Surfing asks the same things of your body every session. You lie on your front with your chest lifted, push up to your feet, and settle into a low crouch over and over again. The yoga poses for surfers below open the areas that surfing tightens, which is why the day begins on the mat rather than in the water at a surf camp in Bali.
What Surfing Does to the Body
Every one of these positions is useful in the water, and none of them is a natural resting shape for the body.
Shoulders and Upper Back Tighten
Paddling repeats the same overhead pull for an hour or more. The chest closes, the upper back stiffens, and the shoulders often finish the session sitting slightly farther forward than when you started.
Hip Flexors Shorten
Lying on the board, sitting on it between waves, and crouching on the wave all keep the hips folded. Shortened hip flexors make a low, wide stance much harder to reach.
The Lower Back Carries the Load
Holding your chest up to paddle compresses the lower back for long stretches at a time. It is the most common place surfers feel sore, and the easiest to look after off the board.
Poses That Help Your Paddling
These three address the paddling position directly, which is where beginners at a surf camp in Bali first feel tightness.
Cat and Cow
On hands and knees, round the spine as you breathe out and open the chest as you breathe in. It gently mobilises the spine and opens the chest, making it an ideal way to start the morning.
Sphinx
Lie on your front with your elbows under your shoulders and your chest lifted. This closely mirrors the paddling position, helping your body become more comfortable with the posture before you enter the water. Practising it makes an hour of paddling feel far less punishing.
Thread the Needle
From hands and knees, slide one arm underneath the other and rest that shoulder on the mat. The rotation opens the upper back and shoulders, helping to offset the repetitive paddling motion.
Poses That Help the Pop Up and the Stance
Standing up requires hips to open and legs to bend, which is where the second group of poses earns its place.
Low Lunge
Step one foot forward and let the back hip sink towards the floor. It opens the hip flexors that stay folded all session and makes a wider stance available to you.
Chair Pose
Feet together, knees bent, weight back through the heels, arms overhead. It strengthens the legs and ankles while reinforcing the crouched stance used throughout a ride.
Downward Facing Dog
Hands and feet on the mat, hips high, heels reaching towards the floor. It stretches the calves, hamstrings, and shoulders at once, making it the most efficient pose for a short practice.
How to Fit It Around Surfing
Timing matters almost as much as the poses themselves, which is why a day at a surf camp in Bali puts yoga first.
Practise Before You Paddle Out
Morning yoga comes before the surf session for a reason. Keep the movement flowing rather than holding long stretches, and use the class for the breathing you will want in the water.
Keep the Evening Practice Gentle
Longer holds suit the end of the day, when your muscles are already warm from the day’s surfing. On a Bali surf holiday, the evening is when the body finally slows down, so use it.
Consistency Beats Intensity
A short practice on most days will change how your body feels within a week. An occasional long class will not, and that is one of the reasons yoga and surfing work well together.
Common Questions About Yoga for Surfers
Which yoga poses are best for surfers
Sphinx, Thread the Needle, Low Lunge, and Downward Facing Dog cover the most ground. Between them, they address the shoulders, the upper back, the hips, and the whole back of the legs.
Should you do yoga before or after surfing?
Both work, for different reasons. Keep the morning practice light and moving before you paddle out, and save the longer, slower holds for the evening.
Does yoga improve balance for surfing?
Yes. Yoga develops strength, stability, and body awareness, all of which help you stay balanced on the board.
How often should surfers practise yoga?
A short daily practice beats a single weekly class. Even ten unhurried minutes each morning is enough to notice a difference across a week of surfing.
Is yoga useful for complete beginner surfers?
Particularly so. Beginners paddle more and rest less, so the shoulders and lower back take a heavier load in the first week, which is one reason a week at a surf camp in Bali begins each day on the mat.
Yoga First Then the Water
Ready to feel the difference in your paddling? Daily yoga, aerial yoga, and coaching sit side by side at a surf camp in Bali, so the mat work is never something you have to organise. It is simply how each morning begins. Start your surfing journey with Mondo Surf Village.
