Learning to Surf on Land, and Other Paths to Inner Strength and Conquering the World

Our wellness theme this year is Strength Not Size, a holistic vision of how to lead your best life, and we’re kicking things off with Brad Gerlach’s fascinating Wave Ki method of learning to surf, which doesn’t let you in the water til you have the inner mettle to harness the power of the ocean. Read about it and watch the video here.

IT WAS ABOUT A YEAR into my stint at Travel+Leisure Southeast Asia when I first heard about Ayurveda, getting a crash course in it via a personal wellness retreat at Amangalla, in Sri Lanka. I was in a tough place emotionally, wasn’t sleeping well, wasn’t sure what I wanted to do with my life, and, to top it off, had a nasty sinus infection. The hotel’s resident Ayurvedic doctor opened my eyes to the tangible effects of thinking about mind, body and soul as a single, interconnected organism, with changes to one invariably affecting the rest. In addition to the soothing treatments and remedial herbs drawn from ancient wisdom, we also worked through what I ate, when I ate it, when and how I exercised, how I breathed, how I thought and how I responded to my own thoughts as a closed-loop holistic wellness action plan.

Not long after, I visited another resort (what’s now the Dhara Dhevi in Chiang Mai) that took things even further. I had individual examinations and counseling sessions with both an Ayurvedic doctor and a traditional Chinese medicine doctor, who then got together and collaborated on a bespoke blueprint for helping me get back to the me I was missing. Since then, I’ve seen more Ayurvedic and TCM doctors, naturopaths, traditional healers, energy healers, yogis, and food scientists than I can count, had metal and mineral analyses, had my chakras cleared, and recently discovered breathwork. Next, I want to do epigenetic and DNA testing. It’s not because I’m on some sort of quest, per se, (though, aren’t we all?), but because that’s where wellness – now wholly integral to the travel industry – is going and it’s so exciting to get on this multi-modal train to everywhere and see what I can learn along the way.

That’s what this month’s theme is about: Strength Not Size means prioritizing mental fortitude while working on physical fitness. Summoning inner strength, perhaps with the help of whatever ancient tradition or futuristic science works for you. Having body positivity. It is a holistic way of looking at wellness that says firm up your core and then layer the building blocks of good health, in every sense of the word, on top.

This is actually one of the tenets of Pilates, which is my exercise of choice in daily life – but when I travel to beach destinations, I always take at least one surf lesson. In fact, it’s been my tradition since my first lesson, which, as it turns out, was on that first, mindset-changing trip to Sri Lanka more than 10 years ago. Alas, I’ve not yet taken a lesson with Brad Gerlach, but his Wave Ki method of teaching people to ride the waves is the perfect example of Strength Not Size, so that’s why we’re kicking off this campaign with him.

A pro-surfer who ranked No. 2 in the world in 1991, Gerlach has developed a crazy-innovative technique called Wave Ki that teaches you to surf using martial-arts-like techniques, which you practice on land for, ideally – get this – weeks before he even lets you into the water. The point is to develop kinaesthetic motor memory so that when confronted with the unpredictability of the ocean you have inner strength and overriding skills that will help you conquer the waves.

Gerlach, who teaches Wave Ki to pro-surfers such as Parker Coffin, other celebs, and really anyone looking to improve, recently did a residency at Niyama Private Islands – the only resort in the Maldives with its own shore break – and he took some time to share with T+L the basics of his technique. Watch this video and we guarantee you’ll be persuaded by his steady-goes-it technique (Wave Ki courses are available online), as well as inspired to hop a plane-then-seaplane to absolutely stunning Niyama, which, with six waves in the immediate vicinity and a laidback luxe vibe, is arguably the best place for surfing in the Maldives. 

Niyama Private Islands (composed of Play and Chill Islands connected by a bridge) is a 40-minute seaplane flight from Male or a 30-minute domestic flight to Dhaalu Airport; nightly rates from USD 730 net based on two sharing a Beach Villa with breakfast and dinner. Surfing is possible year-round, with bigger swells from March to November; Vodi wave is just off the shore of Play Island and is a powerful and sometimes hollow left hander, and five minutes away by speedboat is Kasabu, a rippable and hollow right hander; there are up to four other waves in the local vicinity, with nine other spots available trans-atoll by taking the resort’s speedboat, Sea Breeze, which costs from USD 385 per person for a six-hour trip with guide; surf photo packages available for purchase with the resident action photographer.

BOOK YOUR STAY AT NIYAMA PRIVATE ISLANDS MALDIVES VIA AGODA.COM

Images courtesy of Niyama Private Islands Resort unless otherwise noted.

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