Hello all!
On the way to the beach for my first surf lesson, I admitted my fear of the ocean and waves to my surf teacher. He told me, “If you don’t stress and get worked up, you’ll ride the wave.” Well, that was the gist of it anyway.
The lesson started on a board drawn in the sand. “Do you know yoga?” my instructor Andres asked me. I don’t practice yoga, but I understood the cobra position he showed me to go into. He showed me how to prop one foot, push up with my arms in a cobra and pop up to a flexed-knee stance, with my head leading. “Your head goes up first and then you go up!” he said. My Alexander Technique practice made that part pretty easy.
After some practice, we headed for the water. “You have to believe you will do it,” Andres said. “If you don’t believe you can, you won’t.” That made sense to me, because balance confidence is one of the biggest influences on balance itself.
After a couple tries, I got it and it was amazing! Balancing on a wave is one of the most amazing feelings!
The following days weren’t as easy. They weren’t quite the same “bunny slope” waves as the first day, and I couldn’t get up like I had. I started thinking that the previous day had been beginner’s luck! Finally, I was able to ride some waves all the way in, playing with balancing my body on a board on the water rolling in to shore.
Next, I got promoted to a real board – made of hard material, narrower and thinner than the training board I’d been using. This one was much more sensitive to every move I made. The good thing about that, Andres told me, was that I would have a better idea of what I was doing so I could learn.
Each time I fell, I realized I was doing one of the things I’d been told not to do. And I had many, many learning opportunities! “Go up!” he reminded me. And “Look where you want to go! Your body will go where your eyes look.”
All of it made me realize (again!) how useful Alexander Technique is for balance and whole-body coordination. I still have a lot to learn to ride the waves, but practicing Alexander Technique definitely gave me a boost – and helped me to laugh and reflect every time I fell rather than getting frustrated.
On the way home, the surf teacher summed up the lesson: “You have to be present in the moment of execution, and you decide what you’re going to do. Some people say ‘It’s not my day, it’s not my session, these aren’t my waves.’” “But no,” he explained, “It’s like life. You observe what you are doing that’s getting in your way. You reset and you decide how you want to spend the rest of your day.”
Pure Alexander Technique practice.
Other surf and life lessons learned:
- You have time. Think about how you want to act. Don’t scramble and rush.
- Every time you fall you learn something.
- If you’re always tensed and getting ready, you’ll exhaust yourself by the time a good wave comes. Rest between the waves.
- If you believe you can’t, you won’t. Believe in yourself.
- The best surfer is the one who had the most fun!
I have a lot of events coming up for improving balance, ease of movement and pain!
Upcoming events
Walking Wonders class
Saturday, April 12 or May 31 at 12:00 pm at the Lifelong Learning Center
Register here.
Getting back to moving when you have pain @ PainSavvy Walk & Talk
Sunday, April 13 at 1:00pm MT
Missoula Public Library 4th Fl. Blackfoot Room or online at https://bit.ly/PainSavvy2025
Free!
Ease of Movement class
Mondays at 3:30 starting May 5 or July 7 at the Lifelong Learning Center
Register here.
Better Balance class
Saturday, May 10 at 12:00 pm at the Lifelong Learning Center
Register here.
Running with Ease class
Mondays at 4:40 starting May 5 at the Lifelong Learning Center
Register here.
Alexander Technique at Natura Health & Wellness Clinic
I am now providing Alexander Technique lessons at Natura in Missoula on Friday afternoons. Enjoy a 25% discount on Friday afternoon private lessons at Natura through the end of spring!
Pain course at Molli
I am teaching a course on The Science of Pain at the Molli Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at UM together with my colleague Dr. Tim Cacciatore. This 8-week course is adapted from the course that we teach to healthcare professionals. The most common feedback we get from this course is, “Everyone should know this!” Find out how learning about pain can help you to reduce it.
Tuesdays 9:00 a.m. MT starting March 25
Registration is here.
Some schedule changes for Spring in Your Step!
Join us for fun movement in Spring in Your Step! Class continues online every Wednesday and Saturday! Except for Wednesday 4/2 and Saturday 4/5.
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Mari Hodges, MScMed (Pain Management), TPS, M.AmSAT
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