Kitesurfing and Yoga: Why is it Such a Great Match?

Here are some tips on where to start - how to take your first steps in yoga:

First most important thing is consistency. Here’s some advice to find the motivation for consistency:

• Try to block some time every day, which you will dedicate to exercising, meditation, or any yoga practice.

• Practice does not need to be long, if the day is busy or you feel tired, even 10 minutes a day can be enough. Even if you start out your daily practice feeling tired, at the end of it you might realize that you have a newly-gained strength which you didn’t have at the beginning. Try, for example to do some planks, forward folds, or squats. 

• Find a skill in yoga you want to become better at and start learning step by step. All yoga poses and asanas are building blocks, and one follows the other: for example, doing a simple plank is the first step towards a headstand, and so on.

• Respect your rest days, but try not to take more than 2 days off in a row. If the practice is discontinuous, it usually doesn’t provide perceivable results and after a while the motivation will fade away.

What should be avoided in your yoga practice? Are there any dangerous moves or poses?

Rushing into a practice can be dangerous, usually, and injuries happen when we push suddenly and go into poses without awareness and breath control. Always try to remember to focus and feel your breath: it might sound simple, but it is difficult when you are focusing on different things at the same time.

A very common beginner’s mistake is to rush into the practice and perform the exercises quickly and with no rhythm, while forgetting that we should move in harmony with our breath.

Is yoga only a physical exercise or there is a mental/spiritual component? How do the two blend together?

Yoga is mostly about mental and spiritual components. Its main purpose is to teach us to reconnect with ourselves and find a connection between everything we do. Of course, you can find many more definitions of yoga, due to its complexity and multiple facets. 

Body and mind work together, thus physical activity is very important in yoga. Probably everyone has heard that when we are stressed it is beneficial to take a walk or to go for a run.

Yoga takes it to a deeper level: it helps us connect our mind with the whole body, to perceive and to feel each muscle. We are able to find where we are tight and where we are more flexible and stronger. This mind to body connection can help us in many ways. Several studies show that by practicing yoga, we can remove chronic pain, reduce stress, and ultimately get better coordination, which will also be useful in learning new kitesurfing tricks.

When we progress in mindfulness, we will progress physically as well. It will be easier to find the motivation to practice, to say no to an unhealthy meal, because we will learn to listen to our bodies. So we will eat more healthy as well. 

Yoga can change your kitesurfing practice and your life in general

“One of the most beautiful things that yoga brought to me is the community. It is similar to kitesurfing: once I started practicing it, l found many new friends and I could experience yoga with other practitioners. They were happy to share their knowledge with me. I got also more interested in yoga philosophy and books,” says Audrius. “In kitesurfing, after I started yoga, I did much more practice on both sides, like handle passes and jumping both ways. Before that, my dominant side was much stronger; now, grabs, blind, and toe side became easier, I feel less sore and recover faster after a session.”

In conclusion, we can say that by trying new disciplines, we become better learners in general. Some think it is just a matter of talent and vigor, but through teaching many years, both I and Audrius found that age doesn’t have that much influence in the learning curve. People who tried many different practices and sports tend to pick up any new discipline faster, getting to the core of the ‘how to’ in a natural way.

That’s why we recommend everyone to keep learning and practicing new things in life, always keeping a fresh beginner’s mind. Yoga for sure is one of our most recommended practices.

If you want to deepen how to keep fit for kitesurfing besides yoga, you can read about suggested best physical training practices here

A big thanks to Audrius Bukauskas, who shared his longtime experience in kitesurfing and yoga with us. If you happen to be in Ras Sudr, Egypt, don’t hesitate to pay him a visit at his kite school, www.soulkitesurfing.com. He will be happy to share more insights about these topics, which he is very passionate about. 

Do you like this idea of an intimate connection between Yoga and Kitesurf? Check our shop for the latest designs inspired by this challenging topic, great for yourself or as a gift to a fellow kiter or maybe a special kite girl: