, I can feel the weight of the chess pawn or knight, or, the biting edge of a rail in a perfect power Bottom Turn. Chi Gung offers a way to literally feel such physical expressions of others, in your own body, and thus, to learn not merely from watching but more so, from feeling what others do. In the case of chess, which is a mental game, it is the Nei Dan of Chi Gung which allows you to feel, sense, and embrace the very thoughts of those you watch even before they touch their pieces, in other words, you know, really know what they will do, for their thoughts are upon that very thing. And, in surfing, it is the chi or qi of Nei Dan which allows you to sense and feel what a particular move feels like literally of a surfer whether he or she is actually surfing in front of you or even in a movie. Time, in such situations, does not exist. All that matters, is the flowing feeling of passion dancing with art.
Chess teaches you to think and plan, and, if you bring your chess to the level of art, to feel, for you can literally sense what your opponent will do, not merely logically nor by force, but instead, by something so much more powerful, be feeling or reading your opponents thoughts. It's a chi gung thing, nei dan as I just mentioned a moment ago, specifically. I first noticed it in fencing when I was training for the women's epee in fencing for the Olympics as I tried for Samoa. According to concepts of chi, "where the mind goes, the chi flows." In other words, first, you have to think it. These thoughts, when focused, can be sensed by those with proper training. Now, as for surfing, if you can think, you can be instantanously spontaneous in your creative approaches to any given wave. You can use your brain to pick where to be to catch a wave, what to do as you make the drop so you don't wipe out, and, how to ride, even when surprises pop out at you like a water burst at Makaha on Oahu, if you're not ready, you'll shoot 20 feet into the air.
Sure, some think of chess as slow detailed, calculating mental effort, and, it can be. Yet, some love the game of Blitz Chess where you play lightning fast, simply responding as quickly as you can to what your opponent does.
The thing is, with enough training, or, using an art like the 4000 year old Chinese discipline of chi gung, you can learn to think incredibly quickly, thus, everything appears in extreme slow motion. For most people, such events seem to come randomly in their lives, if at all, typically, during some extreme accident or trauma or emergency. Yet, once one learns how, through mental training, one can constantly be in such a state of awareness. A super example from a fun movie is in the first Spiderman movie a few years ago when the main character, Peter, noticed a fly buzzing in extreme slow motion just as he was about to get into a fight scene in the film. Such stuff is not the mere fantasy of movies but nor simply the realm of those in desperate situations, but, can be with you always.
So, by developing your brain, for example by playing chess, you can indeed improve your surfing in ways you may not have anticipated. Interestingly enough, your surfing will enhance your chess and your chess will enhance your surfing, so, on those dark nights, such as tonight, at 2:12 AM when the world around me sleeps in the wilds of the woods outside my door, I sit here with my favorite Russian styled Chess set and, my other set, the one that's gone to the North Pole, it's a magnetic set and equally fun. I love chess sets and chess pieces, just as I love surfboards and surf fins. Of course, my true heart belongs to surfing, chess is simply a fun passion for me, yet, it has always been in my life since I was a little girl, in fact, interestingly enough, I just thought about it and I actually learned chess the same year I made my first surfboard. Funny, that. Between the two, my life followed chess in that I lived in the middle of the country after leaving the Great Lakes and my beloved surfing there. But now, I am near the sea and surfing is my life, as it has been since a year ago last Summer when I almost died. I got my board for Christmas last year thanks to Santa and a very very kind Robert August who personally shaped it for me, and began my surfing in the late Winter, learning the wilds of the Pacific Northwest then heading out to the North Shore. Oahu rocks, I truly admit that. And, what could be a cuter town that Haleiwa? Soon, when life is right, I shall live there. Had circumstances been different this Fall, my original plan, some of you may have read, was to surf there from September through Christmas, for about 4 months or so. Life got in the way, I lost a pet, now I have a torn meniscus, but, my heart still soars the waves.
Speaking of tearing my meniscus, according to the Doctor, a true specialist in the field, and one of the Pacific Northwests top guys, said such an injury would probably never heal, yet, at least after 6 weeks the pain should be gone he said. I tore it last Monday. Tonight, I just got through with about 3 hours of tightwire walking and balance training on my indoor tightwire. Too many bears and mountain lions hunting outside in the swamp on a dark night like this to train outside, perhaps when the moon is fuller. My knee, using chi gung for healing, feels GREAT!!! I feel solid, flexible, confident, stoked, agile, and strong tonight. Tomorrow should be interesting, that is to say, in a few hours when it gets light. I'll hit my loose rope for some Soft Rope training, shooting for 6 hours today. I should be able to make that since I just got in 3 hours okay.
I so hope that more surfers all over the world get into Chi Gung (Qigong) as a form of healing them of surfing injuries, it's truly an incredible discipline. In the meantime, my goal is to help as many hurt surfers as I can. And, along the way, perhaps get a good chess game in now and again. :)
Bodaciously Stoked,
Lily of the Valley
Hmm, well, some of you may have read recently that I'm sitting here with a torn meniscus in my left knee, my back foot, of course, being goofy foot, and as such, I'm not out on the waves on my beloved longboard. I'd love to Talk Story on some tropical shore, sipping local brews while spinning yarns of how I raced down the face of that damned 47 foot monster, flying like liquid mercury over the wrenching white water, carving lines of beauty at breakneck speed over the rippling swirls of death, yet, alas, I slipped off a stupid porch - a wooden deck, a moss covered wooden deck of doom, after stopping at my neighbors to pee, of all things. Darn I should have simply gone at the beach like a surfer girl should.
But, such an injury has given my chess game a chance to grow a bit these last few dark, cold, rainy, sleepless nights, windows flung wide to the open air, allowing the night's embrace to chill my bones, yet, at the same time, to draw comfort and light from the lone fire stirring in my cast iron wood burning stove and the single candle burning amidst an iron candle holder atop my 250 year old London pub goat's cart wheel dining table. Naturally, as I see it, chess, vodka, and long lonely nights all tremendously aid surfing skill.
But first, the dishes.
Okay, back from the dishes, now, later in the dark. Chess and surfing. Let's see...
Chess, to me, is all about art, and, feel. Sure, I'm a tactile girl, I love feeling things, and, the feeling of moving, physical sensations in fact drive me wild so, since all movement effects me so, all sense of touch so drives me, even the seemingly mundane task of holding beautiful wood chess pieces, especially those of my beloved Russian chess set, feeling their curves, their weight, the balance that each piece has as it shifts in my soft grasp, brings thoughts of how I ride my longboard. With unbridled passion.
Chess offers lessons in foresight, logic, planning, taking risks, seeing and playing art, study, friendship and hanging with a brah, special language, tribal rules, history, legends, heroes, all like surfing does. Surfing can simply be hopping on a board and racing to the shore, just as chess can simply be pushing wood and crushing your opponent. But, there's so much more to both sports and arts. For lost in mundane mediocrity, one ceases to dance, and it is in the dance where the art of chess and surfing rise.
In studying to be a Soul Surfer, that is to say, a girl who simply surfs for the pure physical pleasure and love of it, one can explore the depths as shallowly or as deeply as one might care to delve. The same, for chess. In surfing, there's so much to learn, from weather and waves and beaches to board shapes, lines, fin placement, who's who, surf science, Surf Language, moves, techniques, strategies, sharing with friends, and a gazillion other things. The same, as I mentioned above, chess.
I find that the study of one, truly enhances the other. As odd as it sounds, I love to catch a wave, and, in it, find a new exploration on the chess board regarding an opening or perhaps an ending, even during a typical 8 to 10 second ride, my mind races with thoughts driving in at about 1/25th of a second or so, thus allowing me ample time for not only feeling my board, but also mental exploration of my ride, or, as the case can be at times, chess applications. My surfing allows me to see chess moves in the waves, in the way my body moves and flows, in the feeling of the sea upon my muscles, the smell of the air, the sound of the breeze, the warmth of the sun on even the coldest of days. And, as I surf, I find myself imagining how I can express a given ride as a series of chess moves, whether it is in Openings, or Endings, or my favorite, the beautiful and artistc Middle Game. Likewise, on the chess board, I see new ways to Carve or Acid Drop, alternative methods of Bottom Turns or Pearling Control such as my Submarine surfing move into new and exciting disciplines. Oh how I love the Submarine, by the way , for it's such a radical move that. There's nothing like it anywhere by anyone!!! And, just as with great chess, sometimes, things come by seeming accident, yet, in reality, are actually the result of fully, totally, 100% passionately living in-the-moment with total focus.
A perfect chess en passant is, to me, like tickling white water and bouncing off it into a beautiful Cutback. The feeling is the same.
To me, I don't see either sport or art as inclusive upon itself, but instead, find expression for both in all about me, as, in each other, in expressions of seeming total disparity.
