Let's be honest sometimes you don't always feel like a happy shiny person. Sometimes I find myself looking in the mirror and sighing, only to then scroll through my Instagram feed to see beautiful bendy people doing advanced yoga postures or gorgeous surfer girls wading into the sunset.  

The surfing world is rife with pictures of  lithe surfers/models which makes a pale English girl like myself want to curl up under a duvet. These beautiful people exist, of course they do and self confidence isn't about denying their existence its about cultivating a sense of worth. 

Isn't it hard to feel wonderful about yourself all of the time? Isn't it an everyday battle of ignoring someone else's ideals in magazines and just finding comfort in yourself? Confidence is a barometer which goes up and down depending on internal and external factors, we control that scale.  

Recently Surfgirl magazine raised the question about wearing make up in the water which was met with a deluge of abuse. I noticed that the women who criticized make up whilst surfing seemed to be the the ones who didn't wear make up at all, mostly because they appeared to have even, beautiful complexions. I understood their criticism, the ocean isn't a fashion show its a place for natural beauty and self acceptance. What I feel was massively overlooked however, was that some women (myself included), have skin problems which make us feel horribly self conscious. A tiny bit of make up is the difference between going out and feeling awful or helping yourself stop thinking about your skin by blurring the imperfections. In the same way we chose to wear clothes which make us feel good, make up is an accessory to life, not essential but great all the same. 

The collage at the start of this post is me doing yoga in a Newcastle Premier Inn on the way back from Scotland, I'm not looking particularly glamorous neither am I doing advanced postures, just a few foundation moves to get my mind and body back in balance. 
Make up and coiffing your outward appearance are surface things which can bring you temporary confidence, but real, enduring confidence comes from appreciating yourself through mindfulness. It sounds cringe but you have to consciously chose to think positively about yourself. 

Beautiful surf yogis go and do your beautiful thing! 

Stay strong, surf well 
Love

Surf Scotland.

If I had a time machine I'd travel back to visit 14 year old me to tell her to keep her chin up. I'd say that when she turned 25 not only would she be a surfer but she'd also be friends with the kinds of people she so desperately wants to know. 

The Land Locked Surfers Club took a trip up to Pease Bay, Scotland last weekend deciding to rough it by wild camping wherever we laid our boards. I surfed the best I ever did managing to catch green waves and get some turning in despite only having an 8ft foamie avaliable. This however is a minor detail, what was most spectacular about the trip was all the amazing people who attended and the atmosphere they created. For three days we lived like hippies in our self made surf commune somewhere out in a Scottish woodland. I'm not going to sit here and pretend that the accommodation was comfortable, or that we were toasty all of the time but rather the banter, epic surf, moments of sunshine and campfire jamming sessions made forest floor sleeping and tent life RAD!  

The ever talented Jemima Stubbs (who also happens to be my best friend...I am the luckiest girl in the world), took photos of our stay, whilst my phone managed to die on the first day meaning I actually have very few pictures of the trip. For a blogger not being able to take photos was both frustrating and a blessing in disguise.  It forced me to live in the present and not to spend time thinking about potential blog posts. 

I feel immensely lucky to be a surfer and have the opportunity to go catch waves with people who make my world go round. The LLSC renews my sense of awe and childhood feelings of exploration, it also makes city living bearable when I know I have countless adventures on the horizon. 

To the next Land Locked Surfer Trip! 

I adore this photo as you can see how utterly in love I am with Mr Sunny!

Meet George one of our very talented musicians. He also happened to be an absolute natural surfer taking to it like he'd been in the water for years! 

 The beauty of wild camping is that you can stumble upon scenes as beautiful as this. 

The lovely Rich otherwise known as the body boarder! 

Here are some of the LLSC in all their glory! We're missing a few key members but you get an idea of the kind of fun we have. This photo is supposed to be 'bear coming towards you' poses...

 

 I've managed to rope best friends into coming onto these trips, this is the lovely Rosie who manages to make camping look far too good, I on the other hand look like I've had no sleep! 

 Meet Pippin our surf dog, she came along on the trip and loved it! She even jumped on a board and had a go...annoyingly she was actually pretty dam good! 

Surfing is very serious business as demonstrated by Andy and Phil! 

All photos courtesy of the ever cool Jemima Stubbs click on her name for the link to her business page! 

Until next time, 
Stay strong and surf well
Love

Mediocrity.

A lot of things about me are pretty average, at school I was a C grade who worked her butt off to make it A*, I wear a UK medium size 10-12 (with a plus size butt and shoe size) and I guess I've always been a middle of the road kind of person. 

 In surfing being an intermediate would be something to be proud of. Due to the infrequency of getting to the coast its hard to stay consistent in ability. As every wave is different and every surf spot is a lesson, I feel like I'm constantly getting schooled. To be average at surfing would mean being able to catch green waves 80% of the time and do one or two maneuvers standing, with room for improvement. I'm not fazed anymore by wiping out, I see it as effective ego cleansing. I also know and feel cheered that surfers of any ability will occasionally have the energizing energy bath known as falling off your surfboard. 

