Why Surfing?

“If the ocean can calm itself, so can you. We are both salt and water, mixed with air.”

— Nayyirah Waheed

Surf Circle is an innovative modality that harnesses the power of the ocean and group therapy to encourage growth and healing. Surfing, in itself, is believed to facilitate a number of mental health benefits, including increasing one’s self-efficacy, reducing insomnia, and boosting concentration abilities.

There are wonderful metaphors inherent to surfing. Surfing is physically exhausting and challenging to learn. It is humbling and requires patience and perseverance. Through surfing one learns there are times to push through and times for surrender and accept something more powerful than yourself. There is a rhythm to the ocean- the ups and downs, the tides, the sets of wave, the seasonal swells- the rhythms teach us about patience. Further, the ocean is powerful and can elicit fear. It is incredibly rewarding to overcome one’s fear to experience the joy of intimately moving with the power of nature.

At Surf Circle, our members are immersed in experiencing joys and challenges associated with surfing and then they return to land to be with their group. We sit together on the sand in a circle and emotionally process the experience, build connections among group members, and provide support and guidance for whatever challenges they are facing.