For some, perhaps many, to run as fast as you can with your board and leap into the sea in a diving swoop of unbridled spontaneous joy, is a beautiful path. But, not typically mine. I'm more the type who loves to study the sea first. To feel her, to know her movements and expressions as I sit upon an overhanging cliff or beneath a shading tree. I watch, and observe, and learn. Just, as with chess. I love to watch other surfers ride, feeling total stoke for them as though it were me out there riding. Just, as I love to sit and watch a hearty game of chess at the local club, imagining the feel of the pieces as I watch others move them, seeing the moves in my mind before they are made before me. The love and joy of others, whether in chess or surfing, fills my heart with just overwhelming excitement for those dancing in the moment of their passion, for I truly feel bodaciously stoked for them. You see, in the movements of others, using Chi Gung, I can literally feel what the other feels, I can feel the weight of the chess pawn or knight, or, the biting edge of a rail in a perfect power Bottom Turn. Chi Gung offers a way to literally feel such physical expressions of others, in your own body, and thus, to learn not merely from watching but more so, from feeling what others do. In the case of chess, which is a mental game, it is the Nei Dan of Chi Gung which allows you to feel, sense, and embrace the very thoughts of those you watch even before they touch their pieces, in other words, you know, really know what they will do, for their thoughts are upon that very thing. And, in surfing, it is the chi or qi of Nei Dan which allows you to sense and feel what a particular move feels like literally of a surfer whether he or she is actually surfing in front of you or even in a movie. Time, in such situations, does not exist. All that matters, is the flowing feeling of passion dancing with art.
Chess teaches you to think and plan, and, if you bring your chess to the level of art, to feel, for you can literally sense what your opponent will do, not merely logically nor by force, but instead, by something so much more powerful, be feeling or reading your opponents thoughts. It's a chi gung thing, nei dan as I just mentioned a moment ago, specifically. I first noticed it in fencing when I was training for the women's epee in fencing for the Olympics as I tried for Samoa. According to concepts of chi, "where the mind goes, the chi flows." In other words, first, you have to think it. These thoughts, when focused, can be sensed by those with proper training. Now, as for surfing, if you can think, you can be instantanously spontaneous in your creative approaches to any given wave. You can use your brain to pick where to be to catch a wave, what to do as you make the drop so you don't wipe out, and, how to ride, even when surprises pop out at you like a water burst at Makaha on Oahu, if you're not ready, you'll shoot 20 feet into the air.
Sure, some think of chess as slow detailed, calculating mental effort, and, it can be. Yet, some love the game of Blitz Chess where you play lightning fast, simply responding as quickly as you can to what your opponent does.
The thing is, with enough training, or, using an art like the 4000 year old Chinese discipline of chi gung, you can learn to think incredibly quickly, thus, everything appears in extreme slow motion. For most people, such events seem to come randomly in their lives, if at all, typically, during some extreme accident or trauma or emergency. Yet, once one learns how, through mental training, one can constantly be in such a state of awareness. A super example from a fun movie is in the first Spiderman movie a few years ago when the main character, Peter, noticed a fly buzzing in extreme slow motion just as he was about to get into a fight scene in the film. Such stuff is not the mere fantasy of movies but nor simply the realm of those in desperate situations, but, can be with you always.
So, by developing your brain, for example by playing chess, you can indeed improve your surfing in ways you may not have anticipated. Interestingly enough, your surfing will enhance your chess and your chess will enhance your surfing, so, on those dark nights, such as tonight, at 2:12 AM when the world around me sleeps in the wilds of the woods outside my door, I sit here with my favorite Russian styled Chess set and, my other set, the one that's gone to the North Pole, it's a magnetic set and equally fun. I love chess sets and chess pieces, just as I love surfboards and surf fins. Of course, my true heart belongs to surfing, chess is simply a fun passion for me, yet, it has always been in my life since I was a little girl, in fact, interestingly enough, I just thought about it and I actually learned chess the same year I made my first surfboard. Funny, that. Between the two, my life followed chess in that I lived in the middle of the country after leaving the Great Lakes and my beloved surfing there. But now, I am near the sea and surfing is my life, as it has been since a year ago last Summer when I almost died. I got my board for Christmas last year thanks to Santa and a very very kind Robert August who personally shaped it for me, and began my surfing in the late Winter, learning the wilds of the Pacific Northwest then heading out to the North Shore. Oahu rocks, I truly admit that. And, what could be a cuter town that Haleiwa? Soon, when life is right, I shall live there. Had circumstances been different this Fall, my original plan, some of you may have read, was to surf there from September through Christmas, for about 4 months or so. Life got in the way, I lost a pet, now I have a torn meniscus, but, my heart still soars the waves.
Speaking of tearing my meniscus, according to the Doctor, a true specialist in the field, and one of the Pacific Northwests top guys, said such an injury would probably never heal, yet, at least after 6 weeks the pain should be gone he said. I tore it last Monday. Tonight, I just got through with about 3 hours of tightwire walking and balance training on my indoor tightwire. Too many bears and mountain lions hunting outside in the swamp on a dark night like this to train outside, perhaps when the moon is fuller. My knee, using chi gung for healing, feels GREAT!!! I feel solid, flexible, confident, stoked, agile, and strong tonight. Tomorrow should be interesting, that is to say, in a few hours when it gets light. I'll hit my loose rope for some Soft Rope training, shooting for 6 hours today. I should be able to make that since I just got in 3 hours okay.
I so hope that more surfers all over the world get into Chi Gung (Qigong) as a form of healing them of surfing injuries, it's truly an incredible discipline. In the meantime, my goal is to help as many hurt surfers as I can. And, along the way, perhaps get a good chess game in now and again. :)
Bodaciously Stoked,
Lily of the Valley
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Happy Samhain Tribe
Happy Samhain Tribe,
So, Halloween is upon us. Watch out for Wererats and Weresharks in hawaii, Werewolves in Europe as well as Werecats, and, over in Asia, beware of Weretigers. As for here, well, take care lest the WereOctopus grabs you out at Tentacles, it's been known to happen. Locally, most of the shaping shifting beasties are dogs, according to the local Native American legends, but some wolves come into play too. And of course, then there's all the shapeshifting sea creatures along the Pacific Northwest as well as over in the British Isles.
What fun.
I ended up tearing my meniscus, not on the near 50 foot wave, oh no, after all, that would have been a fun bar story. Instead, on a damned porch. Yep, a moss covered deck, and, off I went, into knee hell. I guess it's a good week for it, what with it being Samhain or Halloween week and all. It's laid me up for a few days so far. The Doctor says, such things never heal, but, with Chi Gung, I should be back and at em in no time. Basically, the meniscus is a type of cartilidge in the knee, and, because of the lack of blood supply, it typically can never heal in most people. That's where Bone Marrow Chi Gung comes into play. It's a way of restimulating the marrow in the bone, to change it from no marrow to marrow in older bones, and from yellow marrow to red marrow also in older bones. And, it also helps the blood flow. So, using Nei Dan Chi Gung as well as Wai Dan Chi Gung as forms of expression of Bone Marrow Chi Gung, I'll redirect the blood supply along the outside edge of the meniscus to redirect the small veins and such in the meniscus, to stimulate new bloodflow growth patterns, thus, sending fresh blood, oxygen, and Chi (Qi), into the torn wound within my knee.
Modern Western Medicine says it has to be cut out, if the damage progresses, since nothing can really be done, but, Chi Gung, being the root of Eastern Medicine, says there are ways to help it. My Knee Doctor, a leading guy in his field, says, if such a thing can happen, it'll be the makings of a Noble Prize in Medicine. We'll see about that. He wants to reexamine everything with his high intensity MRI 20X more powerful than most MRI's, in about 6 months, so, we'll see at that time whether your local surfer girl is up for a Nobel Prize or something of the sort. That would be rather fun. At any rate, in the meantime, I'll just do that which I do and give this a go with my way of healing.
And, what perfect timing to get so stupidly hurt, being such a magical time of year. A time filled with legends, mystery, magic, wonder, dreams, and the living dead, of course, not to mention werewolves and their like.
So, being hurt and all, yesterday I spent the day with my favorite movie, John Carpenter's The Thing, staring Kurt Russell. It's a GREAT horror /sci fi film. As such, I decorated my living room like an Arctic Explorer's base, sort of like in the movie, ate Military Expedition Rations, drank vodka, had a good supply of extra large ring sized (60) very dark (maduro) cigars on hand for guests of the dark woods, and played Russian Styled Chess (being of Siberian and Mongolian heritage - some of you may not have known that, this is my favorite style of Chess) on a travel chess set board that's been to the North Pole. How romantic is that!!! Sleeping on a military cot beneath a hammock, all night chess games, what greater fun for the limping wounded? I so need to get bit by something, anything will do, some were beastie or other, tonight to get some greaty lycantropy strength. Sigh. Hey, it could happen. After all, I live in the middle of the woods, in the middle of a swamp, at the very end of a single lane dirt trail, with a gypsy vardo (a gypsy wagon home) in my yard that I built myself. It doesn't get more creepy and eerie than that. I'll sit outside tonight, with a candle for light, play some chess with the clouds, and see what comes walking down the lonely path or crawls out of the creek, swamp, or woods.
Happy Halloween everyone,
Bodaciously Stoked,
Lily of the Valley
So, Halloween is upon us. Watch out for Wererats and Weresharks in hawaii, Werewolves in Europe as well as Werecats, and, over in Asia, beware of Weretigers. As for here, well, take care lest the WereOctopus grabs you out at Tentacles, it's been known to happen. Locally, most of the shaping shifting beasties are dogs, according to the local Native American legends, but some wolves come into play too. And of course, then there's all the shapeshifting sea creatures along the Pacific Northwest as well as over in the British Isles.
What fun.