I'm not worried about being the best either, I just want to be the surfer having the most fun, which is precisely why I love surfing with the land locked surfers club. We have every ability but our prerogative is always about respect for the ocean and some good old fashioned fun. I'm really looking forward to our impending Scottish surf trip to Pease Bay, not just because I'll finally be getting my toes wet but because of the people who'll be attending. 

The above photos are from my first ever surf trip, on a whim I agreed to go to Brittany in France at the end of University which was the best decision I ever made. I certainly wasn't any good at surfing but when I picked up that board for the first time the love affair began. 
If I can offer any advice to learner surfers it would be to find yourself a group of people who radiate, who help you flourish and make you feel like your having the best fun in the world when you pick up that board. 

Here's looking forward to the wipe outs...

Until next time 
Stay strong and surf well

Wavefarer.

Out of the Rolling Ocean, the Crowd. by Walt Whitman

OUT of the rolling ocean, the crowd, came a drop gently to me, 
Whispering, I love you, before long I die, 
I have travel’d a long way, merely to look on you, to touch you, 
For I could not die till I once look’d on you, 
For I fear’d I might afterward lose you.

Now we have met, we have look’d, we are safe;
Return in peace to the ocean, my love; 
I too am part of that ocean, my love—we are not so much separated; 
Behold the great rondure—the cohesion of all, how perfect! 
But as for me, for you, the irresistible sea is to separate us,
As for an hour, carrying us diverse—yet cannot carry us diverse for ever; 
Be not impatient—a little space—Know you, I salute the air, the ocean and the
land, Every day, at sundown, for your dear sake, my love.

Love & long boarding.

Wisdom is knowing we are all One. Love is what it feels like and Compassion is what it acts like - Ethan Walker III 

Over the last few days I've continuously found myself hitting the mat, exhaling and finding solace in my yoga practice. I thought my enthusiasm for it would start to wane but I have religiously practiced everyday before breakfast (and once half way through a night shift when my back was hurting)! This has stopped feeling like a 'challenge' (even though it still hurts to touch my toes) and has morphed into something permanent, I think its becoming a way of life.  

Mindfulness helps you go home to the present. And every time you go there and recognize a condition of happiness that you have, happiness comes - Thich Nhat Hanh 

Another wonderful by product of all this yoga is a slightly flatter stomach and arms that don't feel like noodles when I try to hold my own body weight. Don't get me wrong handstands and getting my legs behind my head feel like a distant dream, but I see progression within my body and it feels gooood. 

I can't wait to see the impact all this yoga has on my surfing and whether I'll see improvement, despite not seeing the ocean for a whole month *sob* The Vinyasa flow I've been practicing has felt reminiscent of the graceful movements of long boarders, something which I feel particularly suits feminine energy. I really want to explore long boarding as a mellow and relaxed approach to surfing and have a gut feeling it'll be a transition that may become a lifestyle choice too!

     



























































Its been a heavy week in many ways but I find myself feeling immensely grateful through it all that I have found both yoga and surfing. These two forms of mindfulness reconnect me and remind me that I am more resilient than I realize. 

Saltwater heals everything! 

Until next time
Stay strong, surf well 
Love

Mind matters.

All that we are is the result of what we have thought. The mind is everything.
What we think we become ~ Buddha 

 I'm starting to think this 40 day yoga challenge is going to become a 365 day, all year, every year way of life. With each mm I am able to stretch I feel stronger and happier, whilst the daily meditations are helping me be mindful.

 I think teachers come in many guises and I'm lucky that you can be so inspired literally by switching on your phone or firing up your laptop. My instagram feed is full to the brim of yoga teachers connecting me to others and to my own practice also. One of my favorites I'm following is Ali Kamenova the creator of inspiring interval yoga. She also has a gorgeous American bulldog called Sofie who often features in her news feed or in her youtube videos, which never fails to bring a smile to my face! 

Today I've spent more time with animals than I have with people outside in my parents garden. Bruh has been going wild skipping about my folk's rather large garden, while Jack the dog and Hollie my neighbor's cat have mooched around having the odd scratch behind the ears when required! I've always felt a deep connection to animals which probably explains why I also really love oceans and wild spaces. Readjusting to not living by the sea has been hard but I'm opening my eyes to the beautiful wilderness bursting from the urban seams. Its crazy beautiful if you look with a different perspective. 

Lately I've been driving both myself and my long suffering boyfriend crazy with trying to move out of my childhood home. Despite the fact Mr Sunny lets me crash at his whenever I want (and my rabbit for that matter) I still crave my own little nest. I blame this on almost moving to Saltburn this year. I began getting my mindset ready for living independently and now that no longer is possible I'm finding it hard to settle back into living in my parents house. I feel a guest everywhere and home nowhere. Home isn't a place, its a feeling and I know with continued meditaton and yoga practice (along with chewing my friend's ears off) I'll be able to move on from feeling like this...or just get my own place (finance willing)! 

Here's someone making anywhere his home....Bruh decided that his litter box is the height of comfort. Weird animal. 

Until next time
Stay strong, surf well
Love