RIDERS OF THE LOST ART

Have you ever noticed that there are two types of surfers in the line up?
One who, on pulling off a wave, will ask the nearest paddler “did you see that?” or “how friggin good was that ride of mine?”
The other will calmly just flick off and concentrate on the efficiency of his paddling technique as he strokes back to the take off point.
Neither one is better than the other it is merely about personal choice.
But what is worth considering as an observation is where these two widely different approaches take you on a wave.
The “I wanna be a star! Did ya see me rip, tear and lacerate?” like the wanna be General James Bond act  has the mind bonded to an expectation of a certain outcome in the ego.
This puts the cart before the horse and no matter how hard you try to  find that  elusive  zone of maximum  high performance  the timing / positioning  and the whole  “gimme that good feel shimee” is left  short.

MEANWHILE BACK AT THE RANCH: the ‘I don’t mind surfer guy’ is  what the samurai warriors call the  quiet  practitioner of the violent art of slash and  carve.
When you respect your body and don’t trash it like a mossh pit, or a playground, not a sweatshop, but fine tune it like a high performance motor vehicle.
Magic starts to happen! Our ‘rider of the lost art’ practices what the Buddhists refer to as mental hygiene when he surfs.
In between sets he keeps his mind nowhere in particular but everywhere in general…. kind of like observing the misty rain clouds and the shades of gray and light mauve as the sun peeks through them.
More easy to get your head around  is this   ‘ no mind  consciousness’  is THE EXAMPLE  of  when you are driving through the forest in the countryside  and the trees and bushes become a passing blur with your only point of reference being ;  the in the moment driving and responding to the  direction of the road.   THE zoned in surfer lets his mind stay chilled, for he knows only too well that when he has to catch a wave the energy or CHI (as the samurai call it) is needed in the various body parts.
While the head ‘talks the walk’ and makes decisions the ticker of the heart and body has to walk that talk and wear the physical consequences of a lip on the noggin.
Wave comes………..   Use every law of the jungle book of SURF-VIVAL to cut out your piece of the action and you don’t   just” DO IT “rather   you LET “IT” HAPPEN by being the silent witness.
Having practiced   a form of harnessing the power of the mind called meditation or even yoga he/ she unleashes    the power of ROCK N SOUL
MAGIC HAPPENS when we remove our adult greedy ‘I want it all’ attitude and replace it with the humility and trust of a child’s creativity. Lord Jesus Christ himself said ‘Unless you become like a child ye shall not enter the kingdom of heaven.” Not that I’m laying a Holy Roller trip on ya. When the ego mind is told to take the back seat and let the soul go and have a glide on the wild side  everything just feels right on!!
So the next time you connect with being a ‘Rider of the lost Art’ and score a hooter all the way down the line.
Go in and do a yoga pose of the child on the grass to let all the heavy hydraulic plumbing fluids such as testosterone and adrenalin and the lactic acids get chilled and eliminated.
This will stop the knotty lumps that stiffen your mobility, eliminate discomfort and help you sleep better . Not to mention  keeping you loose and tuned for the next surf sessh.
While you are connecting the fire and air energies of the mind / heart and lung to the cool earth and water of the ground during the yoga pose you are doing .This is what the ‘Rider of the lost Art’ refer to as balancing the ‘yang fire’ or passion of the heart, lung meridian with the calming and nurturing yin of mother earth.
To some of you trippy, sharp dressing, nightclubbing hipsters this sounds a little too west of Far East. Well I don’t give a rat’s anus! Let’s see if you’re still surfing at 57!
And by the by if you’re still playing mental guilt blame / mind games then you’ve already lost it!! Because in the surf it’s all about heart not head.
If you don’t mind, it’s all about no mind and just letting it happen!
When you place an expectation on the mind and you don’t get what you want you set off a whole chain reaction of negative feelings and emotions (energy in motion)   so when you are in the water do a   “mental KISS “,KEEP IT SIMPLE SWEETHEART. HOOT AN OLD TIMER on a log having a dig.
Yell” Go! Go!” to the guy in a better spot to catch the wave. Share the joy……. yell out after a great ride! there’s a party going on in the water and we can have it now if we want it!
John Lennon of the Beatles would be smiling at us if we did.   Last Track from the “Lennon legend” album EMI records Ltd, recorded 1969

MARTIN TULLEMANS   (c)   copyright MTVZ