I ended up tearing my meniscus, not on the near 50 foot wave, oh no, after all, that would have been a fun bar story. Instead, on a damned porch. Yep, a moss covered deck, and, off I went, into knee hell. I guess it's a good week for it, what with it being Samhain or Halloween week and all. It's laid me up for a few days so far. The Doctor says, such things never heal, but, with Chi Gung, I should be back and at em in no time. Basically, the meniscus is a type of cartilidge in the knee, and, because of the lack of blood supply, it typically can never heal in most people. That's where Bone Marrow Chi Gung comes into play. It's a way of restimulating the marrow in the bone, to change it from no marrow to marrow in older bones, and from yellow marrow to red marrow also in older bones. And, it also helps the blood flow. So, using Nei Dan Chi Gung as well as Wai Dan Chi Gung as forms of expression of Bone Marrow Chi Gung, I'll redirect the blood supply along the outside edge of the meniscus to redirect the small veins and such in the meniscus, to stimulate new bloodflow growth patterns, thus, sending fresh blood, oxygen, and Chi (Qi), into the torn wound within my knee.
Modern Western Medicine says it has to be cut out, if the damage progresses, since nothing can really be done, but, Chi Gung, being the root of Eastern Medicine, says there are ways to help it. My Knee Doctor, a leading guy in his field, says, if such a thing can happen, it'll be the makings of a Noble Prize in Medicine. We'll see about that. He wants to reexamine everything with his high intensity MRI 20X more powerful than most MRI's, in about 6 months, so, we'll see at that time whether your local surfer girl is up for a Nobel Prize or something of the sort. That would be rather fun. At any rate, in the meantime, I'll just do that which I do and give this a go with my way of healing.
And, what perfect timing to get so stupidly hurt, being such a magical time of year. A time filled with legends, mystery, magic, wonder, dreams, and the living dead, of course, not to mention werewolves and their like.
So, being hurt and all, yesterday I spent the day with my favorite movie, John Carpenter's The Thing, staring Kurt Russell. It's a GREAT horror /sci fi film. As such, I decorated my living room like an Arctic Explorer's base, sort of like in the movie, ate Military Expedition Rations, drank vodka, had a good supply of extra large ring sized (60) very dark (maduro) cigars on hand for guests of the dark woods, and played Russian Styled Chess (being of Siberian and Mongolian heritage - some of you may not have known that, this is my favorite style of Chess) on a travel chess set board that's been to the North Pole. How romantic is that!!! Sleeping on a military cot beneath a hammock, all night chess games, what greater fun for the limping wounded? I so need to get bit by something, anything will do, some were beastie or other, tonight to get some greaty lycantropy strength. Sigh. Hey, it could happen. After all, I live in the middle of the woods, in the middle of a swamp, at the very end of a single lane dirt trail, with a gypsy vardo (a gypsy wagon home) in my yard that I built myself. It doesn't get more creepy and eerie than that. I'll sit outside tonight, with a candle for light, play some chess with the clouds, and see what comes walking down the lonely path or crawls out of the creek, swamp, or woods.
Happy Halloween everyone,
Bodaciously Stoked,
Lily of the Valley
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Come Monday 47 Foot
Aloha Tribe,
And still she grows. some of the waves in the Wilds should hit 47 foot (Triple Overhead).
As a Watergirl student under one of the world's original Legends and originators of Big Wave Surfers, it seems like sort of a moral imperative to hit both breaks, simply as a means of self experimentation, of course. A 20% or so increase like that would be interesting as a comparative study in riding pressure based on height, probably thickness, and of naturally, mostly, Chi Analysis based on Yang Flow.
I admit it, I most certainly have never surfed a wave like this epic 47 footer yet, few, I'd imagine, have tried paddling into such a beast (I'm not Jet Ski trained and besides, I'm being trained in and truly love the ways of old-school, afterall, there's got to be a first time for a big wave virgin. Besides, when your mentor, who happens to be one of the greatest Big Wave Surfers ever says you're ready by saying the classic "fucking go for it" especially, when you feel it in your heart and know you've trained the best you can. After all, sometimes you just have to jump into the proverbial deep end of the pool, not for fame, not for glory, but simply for Soul Surfing, for, none will probably see this ride, who could, after all, for purity of the true essence of Soul Surfing, all one would need do is stick Number 9's.
I'd imagine that 47 Foot will probably reach a speed of about 35 mph or so, maybe more. Thus, here are the rules I've been told to follow (plus a couple of my thoughts on them following a few...
1. Be Ahead of the Game - Know yourself, know what to do, then, do it with 100% commitment.
2. No Mishaps - Once, I was preparing to go out with my mentor and another legend and I was told to "keep up," and, "do what we do." And, "oh, by the way, no falling."
3. Be Safe
4. Be Strong - Like the She-Hulk and the Silver Surfer (my literary fictional heroes who I literally base my training on).
5. Be Happy - I live by this one
6. Be Fast - Think like lightning, move like Quick Silver (mercury)
7. Be Cool - This one is pure Chi Gung
8. Be Calm -Also pure Chi Gung as well as my life style and natural expression.
9. Be Collective
Bodaciously Stoked,
Lily of the Valley
And still she grows. some of the waves in the Wilds should hit 47 foot (Triple Overhead).
As a Watergirl student under one of the world's original Legends and originators of Big Wave Surfers, it seems like sort of a moral imperative to hit both breaks, simply as a means of self experimentation, of course. A 20% or so increase like that would be interesting as a comparative study in riding pressure based on height, probably thickness, and of naturally, mostly, Chi Analysis based on Yang Flow.
I admit it, I most certainly have never surfed a wave like this epic 47 footer yet, few, I'd imagine, have tried paddling into such a beast (I'm not Jet Ski trained and besides, I'm being trained in and truly love the ways of old-school, afterall, there's got to be a first time for a big wave virgin. Besides, when your mentor, who happens to be one of the greatest Big Wave Surfers ever says you're ready by saying the classic "fucking go for it" especially, when you feel it in your heart and know you've trained the best you can. After all, sometimes you just have to jump into the proverbial deep end of the pool, not for fame, not for glory, but simply for Soul Surfing, for, none will probably see this ride, who could, after all, for purity of the true essence of Soul Surfing, all one would need do is stick Number 9's.
I'd imagine that 47 Foot will probably reach a speed of about 35 mph or so, maybe more. Thus, here are the rules I've been told to follow (plus a couple of my thoughts on them following a few...
1. Be Ahead of the Game - Know yourself, know what to do, then, do it with 100% commitment.
2. No Mishaps - Once, I was preparing to go out with my mentor and another legend and I was told to "keep up," and, "do what we do." And, "oh, by the way, no falling."
3. Be Safe
4. Be Strong - Like the She-Hulk and the Silver Surfer (my literary fictional heroes who I literally base my training on).
5. Be Happy - I live by this one
6. Be Fast - Think like lightning, move like Quick Silver (mercury)
7. Be Cool - This one is pure Chi Gung
8. Be Calm -Also pure Chi Gung as well as my life style and natural expression.
9. Be Collective
Bodaciously Stoked,
Lily of the Valley
Friday, October 22, 2010
35 Foot This Monday Dawn Patrol in the Wilds: The Chi Surfer
Aloha Tribe,
So, the coming swell is growing, and, shifting north. It'll hit here, in the Wilds, for Dawn Patrol Monday morniing. It should be about 35 foot with a 16 second Period.
I hope I can make it. It all depends on what happens Saturday. If I do go, my focus, as always, will be on Chi Surfing. That's where, while surfing, you absorb the Chi of the wave and store it in your Dan Tien. This stored energy can then be used later in a variety of situations, such as self healing if your hurt or sick or healing or helping others in need.
Bodaciously Stoked,
Lily of the Valley
So, the coming swell is growing, and, shifting north. It'll hit here, in the Wilds, for Dawn Patrol Monday morniing. It should be about 35 foot with a 16 second Period.
I hope I can make it. It all depends on what happens Saturday. If I do go, my focus, as always, will be on Chi Surfing. That's where, while surfing, you absorb the Chi of the wave and store it in your Dan Tien. This stored energy can then be used later in a variety of situations, such as self healing if your hurt or sick or healing or helping others in need.
Bodaciously Stoked,
Lily of the Valley
Thursday, October 21, 2010
NOHO Surf Balance Trainer: Glasses of Water: Perfect Steadyness: for Surfing, Slacklining, Soft Rope Walking, and Tight Wire Walking
Aloha Tribe,
I'm always using new and fun ways of working out with my NOHO Surf Balance Trainer attached to my longboard. What I seek, is perfection. Namely, perfect steadyness.
So, along this line, I have 12 plastic margaritta glasses that can be filled with water. And, these are then placed 6 to a side, nose to tail, of my longboard. The idea is, to not only make sure no glasses fall off the board, but more so, that no water spills, and, more than that, I am working on having the water as smooth as possible in the glasses.
With certain moves, like, the Drop Knee Cutback, where I like to drop my rear knee, in my case, my left knee, right down to the board with merely a fraction of an inch of room to spar. I find in this position, that it works my right thigh muscles, the quadriceps the best. With a weak leg muscle in your front leg, you'll probably notice that your board will shake intensely. But, simply stick with it. Do it again and again and again, really working your leg and buns muscles.
Try for perfection. After all, why not? For, in perfection, one finds art.
So, instead of doing the normal Cross Stepping moves, I've been working on walking like I would on both my Soft Rope and Slackline, as well as on my Tight Wire. Both types of balance and walking offer different experiences in balance and different muscle development.
