A Sutra for your Sunday~
“It’s hard to go through life and not get stuck in patterns. I think that’s when you grow old. When your mind is not expanding and staying open, you really age, physically as well”
~ Kelly Slater
I have just returned from the Gold Coast , watching the worlds greatest surfers including our Sunshine Coast local legends Jullian Wilson, Owen Wright, Keely Andrew and one of the worlds greatest Kelly Slater.
It was great to be around such inspirational humans, hearing what Kelly Slater had to say after his heat which I’ve shared a little more on below. Watching Keely Andrew get herself in the zone, before her heat, supporting her injured knee with poses like Dekasana / Aeroplane pose. Something that has had a huge ripple effect and something I invite you all to jump on board to support was witnessing Julian Wilson going pink as he has for the last ten years at the World Surf League Quicksilver Pro, and this year dedicating his royalties and any prize money to women needing support who are going through cancer treatment.
I’m jumping on board to highlight what our local heros are doing to support those in need in our community, due to my own experiences of having worked as an RN in Oncology, and home care for Oncology Patients over the years. Along with being touched by the courage of some of our own Yoga NRG Community & NRG Teachers who are breast cancer survivors.
“One of the only proven ways of increasing success in treating and surviving breast cancer is early detection. My Mum is a two-time breast cancer survivor and my hero”
~ Julian Wilson
Teaching people how to become more mindful about their body, to notice changes is key. One of the Four Foundations of Mindfulness is awareness of Body Sensations, practices like the Body Scan Meditations help us become more aware of the Body. Learning how to work with strong sensations and manage both physical and emotional pain or anxiety is at the heart of Mindfulness Practice.
Fear of the unknown, of uncertainty for both the person diagnosed and their loved ones causes a lot of anxiety so it is really key to do what we can to find tools to manage this and get behind those who are doing great things in our community to support those in need.
Yoga NRG continues to support the Carers of our Community by allowing Free access to our Yoga NRG Classes. We support Carers who are caring with a family member with cancer. We also have recently partnered with Local Surf Charity The Boardmeeting by offering Free Yoga Classes to those with special needs (who are Registered with The Boardmeeting Surf Charity) and subsidised Yoga to the public for just $5 at Nambour , all funds going back to the charity to support this great initiative.
Get in contact for further details about these initiatives.
After Jullians heat, I watched Kelly compete. Regardless of his elimination Kellys fans chased him up the beach. It’s obvious that winning does not matter when you are someone who has done the time and has had the amount of dedication and discipline that Kelly Slater at 47 has.
When the interviewer asked Kelly “How do you regroup” and free up the mental headspace, he said
“You need to get rid of expectations, anyone who ever does anything at their best, always says you’ve got to be in the moment”
I’ve been inspired by Kellys words of wisdom in an Interview that Occy had done with Kelly Slater where he talks about his Yoga Practice, the importance of eating healthy, and the biggest take-home message from that interview was:
“It’s hard to go through life and not get stuck in patterns. I think that’s when you grow old. When your mind is not expanding and staying open, you really age, physically as well”
~ Kelly Slater
It’s interesting to see that even the most disciplined, fit and healthy athletes of our time struggle with the mind and expectations. One great thing I think Yoga and Mindfulness have to offer is over time they can help bring us back into the moment and ease the suffering from some of the most gnarly habits of the mind, such as self-doubt and being able to manage expectations you put on yourself.
Perhaps with ongoing practice, we can learn to be our own best fan, just like the fans of Kellys running up the beach cheering him on regardless of whether we win or lose! We can free up enough mental space to enjoy the ride.
Thanks to our Surfing Legends and the unconditional fans for the inspiration showing us all how important it is to offer support.
Good luck to our Local Sunshine Coast Surfers wishing you all the best !!
Namaste
Tammy and The Yoga NRG Community
PIctured Above : Local Sunshine Coast Pro Surfer Keely Andrews , warming up before her heat
Here is a link to the full Interview by Occy and Kelly Slater shared by Fox Sports where Kelly discusses Yoga , Healthy Eating and the importance of having an open mind – CLICK HERE
Don’t forget to jump on over to Julian Wilsons FB Page to get behind his #KeepItSqueezy campaign to help raise awareness – here is one way to contribute