Stoked Yogi
set your intention, then breathe it to life
30 Day of Surf: A Stoked Yogi Film
The biggest thanks go out to Glide for helping me make this video, and Nalu Swim for providing the best surf swimsuits around.
There were definitely a few days that I doubted whether I’d make it through the whole adventure, but thanks to the support and encouragement from my friends, I ended up surfing for 38 days straight.
Watch the journey here:
The Four Year Old Barrel Virgin
Sigh… As Day 30 of my #30daysofsurf draws to a close, I find a confession weighing on my heart. I thought that this month of daily surfing would be just the trick to finally getting barreled. Alas… it. just. hasn’t. happened.
For surfers, almost every wave is awesome- because surfing is awesome. The joy we experience, meeting the full power of the ocean as it’s cresting and crashing to shore, is magical. Each and every wave has something to offer: big waves and small waves, mushy waves and tall waves, steep waves and slow waves, full- moon-lit-glow waves. Long rides and short rides, big airs and nose dives. They all have their moments, and their own special days, but nothing compares to a barreling wave.
Barrels. The holy grail of surfing.
the holy grail.
The green room. Getting shacked. Bowled. Slotted. Pitted. Tubed.
If you are a surfer (or know any surfers) then you know that this is the epitome of experiences in surfing. Stand around with a group of surfers, and in no time the talk will turn to surf. Once it does, it will eventually always lead back to the barrels.
Tubular.
Regaling each other with stories of sweet, mellow point breaks gives way to wipeout stories, and after a few gnar-gnar tales, the yarns begin to spin –
Dude, but what about that one time- when we were in Nicaragua? Do you remember that wave, dude? I was going down the line, and then I see it stacking, and it jacks up… and bam, dude. Totally slotted.
– or-
Yeah, brah, when I was in Indo, we were surfing this super crazy mysto reef – like, no one knew about it, but we were cruising in the boat and then all of a sudden we saw this SICK wave coming in and we just grabbed our boards and dove in – and it was pumping, man, it was like, overhead for sure… and my buddy takes off on this set wave and then I see the next one coming, and it’s a BOMB – so I’m paddling for it, and I take off, and drop in and just pull right into this hollow, gaping, feathery tube – and it was so amazing man, there’s nothing like it. You know?
what dreams are made of
“Yeah, dude, I know.” I say out loud.
No dude, no clue… I can only imagine.
As a surfer, I hear these stories and my imagination goes wild. I can smell the ocean, hear the crash of the waves, taste the salt and feel it sting my eyes. My mind surfs right along, dropping in to a steep A-frame and stalling… getting low and watching as a wall of water comes rolling in like a freight train, preparing to throw it’s frothing lip right over my head. I even have the tube-vision (Thanks to My Eyes Won’t Dry 1-3) and I can barely make out the tropical landscape dotted with palm trees and deserted beach – all I can see is a sweet cocoon of water engulfing me. All I can hear is the roar of the barrel as it sucks me up, and the whoosh as it spits me out.
The stories are told, and my mind surfs on- devouring these morsels of experience and salivating in anticipation of my own sweet future.
if only it were a little bigger…
Because I am a barrel virgin.
I have been surfing now for four years, two months, and ten days. Precisely. And yet I still haven’t made it to surfing’s home base.
As the guys talk, I feel like a high school freshman surrounded by seniors. They are comparing conquests, describing the sordid details of the most pleasurable experience known to man, and all I can do is listen… and dream. I’m ready for it. I’ve been waiting so long. I’ve got my protection! I’ll wrap myself in a rubber suit and go at it with everything I’ve got. I just don’t want to be a barrel virgin anymore.
ready.
One day, it will be my turn. One day, mother ocean will decide to pop my barrel cherry. One day, she will wrap me up in that salty embrace, rile me up, and spit me out- wet, salty, dirty, and happier than I’ve ever been.
I’m ready, Ocean. Come on and get some.
#30daysofsurf
Yoga. Why?
What is yoga to me?
Yoga is in the moments- both on and off the mat- that I feel peace, evenness of mind… less mind. Less of the mind chatter and more of something deeper, more authentic, more real. Yoga is becoming the witness of the self.
Today, I had a moment on the mat that was simple and profound at the same time. I realized that after ten years of practice, the yoga is only beginning to work on me. It was somewhere in trying to get my thighs over my shoulders so I could raise up onto only my hands, wrapping myself into a pretzel and then hopping around with my knees next to my ears; I asked myself:
Why asana?
what I was attempting
Why move the body through this system of exercise? I reviewed my answers. To quiet the mind. To focus the breath. To delve into the interior landscape, and explore the boundaries within. (To get a smokin hot bod). Whatever, ok, that too.
So much time and energy is spent exploring the world, sending all the focus outward and passionately pursuing, consuming, and expanding our sensory experiences. Through the practice of yoga, I am able to focus inward, into the sound of my breath, the sensations in my internal universe. Turning within, I find levels of increasing depth as I begin to simply observe, free from attachments and judgements.
The practice of asana, yogic exercise, allows us to explore the body from the inside- letting go of what a pose looks like, and discovering how it feels in our body. And your body is different from my body. You are discovering the unique, incredible workings of the one and only YOU.
Asana. What do these exercises have to do with searching the self? The process of uniting body and breath, diligently exploring the possibilities of human form in movement. Postures which seem unattainable become, with practice, available to you. Flexibility, strength, and general well being are cultivated. Yoga poses bring health to the joints, the organs, and most importantly, the mind. And in time, they bring a profound curiosity about what else might be possible that we previously only imagined? Might there be more within than we ever realized? We find layers of ourselves to shed, attachments to release, and emerge from the dive within to find ourselves lighter, more loving, more free.
What is yoga to me?
Yoga is striving towards that freedom. Moksha. Liberation. Liberation from the bondage of duality- from the illusion that we are separate from the divine. In all of us are the divine fluid sparks that make up everything in the understandable universe. I am divine. You are divine.
Maybe you don’t buy into all that. No worries. Yoga will still give you a smokin’ bod either way. See you on the mat.
the Road Less Traveled
I’m not a college graduate. Well, I have an associates degree, but that doesn’t count.
Last year when I posted my “Dream It, Do It” ~ a list of goals and plans for my 27th year of life, one of the plans was Apply to SDSU (again). I was accepted to SDSU upon high school graduation, but didn’t follow that path at the time. The ten years between then and now have been spent sporadically engaging in the pursuit of higher education but primarily exploring a host of jobs- everything from flying the friendly skies to teaching yoga in the ocean. During those ten years, I managed to accrue a whopping ninety college credits (about three years worth of undergrad).
In November 2012 I re-applied to San Diego State as a transfer student, with an intended major of journalism. In my “college graduate fantasy,” someone pays me to travel the world and pursue my passions- surfing, art, paddling, yoga, and writing… and I get to creatively assemble photos, video, and my own rambling prose into something resembling an article. I imagine someone asking me what my major was in college and casually replying “Journalism”… feeling worldly, creative, interesting and cool.
My daydreams of “college graduate life” include mostly me wandering barefoot with a camera, surfboard, and friends and taking epic yoga shots in trees and on beaches. Ah yes, the “college graduate life” sounds amazing.
After submitting my application in November, I returned my focus to my current job- teaching paddle yoga and managing a website, blog, and social media for the company. We led two incredible teacher trainings in paddle yoga and traveled to Costa Rica. With ups, come downs… and no self-employed person goes without the occasional (seemingly) major crisis.
One day, a seemingly-major crisis was in full effect. I was stressed out, anxious, and ready to throw in the towel, open a bottle of wine, and curl up into the fetal position. Fed up, I (naturally) turned to Facebook. That led me to my email, where I found a bright, shiny message in my inbox from San Diego State University.
Dear Amelia Travis,
Congratulations! You have been admitted to San Diego State University for fall 2013. We look forward to you becoming an Aztec and trust that you will take advantage of everything SDSU has to offer.
Brilliant. Lovely. Here I am, throwing myself heart and soul into this job and dealing with crazy, unexpected chaos… and now I can let it go! I can go to college! I can be a college graduate with the degree and the… bragging rights? Um… wait.
I do what I love every day already. If you asked me what my dream job would be… this is what I’d say.
Working for myself, doing the things that I love. Surfing, yoga, paddling, writing, and art. Getting to explore the world and be creative. Facing new challenges and new opportunities… making my own hours, working outdoors, and sharing my passions with other people.
So… acceptance letter in one hand. Annoying and frustrating small-business issues that may or may not lead to ruin of the current direction my career is going in the other hand.
Decisions, decisions…
How many people (college graduate notwithstanding) can say that they truly love what they do every day? I think few.
Peace out, SDSU. I’m taking the road less traveled. I refuse to feel burdened by some imagined expectation that society has for my life. I’m saying screw it, if I can just surf, teach yoga, paint, and write for the rest of my life… I really don’t need a degree to do that. And if at some point I change my mind, SDSU, I know you will be there. Thank you for accepting me. You’ve made me feel worthwhile.
And I get to cross it off my blog list. Dream It, Do It. Check!
Dark Side of the Moon
Breathe… breathe in the air.
deck @ Riff’s
I am buzzing, humming, and vibrating with lunar light… My hips and heart feel open and I am steeped in santosha. This evening I had the privilege of being guided in an aligning and inspiring yoga class with Shannon Purves at Riffs Acoustic in La Jolla.
amazing yoga teacher Shannon
Surrounded by lush foliage, embraced by the warm glow of white lights and candles, I set forth on a cosmic journey uniting breath, body, mind. The destination of this cosmic journey?
The Dark Side of the Moon.
Riding the waves of breath and abandoning ourselves to the heartbeat of the drum, my fellow yogis and I were led thorough a beautiful practice of pranayama, asana, and totally beyond savasana ~ all set to live acoustic Pink Floyd by Russell Ramo and friends. With vocals that moved through me, guitar stripping layers of my mind, a bassist with funk in his soul, and a drummer who matched the beat of my heart… Blown away. That’s the only way to describe it.
before the journey…
When I was young, my dad would put on Dark Side of the Moon, turn off all the lights, and turn two of the box speakers in the living room face down on the floor. As we lay together in the dark listening to Pink Floyd, my dad would tell us to just feel the vibrations as they moved through our bodies.
I definitely felt the vibrations tonight. Thanks, Dad. Thank You, Shannon & the magnificent musicians who shared in the vibrations. You guys rocked.
Board Shorts Film Festival
Like surf? Like movies? Check it out~
It’s almost that time~ Board Shorts is right around the corner! March 9 at Bird’s Surf Shed, gather to watch films featuring women in surf. The event sold out last year, so get your ticket now!
What’s even cooler? The San Diego Surf Film Festival is going to select a Board Short to feature! Get stoked on the trailer below to see what’s to come for the festival.
Stoked Yogi 