To walk like you would on a Slackline or Soft Rope, you use your hips and knees to balance. Stand on one foot and get your balance. Then, when you have it, and you're sure you have it, slowly, smoothly bring your rear foot forward until it is roughtly even with your side. Then, for the shear practice of it, lift your leg as high to your side as you can, using your gluteus medius muscle to do this. If you can lift your foot, to your side, as high as your shoulder or higher, you're doing great, this, of course, requires not only strength, but also super balance. Then, slowly lower and raise your leg a bit, playing with your balance, feeling it out, experimenting, seeing how far you can go. When you are ready, slowly bring your foot that has been raised in front of your supporting foot and softly place weight on it, ball of the foot first, then toes, then heel. Once you have your weight on your front foot, begin the process again, only this time, you bring your other leg forward, and thus, it extends out and up to the opposite side of your previous leg. Do this for several steps on your NOHO Surf Balance Trainer, walking from the Tail to the Nose in this manner. Then, walk backwards, using the same process only in reverse.
Once you get back to where you started, it is now time to try Tight Wire styled walking. For this, your balance comes from your arms instead of from your hips and knees. And, thus, instead of holding your legs one at a a time out to the sides of your body like you did in the previous exercise, you simply bring each rear foot and place it surely in front of the supporting foot. This form of walking is less wobbly and more stable.
You'll find, if you practice both of these styles, that your coordination and balance on your longboard will skyrocket in leaps and bounds of joyful expression.
So, I do these types of exercises on my longboard, along with any other surfing moves I might want to practice on any given day, and then, I walk on a wooden pole that I have set up right next to my NOHO Surf Balance Trainer. The pole is one inch wide and 10 feet long. It offers a test of the previous exercises.
What I do is I do several laps on my longboard, then several laps on the pole, then several laps on my longboard, hour after hour. Or, if I want variance, I simply do the same thing in the Loft, using my Tight Wire Simulator and my home-made solid wood surfboard that sits on 4 balance disks.
I'm finding that the variation between going from the moving longboard to the steady wood pole and back, again and again and again, truly challenges my body and muscles. Oh, and, if you like, playing Surf Music and '60's Rock both seem to offer good vibrations for training with, giving your movements a sense of flow you might not otherwise have had.
Bodaciously Stoked,
Lily of the Valley
I'm always using new and fun ways of working out with my NOHO Surf Balance Trainer attached to my longboard. What I seek, is perfection. Namely, perfect steadyness.
So, along this line, I have 12 plastic margaritta glasses that can be filled with water. And, these are then placed 6 to a side, nose to tail, of my longboard. The idea is, to not only make sure no glasses fall off the board, but more so, that no water spills, and, more than that, I am working on having the water as smooth as possible in the glasses.
With certain moves, like, the Drop Knee Cutback, where I like to drop my rear knee, in my case, my left knee, right down to the board with merely a fraction of an inch of room to spar. I find in this position, that it works my right thigh muscles, the quadriceps the best. With a weak leg muscle in your front leg, you'll probably notice that your board will shake intensely. But, simply stick with it. Do it again and again and again, really working your leg and buns muscles.
Try for perfection. After all, why not? For, in perfection, one finds art.
So, instead of doing the normal Cross Stepping moves, I've been working on walking like I would on both my Soft Rope and Slackline, as well as on my Tight Wire. Both types of balance and walking offer different experiences in balance and different muscle development.
To walk like you would on a Slackline or Soft Rope, you use your hips and knees to balance. Stand on one foot and get your balance. Then, when you have it, and you're sure you have it, slowly, smoothly bring your rear foot forward until it is roughtly even with your side. Then, for the shear practice of it, lift your leg as high to your side as you can, using your gluteus medius muscle to do this. If you can lift your foot, to your side, as high as your shoulder or higher, you're doing great, this, of course, requires not only strength, but also super balance. Then, slowly lower and raise your leg a bit, playing with your balance, feeling it out, experimenting, seeing how far you can go. When you are ready, slowly bring your foot that has been raised in front of your supporting foot and softly place weight on it, ball of the foot first, then toes, then heel. Once you have your weight on your front foot, begin the process again, only this time, you bring your other leg forward, and thus, it extends out and up to the opposite side of your previous leg. Do this for several steps on your NOHO Surf Balance Trainer, walking from the Tail to the Nose in this manner. Then, walk backwards, using the same process only in reverse.
Once you get back to where you started, it is now time to try Tight Wire styled walking. For this, your balance comes from your arms instead of from your hips and knees. And, thus, instead of holding your legs one at a a time out to the sides of your body like you did in the previous exercise, you simply bring each rear foot and place it surely in front of the supporting foot. This form of walking is less wobbly and more stable.
You'll find, if you practice both of these styles, that your coordination and balance on your longboard will skyrocket in leaps and bounds of joyful expression.
So, I do these types of exercises on my longboard, along with any other surfing moves I might want to practice on any given day, and then, I walk on a wooden pole that I have set up right next to my NOHO Surf Balance Trainer. The pole is one inch wide and 10 feet long. It offers a test of the previous exercises.
What I do is I do several laps on my longboard, then several laps on the pole, then several laps on my longboard, hour after hour. Or, if I want variance, I simply do the same thing in the Loft, using my Tight Wire Simulator and my home-made solid wood surfboard that sits on 4 balance disks.
I'm finding that the variation between going from the moving longboard to the steady wood pole and back, again and again and again, truly challenges my body and muscles. Oh, and, if you like, playing Surf Music and '60's Rock both seem to offer good vibrations for training with, giving your movements a sense of flow you might not otherwise have had.
Bodaciously Stoked,
Lily of the Valley
Developing Sensitive Feet for Surfing, Slacklining, Tight Wire Walking, and Soft Rope Penetatration Arts
Aloha Tribe,
Would you like to make your feet more sensitive, so that no matter what your balance sport is, that you can feel your board or wire or rope better?
Well, here's a tip. Get some Chinese Wolf Berry and mix it with Sea Salt. Boil this. Then, while it's still warm, rub it into the soles of your feet. This method comes from the Chinese Soft Rope Penetration Arts for Soft Rope Walking. Now, here's the addition secret, and, the key to Chi Gung, for that matter.
Breath.
Okay, there's a bit more than that. Here's how. Inhale and exhale through your nose (not your mouth) as softly, slowly, and beautifully as you can - and, this means no noise. Your breath should be smooth and flowing.
As you do this, inhaling and exhaling as slowly as you can (perhaps 5 or 6 seconds on the inhale and 5 or 6 seconds on the exhale or whatever is good for you, to start with), eventually working up to 8 minutes plus per inhale, never stopping during that time but making a single inhalation literally last that long. It, takes practice.
As you do the breathing, a secret Chi Gung key is to have your tongue pressed against the roof of your mouth, on, the soft palete. In other words, you tongue curves back and up and touches the top of the inside of your mouth.
Keep your tongue held here the entire exercise. The reason has to do with how energy or Chi flows through the body.
Once you can do this, simply at this point, feel the warm water on the soles of your feet, bring your mind and attention to the damp warm feeling. Where you mind goes, your Chi flows.
As you try to sense the bottoms of your soles, focus on this particularly while inhaling. The reason for this it will help to draw Chi from the Wolfberry and Sea Salt into the soles of your feet, which, by the way, happen to be two of the five easiest spots on the human body to absorb Chi, Qi, or energy. In Japanese, by the way, the word for Chi or Qi is Ki. In Scotland, it' Maucht. Prana, in Hindi. Different word, same thing. In this case, a warm damp foot that is quickly drying off as you do this exercise.
By combining the herb and mineral as well as doing the breathing, your feet, will, in time, grow softer and more receptive to feelings and sensations. With this, you can then be more aware of all parts of the bottom of your foot in great detail, which, can then allow you to fully develop each of your foot muscles, which, are so vital in surfing (DD and Laird Hamilton have talked about this), as well as in Tight Wire, Tight Rope, Slackline, and Soft Rope.
In my Chi Gung training at the Master level back in the day, one thing I had to do was drink boiled wolfberry twice a day as well as eat it twice a day. Nasty tasting and smelling, by the way, but, a great way to increase Chi and thus your energy. Personally, while the smell is not great as you boil it, at least you're rubbing it on your feet and not eating or drinking it several times every day. Blech. But, part of the training, so, whatevers it takes.
Bodaciously Stoked,
Lily of the Valley
Would you like to make your feet more sensitive, so that no matter what your balance sport is, that you can feel your board or wire or rope better?
Well, here's a tip. Get some Chinese Wolf Berry and mix it with Sea Salt. Boil this. Then, while it's still warm, rub it into the soles of your feet. This method comes from the Chinese Soft Rope Penetration Arts for Soft Rope Walking. Now, here's the addition secret, and, the key to Chi Gung, for that matter.
Breath.
Okay, there's a bit more than that. Here's how. Inhale and exhale through your nose (not your mouth) as softly, slowly, and beautifully as you can - and, this means no noise. Your breath should be smooth and flowing.
As you do this, inhaling and exhaling as slowly as you can (perhaps 5 or 6 seconds on the inhale and 5 or 6 seconds on the exhale or whatever is good for you, to start with), eventually working up to 8 minutes plus per inhale, never stopping during that time but making a single inhalation literally last that long. It, takes practice.
