“You’re just caught up in those few seconds and nothing else matters. Sound, smell, everything just totally goes out the window. It’s what’s directly in front of you, what you need to do to make that wave, and nothing else.” These words could easily have been pulled from a yoga text—in reference to ekagrata, or one-pointed focus—but big-wave surfer Greg Long actually used them to describe the experience of catching a breaking wave (The Wave, by Susan Casey). The parallel is no stretch, given that Long has spent the last eight years dedicated to hitting the mat as much as riding the surf.
That yoga and surfing have a relationship is not odd. It’s impossible to miss fliers for the many dozens of yoga-surf retreats and workshops that take place in Costa Rica, Morocco, Ecuador and Brazil year round. The two forms of movement have many analogies, both as physical practices and life philosophies; think of the expressions “go with the flow” and “ride the wave.” And both forms require concentration, balance, strength and a sense of calm, especially if, like Long, the waves you’re riding happen to be 60-foot monsters that you have to travel halfway across the world to find.
Long wasn’t always seeking those freaks of oceanic nature, however. The San Clemente native was introduced to surfing by his lifeguard father and older brother, Rusty, also a professional surfer. At 16 he moved to San Diego to hone his skills, and by 18 he was riding in pro contests. Even at that young age, traveling the planet 12 months a year became quite taxing on his body.
“I was a young, ambitious athlete, determined to prove myself to the world and push the limits of my sport,” he says, having just landed in Capetown for another round of surfing. “I was unfortunately very naïve as to the way I treated and took care of my body and quickly found out, when challenging and pushing myself in the ocean, it doesn’t take long before the ocean pushes back.”
During his second year on the circuit Long tore his MCL (medial collateral ligament) and meniscus, which kept him in therapy and out of the water for three months. A friend suggested yoga to help him regain flexibility and strength in his knee. He noticed the physical benefits of yoga immediately, but soon realized there was something more to it than that.
“Of almost more importance was the mental clarity that I gained from it,” he says. “After practicing for some time I felt and saw a transformation in my life. I found myself being more present in my thoughts and actions, which ultimately led to having a confidence in myself that transcended not only in my surfing, but every aspect of my daily life—not to mention a feeling of peace and contentment, no matter the circumstances of my surroundings.”
On the board, Long noticed a significant difference in his strength, flexibility, balance and energy levels, and transferred these qualities into his life away from the ocean. Surfing, like almost every other sport, is a heavily sponsored activity with huge prize money on the line. Even as one of the younger surfers on the circuit winning competition after competition—Quicksilver Big Wave International, the Maverick’s Surf Contest and Red Bull Big Wave Africa are just three—he found the allure of stardom unfulfilling. After his win at Maverick’s in 2008, he split the prize money with the other finalists, an unheard-of gesture in any sport. He turned down sponsorship deals and, like a handful of others featured in The Wave, focused his attention on the ocean’s anomalies, waves stretching anywhere from 40 feet to the mythic 100-footer.
“As most athletes know,” he says, “it is when you are in this state of mental clarity that you are capable of performing at your highest levels. At the same time I feel my surfing and passion for surfing has enhanced my yoga practice. One assumes a lot of risk when riding big waves. Over the years I have dealt with more than my fair share of injuries, as well as experiences in which I have been forced to sit back and deeply reflect on my actions, at times contemplating why I even partake in the activity that I do. My yoga mat has always been a place where I bring my deepest emotions or mental restraints and processes and set them free. The opportunities that surfing have presented undoubtedly forced me to explore and deepen the spiritual side of my practice.”
Like anyone who finds a passion, Long loves to share yoga with his surfing buddies. Knowing well the health benefits, feelings of well-being and enhanced quality of life yoga can impart, he openly encourages others to partake in postures, breathing exercises and meditation. “I wish nothing more than for others to experience all of these things, he says, “and the joy that yoga has brought me in their own respective lives.”
