A Little Bit of Bliss

Image © Issare Rungjang courtesy of Dreamstime.com

Sometimes when I do yoga I am filled with this sense of calm contentment…happiness is what some might call it. Today was one of those days.

It’s flat and the surf has been non-existent or marginal since I returned from Canada on the 13^th of May. I’ve been frustrated and irritable, in part, because of the poor conditions, in part because life hasn’t been cooperating, hasn’t been giving me what I want in other ways either. But today, today I meditated for the second time in a week after months of neglecting that practice and then I did my yoga.  By “my yoga,” I mean I did a series of asanas (postures) that were prescribed for me by my teacher and some that I do because I like to do them. They speak to my body in a way that is pleasing and brings a pleasant, healthful feeling to my being. Today the result is that, despite the way I’ve been feeling of late, I’m smiling as I type this (a gentle, non-tooth-revealing smile…one might even say a Mona Lisa-esque smile).

It wasn’t just the meditation or postures that led me to bliss today, it was a whole combination of things. The music that played as I moved into the next series of postures (Rejuvenation by Ron Allen), the uncharacteristically cool breeze wafting through the windows and across my body, the slight scent of pineapple in the air from the fruit left, like an offering, by my dear friend upon departure. It’s the book I’m reading too, that has given me a sense of inner peace and acceptance of things I have little control over. Things like who I fall in love with and how they react to my love. This little book is so full of wisdom and Truth that it blows my mind every time I pick it up. I’m underlining, in pencil, the passages that strike me and that I know to be the kind of wisdom that will set me free. Free from anxiety, free from loneliness, free from the depression that comes from anxiety, loneliness and a sense of having no control over one’s destiny that plagues me from time to time (particularly when the surf is off).

The book to which I am referring is “Love, Freedom, Aloneness: The Koan of Relationships.” It’s a compilation of teachings given by Osho, an eastern mystic to whom westerners flocked in the 1970s. I was introduced to the teachings of Osho by my Dutch artist friend. He too flew to India to hear him speak after a colleague of his underwent a dramatic, positive transformation by the experience. Like so many mystics, Osho is not without his detractors, nor flaws, but more than twenty years after his death he maintains a loyal following and his teachings continue to be published as theme-based collections by a major New York publishing house, St. Martin’s Press.

Of love, Osho said:

Love yourself…This can become the foundation of a radical transformation. Don’t be afraid of loving yourself. Love totally, and you will be surprised: The day you can get rid of all self-condemnation, self-disrespect – the day you can get rid of the idea of original sin, the day you can think of yourself as worthy and loved by existence – will be a day of great blessing. From that day onward you will start seeing people in their true light, and you will have compassion.

Create loving energy around yourself. Love your body, love your mind. Love your whole mechanism, your whole organism. By “love” is meant, accept it as it is.

Love is possible only when mediation has happened. If you don’t know how to be centered in your being, if you don’t know how to rest and relax in your being, if you don’t know how to be utterly alone and blissful, you will never know what love is…[because] Love is a sharing of overflowing joy. [During] meditation one is bathed in one’s own glory, bathed in one’s own light. One is simply joyous because one is alive, because one is… The greatest miracle in the world is that you are, that I am. To be is the greatest miracle – and meditation opens the doors of this great miracle.

When my meditation practice of many years waned a while back, as it often does, my yoga teacher said matter-of-factly, “You must make time to meditate. It is the most important thing. Everything else comes after.” I looked at her in disbelief and she responded, “Yes, more important even than asana practice.” Then, sensing my resistance, she looked at me sideways and said in her don’t-mess-with-me voice, “Just do it! Just sit. How hard is that?”

I’d love to hear from readers about your experiences with meditation. Or perhaps you’ve wanted to begin a practice of your own, but don’t know where to start. Here’s a link to a great little book that helped me get started.

Sharin’ the Stoke

If you surf you belong to a fellowship that defines part of who you are. In Dana Brown’s documentary Step into Liquid, Kelly Slater, the undisputed King of the sport states,  “Once you’re a surfer you’re done. You’re in. It’s like the mob or something. You’re not getting out.” What he’s saying is that it’s more than a sport, it’s a passion, a way of life that grabs hold of you and won’t let go. My current lifestyle is a testament to how my own surfing baptismal in the waters off Costa Rica 12 years ago was as life changing as marrying into the Corleone family.