As you do the breathing, a secret Chi Gung key is to have your tongue pressed against the roof of your mouth, on, the soft palete. In other words, you tongue curves back and up and touches the top of the inside of your mouth.
Keep your tongue held here the entire exercise. The reason has to do with how energy or Chi flows through the body.
Once you can do this, simply at this point, feel the warm water on the soles of your feet, bring your mind and attention to the damp warm feeling. Where you mind goes, your Chi flows.
As you try to sense the bottoms of your soles, focus on this particularly while inhaling. The reason for this it will help to draw Chi from the Wolfberry and Sea Salt into the soles of your feet, which, by the way, happen to be two of the five easiest spots on the human body to absorb Chi, Qi, or energy. In Japanese, by the way, the word for Chi or Qi is Ki. In Scotland, it' Maucht. Prana, in Hindi. Different word, same thing. In this case, a warm damp foot that is quickly drying off as you do this exercise.
By combining the herb and mineral as well as doing the breathing, your feet, will, in time, grow softer and more receptive to feelings and sensations. With this, you can then be more aware of all parts of the bottom of your foot in great detail, which, can then allow you to fully develop each of your foot muscles, which, are so vital in surfing (DD and Laird Hamilton have talked about this), as well as in Tight Wire, Tight Rope, Slackline, and Soft Rope.
In my Chi Gung training at the Master level back in the day, one thing I had to do was drink boiled wolfberry twice a day as well as eat it twice a day. Nasty tasting and smelling, by the way, but, a great way to increase Chi and thus your energy. Personally, while the smell is not great as you boil it, at least you're rubbing it on your feet and not eating or drinking it several times every day. Blech. But, part of the training, so, whatevers it takes.
Bodaciously Stoked,
Lily of the Valley
28 Foot (Triple Overhead) Sunday in the Wilds, 35 Foot a few hours South
Aloha Tribe,
The massive storm coming, is racing a bit ahead of schedule, it now looks like, driving big 28 foot waves toward me to arrive on this coming Sunday. Yesterday, it looked like it might be Monday, but now, it is coming sooner. Or, if I wanted to go for a couple hours extra drive, I could find some 35 footers (Triple Overheads).
Now granted, these waves will be tough if not nearly impossible, and, dangerous beyond all reason, mostly because of the fact they'll be Closed Out, but also simply because of how the waves hit here. Perhaps a few might dare them, that'd be awesome to sit in the Line Up with you and meet you. But, if this is like it was last Winter and early Spring, I'll be the only one out. Dangerous and foolish, by the way to do that, so, please, don't anybody else try something like that. You truly need to know how to survive in that kind of sea, how to swim it, how to take the beatings, and here, how to even punch through it.
It requires a special kind of move that I've worked on all Summer and Fall, getting ready, for that time when you do find yourself in the sea beneath a mountain about to destroy you. It's a way of using Chi Gung, as a form of swimming, to guide yourself through the inevitable spin cycle to survival.
Helpful too, of course, is breath control, in fact, it's vital because, unlike the beautiful waves on the North Shore of Oahu, for example, with their long periods and perfect faces, here, the biting cold water will tear at your soul and the short periods will be more than you ever imagined as you are hit by wave after wave after wave, held under, at times, for an eternity. If you can hold your breath under such circumstances for 8 minutes or more in such situations, it can save your very life. If you can't, you really shouldn't be out without realizing the risk you're taking.
Waves like this, in the Wilds, happen. And, when it's all you have, you have to learn to live with it and more so, to play with it, for, it's all there is. But it takes a certain way of looking at the sea to long to step up and dance in dangerous situations like this.
Sunday, Monday, whenevers, when this storm comes, the sea will be a monster. And all who dare her embrace will be in for a thrashing. So, respect is vital. The sea, she is alive, she has a spirit, a soul, and, this must be honored as Watermen and Watergirls know.
Oh, and, leave your watercraft at HOME. The wilds is for, primitive surfing, wild space, the embrace of nature in her fury and in her primal feral darkness. If you want it, really want it, then, learn to paddle out in this kind of set. Let others play with their gasoline toys in other lands. Here, there be beasts.
One of the exercises I will be doing out there, is working with my Swiss Ball. Darrick Doerner (DD), the famous big wave surfer and my surfing and Watergirl mentor, has taught me how to do some very special exercises with it in seas like this. So, I'll have my board, my Swiss ball, and, my Coast Guard Rescue Swimmer Rocket fins for some serious Coastal Swimming. As a Watergirl, there is so much for me to do and train in wild seas. So, such storms make me smile. Which is, by the way, one of the secrets in this kind of sea, for if your smile is genuine, you can understand yourself and have a loose body. Fear will make you tense, so what one needs instead, is to respect the sea in all of her teachings as she talks to us and shows us all, as members of The Tribe, to understand her language and to speak with her in her own tongue, in her own way, in her own time.
In the meantime, until this weekend comes, I shall be back to the Basics, again and again and again. Studying the sea and surf science, training my balance, my endurance, my strength in various ways, (roughly 28 or so that I mentioned way back in the Fall or early Winter about a year ago or so. My training, as always, will be intense, all day and most of the night, every day and night. It's about 2:15 AM or so right now, on a night with a near full moon, I am up, and, I am training. My day ahead will be long and brutal and necessary and it has me stoked. In the next few days ahead, I'll sleep only an hour or two a day, and eat only water, bringing my body as close as I can inside and outside to her natural watery state. And, after I surf, on Sunday or Monday or whenevers, when the seas lay down a bit, I'll get some rest and revitalize and restrengthen my body, mind, and spirit doing Chi Gung and of course, honoring the sea by having a fish taco and some fruit (a very watery food - much yin).
Bodaciously Stoked,
Lily of the Valley
The massive storm coming, is racing a bit ahead of schedule, it now looks like, driving big 28 foot waves toward me to arrive on this coming Sunday. Yesterday, it looked like it might be Monday, but now, it is coming sooner. Or, if I wanted to go for a couple hours extra drive, I could find some 35 footers (Triple Overheads).
Now granted, these waves will be tough if not nearly impossible, and, dangerous beyond all reason, mostly because of the fact they'll be Closed Out, but also simply because of how the waves hit here. Perhaps a few might dare them, that'd be awesome to sit in the Line Up with you and meet you. But, if this is like it was last Winter and early Spring, I'll be the only one out. Dangerous and foolish, by the way to do that, so, please, don't anybody else try something like that. You truly need to know how to survive in that kind of sea, how to swim it, how to take the beatings, and here, how to even punch through it.
It requires a special kind of move that I've worked on all Summer and Fall, getting ready, for that time when you do find yourself in the sea beneath a mountain about to destroy you. It's a way of using Chi Gung, as a form of swimming, to guide yourself through the inevitable spin cycle to survival.
Helpful too, of course, is breath control, in fact, it's vital because, unlike the beautiful waves on the North Shore of Oahu, for example, with their long periods and perfect faces, here, the biting cold water will tear at your soul and the short periods will be more than you ever imagined as you are hit by wave after wave after wave, held under, at times, for an eternity. If you can hold your breath under such circumstances for 8 minutes or more in such situations, it can save your very life. If you can't, you really shouldn't be out without realizing the risk you're taking.
Waves like this, in the Wilds, happen. And, when it's all you have, you have to learn to live with it and more so, to play with it, for, it's all there is. But it takes a certain way of looking at the sea to long to step up and dance in dangerous situations like this.
Sunday, Monday, whenevers, when this storm comes, the sea will be a monster. And all who dare her embrace will be in for a thrashing. So, respect is vital. The sea, she is alive, she has a spirit, a soul, and, this must be honored as Watermen and Watergirls know.
Oh, and, leave your watercraft at HOME. The wilds is for, primitive surfing, wild space, the embrace of nature in her fury and in her primal feral darkness. If you want it, really want it, then, learn to paddle out in this kind of set. Let others play with their gasoline toys in other lands. Here, there be beasts.
One of the exercises I will be doing out there, is working with my Swiss Ball. Darrick Doerner (DD), the famous big wave surfer and my surfing and Watergirl mentor, has taught me how to do some very special exercises with it in seas like this. So, I'll have my board, my Swiss ball, and, my Coast Guard Rescue Swimmer Rocket fins for some serious Coastal Swimming. As a Watergirl, there is so much for me to do and train in wild seas. So, such storms make me smile. Which is, by the way, one of the secrets in this kind of sea, for if your smile is genuine, you can understand yourself and have a loose body. Fear will make you tense, so what one needs instead, is to respect the sea in all of her teachings as she talks to us and shows us all, as members of The Tribe, to understand her language and to speak with her in her own tongue, in her own way, in her own time.
In the meantime, until this weekend comes, I shall be back to the Basics, again and again and again. Studying the sea and surf science, training my balance, my endurance, my strength in various ways, (roughly 28 or so that I mentioned way back in the Fall or early Winter about a year ago or so. My training, as always, will be intense, all day and most of the night, every day and night. It's about 2:15 AM or so right now, on a night with a near full moon, I am up, and, I am training. My day ahead will be long and brutal and necessary and it has me stoked. In the next few days ahead, I'll sleep only an hour or two a day, and eat only water, bringing my body as close as I can inside and outside to her natural watery state. And, after I surf, on Sunday or Monday or whenevers, when the seas lay down a bit, I'll get some rest and revitalize and restrengthen my body, mind, and spirit doing Chi Gung and of course, honoring the sea by having a fish taco and some fruit (a very watery food - much yin).
Bodaciously Stoked,
Lily of the Valley
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Triple Overhead (18 footers) this Weekend, 28 footers coming Monday!!!
Aloha Tribe,
So, this weekend should be a wild time surfing, swimming, and Coastal Swimming. There should be Triple Overhead 18 foot waves this weekend with about 13 second periods. But the fun really begins on Monday, yep, Monday, with 28 Footers bashing those brave enough to dare to hell and back. Oh my gosh, talk about totally killer.
Pretty exciting. I do have to see my Veteranarian on Saturday, about one of my chickens - I so hope she turns out okay, but then, after that, the weekend is wide open. I'm rather stoked.
Today was a good day of training, I had to workout at home but first, I got in about 6 hours of Slacklining, Tight Wire Walking, Loose Rope Walking, as well as my Remo Williams gym workout in, and then, I really got to work with a few more hours of training doing some mountain biking, some hiking, and, the creme de la creme, tightrope and loose rope walking training on the swinging bridge across the river (walking this is like getting hit by a major wave with every step, a total balance killer).
Bodaciously Stoked,
Lily of the Valley
So, this weekend should be a wild time surfing, swimming, and Coastal Swimming. There should be Triple Overhead 18 foot waves this weekend with about 13 second periods. But the fun really begins on Monday, yep, Monday, with 28 Footers bashing those brave enough to dare to hell and back. Oh my gosh, talk about totally killer.
Pretty exciting. I do have to see my Veteranarian on Saturday, about one of my chickens - I so hope she turns out okay, but then, after that, the weekend is wide open. I'm rather stoked.
Today was a good day of training, I had to workout at home but first, I got in about 6 hours of Slacklining, Tight Wire Walking, Loose Rope Walking, as well as my Remo Williams gym workout in, and then, I really got to work with a few more hours of training doing some mountain biking, some hiking, and, the creme de la creme, tightrope and loose rope walking training on the swinging bridge across the river (walking this is like getting hit by a major wave with every step, a total balance killer).
Bodaciously Stoked,
Lily of the Valley
Monday, October 18, 2010
Psoas Major and Iliacus Muscles for Balance: Rather sexy
Aloha Tribe,
I just got done walking about 30 trips on my Tight Wire Simulator, after, my previous 4 hour balance workout this morning, and it was really fun to see my morning workout paying off.
My Tight Wire walking was really fun. More so, it really way totally worked my Psoas Major muscles and my Iliacus Muscles. Not only does it feel great to push those muscles, but to actually see them changing these last few weeks, to see them taking shape is kind of sexy and fun. They're cute muscles, and, of course, they have very practical applications for many forms of sports as well as for artistic physical expression.
These muscles, the Psoas Major and the Iliacus, as well as the Gluteus Maximus and Gluteus Medius, will be super beneficial for Riding Sliding Ass on my new home-made solid wood, skegless, surfboard. That's awesomely cool, because I love that feeling and it's my favorite riding style and on my new board, the muscles will really go into overdrive and develop even more with the heavy plank.
Bodaciously Stoked,
Lily of the Valley
I just got done walking about 30 trips on my Tight Wire Simulator, after, my previous 4 hour balance workout this morning, and it was really fun to see my morning workout paying off.
My Tight Wire walking was really fun. More so, it really way totally worked my Psoas Major muscles and my Iliacus Muscles. Not only does it feel great to push those muscles, but to actually see them changing these last few weeks, to see them taking shape is kind of sexy and fun. They're cute muscles, and, of course, they have very practical applications for many forms of sports as well as for artistic physical expression.
These muscles, the Psoas Major and the Iliacus, as well as the Gluteus Maximus and Gluteus Medius, will be super beneficial for Riding Sliding Ass on my new home-made solid wood, skegless, surfboard. That's awesomely cool, because I love that feeling and it's my favorite riding style and on my new board, the muscles will really go into overdrive and develop even more with the heavy plank.
Bodaciously Stoked,
Lily of the Valley
Balance Training Loft: Remo Williams Style for Surfing
Aloha Tribe,
My loft is coming together. I have several stations in it, put together as a run or sequence to follow. Of course, it can be reversed, as well as alter direction at any of the changeover spots.
The stations, so far are...
1. 10 foot long home-made solid wood surfboard on rail roller - allowing side to side movements both to the left and to the right just as though you were doing a Frontside Turn or a Backside Turn.
2. Balance Log with 2 x 6, eight foot, board, allowing forward and backward balance simulation. This movement while surfing replicas dropping the nose for increased speed or for practicing Pearling maneuvers such as a 180 Pearling Pullout Spin, or sinking your tail for stalling or slowing down, as well as to prevent pearling.
3. Walking Chain - a 20' chain that hangs loosely or can sit on the floor to walk and balance on (1" links).
4. Walking Pole - a wooden dowel (I have several of these) for balance beam type walking (1" diameter, 10 foot long). This can sit on the floor, or, be suspended at each end by ropes.
5. Elevated 2 x 6 x 8' walk between two wooden saw horses.
6. Walking Pole - one of three.
7. Army helmet (as a "post," to stand on) - there are two of these.
8. Army Storage Chest - to walk on edge
9. series of several varied size ammo boxes (about 6 of them) to walk on, some are roughly 4 x 8 x 6 others are 2 x 8 x 4.
10. 2 x 4 balance beam 8' long. Elevated.
11. Walking Bricks - a series of bricks to step on from brick to brick There are 8 bricks, laid out in a Baqua pattern circle that is painted on the floor for Baqua training.
12. Clawfoot Bathtub (cast iron and ceramic coated) - walk and balance on edges.
13. Two ceramic planters ( for Chinese Soft Rope Penetration vase training) - balancing on edges while taking water out of planters with bucket. The planters start out filled with water, then, every few days, you take a bucket of water out, making the vase more tippy in the process, until eventually, there is no water and simply the vase or planter to stand on the edge on top of it.
14. 11mm static Assault Rappeling Rope hung loose for Rope Dancing - loose rope balance and walking ( 200 foot)
15. Wine Barrels - for standing on and Rolling - there are 3. Watch one of the more recent The Musketeer and you'll see d'Artagnan rolling on top of and balancing on wine barrels - a fun scene and my inspiration for this part of my training.
16. Dresser plank to Wine Barrel - 2 x 6 board for sitting on.
17. Dresser plank to Wine Barrel 2 x 8 board for laying on.
18. Tight Wire Simulator Standing Station - for standing in one spot, both feet on line for as long as possible without loosing balance and while keeping both feet in contact with wire. Currently, about 2 minutes 23 seconds. Up from 37 seconds two days ago, 25 seconds the day before that, 8 seconds a few days before that, and 3 seconds before that.
19. Balance pole for stepping over and under
20. Loose Rope - 25 foot long. Suspended in elongated U shape.
21. Tight Wire Simulator - 10 foot long (made of two portable sections). A third 5 foot portable section is in my bedroom. It can be moved about my home at will, such as to the Surfing Library, by the fireplace, outdoors by the creek or by my Gypsy Vardo, in the living room, to the office, in the kitchen, and so on.
I'll be adding more stations soon. A tight wire station, a slackline station, a swaying balance pole, manilla ropes of various diameters from 1/2" to 2"and so on.
The type of training I'm doing is a form of Light Body Kung Fu focusing in Chi Gung, for developing perfect body balance for my surfing and, ultimately, high wire walking - I see all of my training as linked together for a common purpose. I can practice on my various pieces of equipment, both in the loft and also outdoors, as well as in my Surfing Library on my NOHO Surf Balance Trainer.
The workout begins and ends on my surfboard, thus, I am freshest before the several hour workout and also, the most fatigued after the workout for another session of surfing or surfing training.
I'll get up some photos soon, of all the various stations, both indoors as well as outdoors.
In addition to training out in the Loft (several hundred yards down the dirt lane), I train in my home constantly on various wood poles, metal pipes, and manilla rope as well as the edges and rails and backs of furniture, which allows me to move and walk around almost anywhere in my home while balanced on at least one of these. At first, I did this only while doing chores, now, I travel like this everywhere I go in my home, whether to the kitchen, library, various rooms, bedroom, or even the bathroom. Thus, if I'm not out in the waves surfing, anytime I'm home or in my yard, I'm training balance. It's fun to see how my muscles are changing, shaping, and strengthening as well as my balance becoming more graceful, thus allowing me greater access to moving softly and beautifully for greater Chi Gung applications to my movment, matching, my external body with my internal energy flow.
Bodaciously Stoked,
Lily of the Valley
My loft is coming together. I have several stations in it, put together as a run or sequence to follow. Of course, it can be reversed, as well as alter direction at any of the changeover spots.
The stations, so far are...
1. 10 foot long home-made solid wood surfboard on rail roller - allowing side to side movements both to the left and to the right just as though you were doing a Frontside Turn or a Backside Turn.
2. Balance Log with 2 x 6, eight foot, board, allowing forward and backward balance simulation. This movement while surfing replicas dropping the nose for increased speed or for practicing Pearling maneuvers such as a 180 Pearling Pullout Spin, or sinking your tail for stalling or slowing down, as well as to prevent pearling.
