Today I’m grateful for trying something new in the form of SUP yoga. A while back SUP was difficult enough for me alone as you may have read in my earlier blog posts. (link at bottom)
Being an experience addict, when I was offered the chance to try SUP yoga, I jumped at it. I’ve done it twice now: once in the beautiful Costa Rican jungle fringed lagoon and another on the sparkling harbor, here in Auckland. I’ve fallen in love.
Its different from land based yoga in the fact that your movements must be as fluid and light as possible or guess what, yep, you end up in the drink as I discovered many times! Great when you are in balmy Bali, not so great when you are in Auckland on a very cool windy summer morning. Yikes.
I love trying something brand new and discovering that you love it. When we were little our firsts or brand news are so regular. As we grow older these are few and far between. I guess we seek the comfort of the known, tried, tested and true. Perhaps it’s that we don’t like to be not good at something and not being able to have a known controlled experience. Whatever the reason may be, the thrill and freedom from loving something new is unbeatable and it doesn’t actually matter if you are any good at it!! I think part of that is the permission to let go, to venture into the unknown and to rediscover our childlike sense of play.
I’m definitely not a natural at this, let’s just say on my first 2 SUP yoga sessions I spent an equal amount of time in both the ocean and the on the board yet it didn’t stop me getting back on and are now busy filling my diary with SUP yoga classes in my local area.
It reminded me of guests on retreat at Surf Haven, where most of our girls list their surfing experience before they come to stay with us as watching a point break at the movies. They are pushing themselves out of their comfort zone by trying something completely new and sharing the thrill, smile and laughter that is universally unanimous amongst them when they stand up for the first time. Perhaps the risk equals the reward? It’s the same thrill I felt when I did my first SUP yoga class recently a little nervous at first but a big reward in the knowledge I could do it AND loved it.
So today I am grateful for this new found love and to the wonderful Hasna for introducing me to my newest first and passion this 2013. I hope you set yourself some ‘firsts’ this year and experience the thrill of childlike play again that comes from stepping out of our comfort zones.
Love Jen xx
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