The longer I surf, the more it also becomes apparent that the surfing world is tiny. Case in point, how I landed the opportunity to work on the Maui Jim Women’s Adventure Series.

It was late last summer when I pulled up to Mysto Surf Spot #9 on my ATV with Peanut on board.  There was a young blond woman sitting under the shade of a palapa watching the waves and the people riding them. She turned and regarded us with curiosity. The rig in all its surf gear-laden glory and Peanut’s charisma made an impression. We struck up a conversation and quickly discovered that we had some friends in common…one an iconic figure who was featured in the sequel to the surfing world’s most iconic movie, another the daughter of the director of those iconic films (feel free to speculate on who I’m talking about in the comments section below). I was the one doing the name dropping and in what I would learn is her usual humble nature, Mary gave me no indication of her surfing world status. Heck she didn’t even tell me her last name. The words “professional surfer,” “longboard champion,” “Patagonia ambassador,” “Ambassador for the United Nations Environmental Safe Campaign and the 5 Gyres Institute,” “MTV’s reality show Surf Girls,” “Maui Jim team rider” never left her mouth. I figured she was just some average California surfer chick looking for some warm water surf. Ha!

Before I left the beach that day she was inviting me to crash at her place in Ventura, California on a trip I planned to make there. A few Facebook conversations, a massive ah ha moment when I realized who I’d had the pleasure of meeting and a couple of months later, I arrived on the Central Californian Coast. I was shocked and pleased in equal measure when Mary actually responded enthusiastically to my emails asking if we were still on for some Ventura adventures.

Who's warmer? Mary or the boom man?

I met her on the Solymar beach where a crew was filming some of the footage for Maui Jim’s promo of the Women’s Adventure Series that I posted in my previous blog. Watching Mary work provided additional insight into this woman’s patience and professionalism. She remained stoic and uncomplaining as she slowly froze in the fading light of an increasingly chilly November day. I got chilled in long pants and down vest just watching her try to stay warm in her board shorts and tank top. Watch the video again and see if you can tell her teeth were chattering between takes. Like I said, the woman is a professional.

Over the next couple of days she was a great hostess showing me sights like the surf break at C-Street and the Patagonia flagship store –  and making sure I got to sample some of the wonderful organic produce and wine grown in the area. We didn’t manage to surf that trip, but what I came to learn over the course of those few days is that Mary is the definition of the aloha spirit – warm, welcoming, generous – and a very hard-working business woman. So you can imagine how enthusiastic I was when she casually mentioned that perhaps I could join her in teaching on a series of surf and yoga retreats. Yeah, I got pretty excited. 😉

My niece charges into the surf on her inaugural surf adventure. The board is a classic Bing noserider gifted to me by Bing himself.

It’s been a dream of mine ever since learning to surf to share the stoke with which it infuses me with others. In 2006, I took my niece out in the placid waters of Nine Palms and although we had to abort the mission due to an unforeseen bout of motion sickness that ended with her chumming the water, she has since gone on to hone her skills in the waters off Ecuador, Peru and British Columbia. The following summer I  coached her mother, my oldest sister, into her first wave. The excitement on my sister’s face as she paddled back out to me after catching that wave was beyond rewarding. So it is with great excitement and a sense of deep privilege that I thank Mary Osborne for this opportunity to share my love of the sport with other amazing women during the Maui Jim Women’s Adventure Series retreats. So what’s holding you back? Come and share the stoke!

Mary Osborne Surfing El Salvador from Ryan W. Murphy on Vimeo.

Learn to Surf with Mary Osborne (and me too!)

Photo by Ray Butler

Adventure. Surfing. Inspiration. Yoga. Camaraderie. Fun!

Sounds good, doesn’t it?

[Cue drumroll please, followed by a set of five magisterial coronets]

I am totally, unabashedly stoked to report that I will be joining Mary Osborne, champion longboarder, professional surfer and all ’round great gal, to help teach at the Maui Jim’s Women’s Adventure Series. I’ll be at two of the five locations the retreats will be held: La Jolla, a beautiful suburb of San Diego, California in June and then in late September we’ll be on Maui for the final retreat. I’m so excited to work and play with Mary and to meet the participants.

So if you’ve always wanted to learn to surf or want to improve your round house cutback in a supportive and inspiring atmosphere, then come and join Mary and me for a long weekend in one of five beautiful locations.

And if the following video doesn’t get you stoked to come and join us, then you better check to make sure you have a pulse! 😉