3. Walking Chain - a 20' chain that hangs loosely or can sit on the floor to walk and balance on (1" links).
4. Walking Pole - a wooden dowel (I have several of these) for balance beam type walking (1" diameter, 10 foot long). This can sit on the floor, or, be suspended at each end by ropes.
5. Elevated 2 x 6 x 8' walk between two wooden saw horses.
6. Walking Pole - one of three.
7. Army helmet (as a "post," to stand on) - there are two of these.
8. Army Storage Chest - to walk on edge
9. series of several varied size ammo boxes (about 6 of them) to walk on, some are roughly 4 x 8 x 6 others are 2 x 8 x 4.
10. 2 x 4 balance beam 8' long. Elevated.
11. Walking Bricks - a series of bricks to step on from brick to brick There are 8 bricks, laid out in a Baqua pattern circle that is painted on the floor for Baqua training.
12. Clawfoot Bathtub (cast iron and ceramic coated) - walk and balance on edges.
13. Two ceramic planters ( for Chinese Soft Rope Penetration vase training) - balancing on edges while taking water out of planters with bucket. The planters start out filled with water, then, every few days, you take a bucket of water out, making the vase more tippy in the process, until eventually, there is no water and simply the vase or planter to stand on the edge on top of it.
14. 11mm static Assault Rappeling Rope hung loose for Rope Dancing - loose rope balance and walking ( 200 foot)
15. Wine Barrels - for standing on and Rolling - there are 3. Watch one of the more recent The Musketeer and you'll see d'Artagnan rolling on top of and balancing on wine barrels - a fun scene and my inspiration for this part of my training.
16. Dresser plank to Wine Barrel - 2 x 6 board for sitting on.
17. Dresser plank to Wine Barrel 2 x 8 board for laying on.
18. Tight Wire Simulator Standing Station - for standing in one spot, both feet on line for as long as possible without loosing balance and while keeping both feet in contact with wire. Currently, about 2 minutes 23 seconds. Up from 37 seconds two days ago, 25 seconds the day before that, 8 seconds a few days before that, and 3 seconds before that.
19. Balance pole for stepping over and under
20. Loose Rope - 25 foot long. Suspended in elongated U shape.
21. Tight Wire Simulator - 10 foot long (made of two portable sections). A third 5 foot portable section is in my bedroom. It can be moved about my home at will, such as to the Surfing Library, by the fireplace, outdoors by the creek or by my Gypsy Vardo, in the living room, to the office, in the kitchen, and so on.
I'll be adding more stations soon. A tight wire station, a slackline station, a swaying balance pole, manilla ropes of various diameters from 1/2" to 2"and so on.
The type of training I'm doing is a form of Light Body Kung Fu focusing in Chi Gung, for developing perfect body balance for my surfing and, ultimately, high wire walking - I see all of my training as linked together for a common purpose. I can practice on my various pieces of equipment, both in the loft and also outdoors, as well as in my Surfing Library on my NOHO Surf Balance Trainer.
The workout begins and ends on my surfboard, thus, I am freshest before the several hour workout and also, the most fatigued after the workout for another session of surfing or surfing training.
I'll get up some photos soon, of all the various stations, both indoors as well as outdoors.
In addition to training out in the Loft (several hundred yards down the dirt lane), I train in my home constantly on various wood poles, metal pipes, and manilla rope as well as the edges and rails and backs of furniture, which allows me to move and walk around almost anywhere in my home while balanced on at least one of these. At first, I did this only while doing chores, now, I travel like this everywhere I go in my home, whether to the kitchen, library, various rooms, bedroom, or even the bathroom. Thus, if I'm not out in the waves surfing, anytime I'm home or in my yard, I'm training balance. It's fun to see how my muscles are changing, shaping, and strengthening as well as my balance becoming more graceful, thus allowing me greater access to moving softly and beautifully for greater Chi Gung applications to my movment, matching, my external body with my internal energy flow.
Bodaciously Stoked,
Lily of the Valley
Friday, October 15, 2010
What Chi Gung (Qigong) Brings to Longboard Surfing
Aloha Tribe,
As most of you know, I love Chi Gung. And, I love longboarding. And, the cool thing is, one, enhances the other.
Chi Gung is a 4000 year old Chinese system of studying the energy of our bodies, as well as the energy that's all around us and in everything. What I've done is I've taken my experience in that art, and, brought it to longboard surfing. And, here's what it does.
With Chi Gung, you specifically and concretely train yourself to develop all of your senses to their absolute maximum potential. As such, when you surf, say on a longboard, you can actually feel things that you've never felt before. In other words, you'll have new feelings in your body as you surf, which is the whole reason we all began surfing to begin with, and, these feelings, these physical sensations, will grow deeper and more advanced the more Chi Gung that you do.
Basically, in a nutshell, Chi Gung begins as a form of breathing training, where you learn initially to be aware of your breath, to merely notice it at first. Over time, and with many various exercises, you learn to ultimately control your breathing, and, more so, to guide the energy of your breath anywhere in your body, as well as into your surfboard. This makes your surfboard, literally, an extension of yourself.
What you're learning to do is to feel, in your body, all the sensations and experiences that your surfboard encounters, and, to be aware of them, as your own. When you can learn to do this, your surfing will be on a whole new level, for you'll learn to lose yourself in the feeling of surfing over the waves in ways you've never imagined nor experienced.
This, of course, is the feeling of stoke. That awesomely energetic sensation that we so all love. You can learn to experience that deeper and deeper and deeper, with literally no end to what you can learn about yourself and your sensory awareness.
As such, it's truly magical what you can feel as you surf, feelings of pure and total ecstasy and complete abandon where you lose yourself to the beautiful feeling of gliding and carving on your longboard. And, for those of you who are shortboarders, the same thing applies, simply more yang and less yin, merely the opposite side of the same coin.
We all can learn to push our limits, to expand what we can feel and sense. Some of us, many actually, have and do use various drugs to reach such levels, but, with a cool art like Chi Gung, drugs aren't necessary to reach such a high for an art like this is a pure and totally naturaly high through learning to merely embrace your body on levels that most have never imagined.
What Chi Gung brings to Longboard Surfing, is, pure magic. Dreams of sensations that are undreamable. This art offers ways to manifest that which you truly desire in your riding, and more so, you can learn to do this not only during your ride but as you remember it later, as well as in watching the rides of others.
Imagine watching your favorite pro, and, literally feeling what they are feeling as they do it. That, is what Chi Gung has to offer. We can learn to feel what others feel, and, we can learn to feel what we ourselves truly feel as we surf.
Bodaciously Stoked,
Lily of the Valley
As most of you know, I love Chi Gung. And, I love longboarding. And, the cool thing is, one, enhances the other.
Chi Gung is a 4000 year old Chinese system of studying the energy of our bodies, as well as the energy that's all around us and in everything. What I've done is I've taken my experience in that art, and, brought it to longboard surfing. And, here's what it does.
With Chi Gung, you specifically and concretely train yourself to develop all of your senses to their absolute maximum potential. As such, when you surf, say on a longboard, you can actually feel things that you've never felt before. In other words, you'll have new feelings in your body as you surf, which is the whole reason we all began surfing to begin with, and, these feelings, these physical sensations, will grow deeper and more advanced the more Chi Gung that you do.
Basically, in a nutshell, Chi Gung begins as a form of breathing training, where you learn initially to be aware of your breath, to merely notice it at first. Over time, and with many various exercises, you learn to ultimately control your breathing, and, more so, to guide the energy of your breath anywhere in your body, as well as into your surfboard. This makes your surfboard, literally, an extension of yourself.
What you're learning to do is to feel, in your body, all the sensations and experiences that your surfboard encounters, and, to be aware of them, as your own. When you can learn to do this, your surfing will be on a whole new level, for you'll learn to lose yourself in the feeling of surfing over the waves in ways you've never imagined nor experienced.
This, of course, is the feeling of stoke. That awesomely energetic sensation that we so all love. You can learn to experience that deeper and deeper and deeper, with literally no end to what you can learn about yourself and your sensory awareness.
As such, it's truly magical what you can feel as you surf, feelings of pure and total ecstasy and complete abandon where you lose yourself to the beautiful feeling of gliding and carving on your longboard. And, for those of you who are shortboarders, the same thing applies, simply more yang and less yin, merely the opposite side of the same coin.
We all can learn to push our limits, to expand what we can feel and sense. Some of us, many actually, have and do use various drugs to reach such levels, but, with a cool art like Chi Gung, drugs aren't necessary to reach such a high for an art like this is a pure and totally naturaly high through learning to merely embrace your body on levels that most have never imagined.
What Chi Gung brings to Longboard Surfing, is, pure magic. Dreams of sensations that are undreamable. This art offers ways to manifest that which you truly desire in your riding, and more so, you can learn to do this not only during your ride but as you remember it later, as well as in watching the rides of others.
Imagine watching your favorite pro, and, literally feeling what they are feeling as they do it. That, is what Chi Gung has to offer. We can learn to feel what others feel, and, we can learn to feel what we ourselves truly feel as we surf.
Bodaciously Stoked,
Lily of the Valley
NOHO Surf Balance Trainer: Silver Surfer Camp Again
Aloha Tribe,
Since I have two pets I am trying to help this weekend, for both are very ill, I will not go surfing, since I need to be home for them. Yet, I will train as much as I can at home. My focus will be on my NOHO Surf Balance Trainer, and, as such, I'll do another Silver Surfer Camp weekend.
My goal, with such a weekend, is to stay on my NOHO Trainer as much as I can, doing everything I'd normally do during a weekend while on my longboard. I'll be using my 9 foot custom shaped, Robert August Wingnut red and white stripped longboard. I love that board. She's so beautiful.
By spending as much time on my longboard as possible, eating, reading, sleeping, stretching, exercising, balancing, and of course, practicing my surfing moves, I believe that I can learn to truly become one with my board and really get to know how she moves, her moods, her rhythms, and what makes her ride as she does. My inspiration, as I've mentioned before, comes from the Stan Lee Marvel Comics Superhero: The Silver Surfer. That character more or less lives on his surfboard as he surfs through the galaxies on adventures. And, while that is just a comic book of course, the idea of training as a surfer that way, to me, makes a lot of sense. The more we do any skill, the better we become at is. And, for most of us, our surfing rides typically last perhaps 8 to 20 seconds per ride, maybe? Sometimes only a few rides a day, sometimes, 25 or more in a couple of hours. Whatevers. The point is, regardless of how much you can ride, it's still far less than what, say, a skateboarder can since the sidewalk is always there with no Lineup and no Paddle Out.
Most of my time, of course, will be spent with my sick chickens, but, when I can, to build my own energy, hope, and faith, I'll train on my longboard. And, my Soft Rope and slackrope and tight wire, of course.
I'm stoked.
Bodaciously Stoked,
Lily of the Valley
Since I have two pets I am trying to help this weekend, for both are very ill, I will not go surfing, since I need to be home for them. Yet, I will train as much as I can at home. My focus will be on my NOHO Surf Balance Trainer, and, as such, I'll do another Silver Surfer Camp weekend.
My goal, with such a weekend, is to stay on my NOHO Trainer as much as I can, doing everything I'd normally do during a weekend while on my longboard. I'll be using my 9 foot custom shaped, Robert August Wingnut red and white stripped longboard. I love that board. She's so beautiful.
By spending as much time on my longboard as possible, eating, reading, sleeping, stretching, exercising, balancing, and of course, practicing my surfing moves, I believe that I can learn to truly become one with my board and really get to know how she moves, her moods, her rhythms, and what makes her ride as she does. My inspiration, as I've mentioned before, comes from the Stan Lee Marvel Comics Superhero: The Silver Surfer. That character more or less lives on his surfboard as he surfs through the galaxies on adventures. And, while that is just a comic book of course, the idea of training as a surfer that way, to me, makes a lot of sense. The more we do any skill, the better we become at is. And, for most of us, our surfing rides typically last perhaps 8 to 20 seconds per ride, maybe? Sometimes only a few rides a day, sometimes, 25 or more in a couple of hours. Whatevers. The point is, regardless of how much you can ride, it's still far less than what, say, a skateboarder can since the sidewalk is always there with no Lineup and no Paddle Out.
Most of my time, of course, will be spent with my sick chickens, but, when I can, to build my own energy, hope, and faith, I'll train on my longboard. And, my Soft Rope and slackrope and tight wire, of course.
I'm stoked.
Bodaciously Stoked,
Lily of the Valley
Riding Your Hips
Aloha Tribe,
Most of us learn to steer with our eyes, our hands, our arms, our shoulders, and THEN, our waists. We learn to steer and control our boards from the top down. Sure, our feet apply pressure, but we are taught as well as learn through experience, that it is our shoulders and up that do a lot of work.
Perhaps, and, this is just a guess, but maybe it's because so many surfers have been guys and guys are often stronger in the shoulders and arms than girls, whereas girls are heavier and more balanced in the hips.
The thing is, it would seem that all of us could benefit from learning to use our hips a bit more, A subtle shift forwards or backwards, left or right might be all that is needed, especially on a longboard, to glide smoothly into long romantic arching turns filled with grace, beauty, style, and oh that wonderful flowing feeling that all of us so love.
One of the things is, it seems, is that many of us learn from looking at the stars and legends, and, we try to copy them. The thing is, we need to take into consideration who we ourselves our, and, as such, to find our own paths to true surfing stoke.
Each of us has different strengths and balance and grace, as well as experience on the water, and, all of that and a hundred other things need to be taken into consideration.
Sure, the old-school way was to watch our heroes surf, or, to look at photos of them in the magazines, then, to try to copy what we've seen. Today, of course, it's so much easier with dvds that can freeze frame any position and muscle contraction. You literally can see what muscles are pushing on a board, how or where a person's balance lies, and by watching again and again, we can even learn to anticipate what a surfer will do or more so, what a wave will do. This last fact, is truly an awesome way to learn about the water because you can study the structure of a wave, frame by frame, and watch as it rises and falls and each ripple upon its surface as it happens. Then, going back a frame or two, you can learn to predict what will happen on the wave, since, you've already seen the future by previous viewing. In this way, one can learn truly magical elements of waves and as such, the language of the swell and sea.
So, what does all of that have to do with our hips, you might be asking? Well, loads. You see, when you focus on something, like a slight shift of weight due to hip position, you're learning to read your body and her sense of balance, to play with it, to truly understand the exact and critical point to the millimeter of where you balance shifts. It is the same, when reading the waves.
Now sure, I know that most of us don't bother with such seemingly trivial irrelevance, yet, for some, such experimentation is fun, I clearly, as you have read, fall into the latter category. For me, it's all about seeing what I can do. Pushing a bit more, trying something new and creative, spur the moment, in an instant of spontaneous imagination. I find such experiences truly, totally, bodaciously thrilling.
The thing is, the more we practice, the more we experiment, the more we play (and that's the important one), the freer we are in our surfing and thus, in expressing ourselves as we surf, more so, when we truly surf free, we find that we lose ourselves to the wave, we simply become water energy ourselves, riding, flowing, in harmony, with no sense of self, for, in such moments, we are the sea, both within our bodies and how all of the fluid in our body adapts to what we are doing but also, on the wave we surf.
It's fun to ride with your hips. It loosens up your waist, helps with overall body flexibility, and, well, it just feels awesomely awesome, so much so, it makes a girl just want to yell from pure ecstasy.
Ride loose, Tribe, flow free, and simply be the wave.
Bodaciously Stoked,
Lily of the Valley
Most of us learn to steer with our eyes, our hands, our arms, our shoulders, and THEN, our waists. We learn to steer and control our boards from the top down. Sure, our feet apply pressure, but we are taught as well as learn through experience, that it is our shoulders and up that do a lot of work.
Perhaps, and, this is just a guess, but maybe it's because so many surfers have been guys and guys are often stronger in the shoulders and arms than girls, whereas girls are heavier and more balanced in the hips.
The thing is, it would seem that all of us could benefit from learning to use our hips a bit more, A subtle shift forwards or backwards, left or right might be all that is needed, especially on a longboard, to glide smoothly into long romantic arching turns filled with grace, beauty, style, and oh that wonderful flowing feeling that all of us so love.
One of the things is, it seems, is that many of us learn from looking at the stars and legends, and, we try to copy them. The thing is, we need to take into consideration who we ourselves our, and, as such, to find our own paths to true surfing stoke.
Each of us has different strengths and balance and grace, as well as experience on the water, and, all of that and a hundred other things need to be taken into consideration.
Sure, the old-school way was to watch our heroes surf, or, to look at photos of them in the magazines, then, to try to copy what we've seen. Today, of course, it's so much easier with dvds that can freeze frame any position and muscle contraction. You literally can see what muscles are pushing on a board, how or where a person's balance lies, and by watching again and again, we can even learn to anticipate what a surfer will do or more so, what a wave will do. This last fact, is truly an awesome way to learn about the water because you can study the structure of a wave, frame by frame, and watch as it rises and falls and each ripple upon its surface as it happens. Then, going back a frame or two, you can learn to predict what will happen on the wave, since, you've already seen the future by previous viewing. In this way, one can learn truly magical elements of waves and as such, the language of the swell and sea.
So, what does all of that have to do with our hips, you might be asking? Well, loads. You see, when you focus on something, like a slight shift of weight due to hip position, you're learning to read your body and her sense of balance, to play with it, to truly understand the exact and critical point to the millimeter of where you balance shifts. It is the same, when reading the waves.
Now sure, I know that most of us don't bother with such seemingly trivial irrelevance, yet, for some, such experimentation is fun, I clearly, as you have read, fall into the latter category. For me, it's all about seeing what I can do. Pushing a bit more, trying something new and creative, spur the moment, in an instant of spontaneous imagination. I find such experiences truly, totally, bodaciously thrilling.
The thing is, the more we practice, the more we experiment, the more we play (and that's the important one), the freer we are in our surfing and thus, in expressing ourselves as we surf, more so, when we truly surf free, we find that we lose ourselves to the wave, we simply become water energy ourselves, riding, flowing, in harmony, with no sense of self, for, in such moments, we are the sea, both within our bodies and how all of the fluid in our body adapts to what we are doing but also, on the wave we surf.
It's fun to ride with your hips. It loosens up your waist, helps with overall body flexibility, and, well, it just feels awesomely awesome, so much so, it makes a girl just want to yell from pure ecstasy.
Ride loose, Tribe, flow free, and simply be the wave.
Bodaciously Stoked,
Lily of the Valley
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