Cristina Irisarri surf, hobby she shares with her father since she was little. The passing of the years led her to discover new sports and disciplines and a hard personal experience brought her even closer to one that already is part of their day to day in a special way: yoga.
The first contact of Irisarri with this ancient discipline was, precisely, during a surf training. A stay in London brought her closer to yoga and, after returning to Ferrol, she continued with the practice as a complement to water sports. The breast cancer that she suffered a few years ago made her see yoga in a different way and check the benefits it had on her both physically and mentally. Got hooked. “Recently operated, you realize that your body is not the same and that you have to adapt what you did before to your current situation,” explains Ferrol.
The benefits of yoga led Irisarri to want to bring this discipline to more people. “It is a practice that helps when you are going through an illness or some difficult time in your life “, assures the young woman. Irisarri did the training of teacher and takes courses both inside and outside of Galicia, where he currently teaches classes and shares his knowledge through Umi Surf Yoga. This project unites Cristina’s two passions, yoga and surfing, and sums them up in that word that in Japanese means “ocean” but that goes much further as a concept.: calm, peace, light, serenity, freedom and harmony.
Adapted to the person and the moment
This innovative combination between yoga and surf does not focus all the time of the ferrolan: the therapeutic yoga for people with physical problems, such as back pain, and cancer yoga for people who are in any phase of the illness and their recovery, these are the other two activities in which he works.
“Yoga is such a broad discipline that You can adapt it according to your needs in each vital moment. You can do a very dynamic and moving practice or a more static, more introspective one, in which you work other types of tissues or at a meditative level with breathing techniques “, explains Irisarri. This discipline is very complete because works both sides of the body and helps correct imbalances created while walking or playing tennis, for example.
There are also multiple yoga styles. When Irisarri surfs, sometimes what she wants is a little Yin Yoga, and when it is going to be your sports practice of the day, bet on Vinyasa Flow, more dynamic and with jumps and balance. “All physical activity is going to be good, movement is life, it is health. Although with yoga you are working on a physical level, it always has a mental or spiritual component: when you learn it, you learn to know yourself very well in every way“, explains the ferrolana on this activity also recommended for people with anxiety or depression.
The young woman regrets that sometimes yoga is practiced that is very focused on the physical part and remembers that meditation is essential in this practice. “Yoga, originally, was a series of physical postures to prepare the body for the important part, which was the meditation. Over the years, in the West, we leave much less space for meditation, which is not to say that it is wrong: each one adapts the practice according to the needs they have“, says this sports lover.
What really hooks, according to Irisarri, es precisely the most spiritual part. “Like everything in life, as you go deeper, you realize how little you know,” says the young woman. She, in addition to working as a teacher, study the different techniques of this millenary practice and talk to other professionals to learn about trends regarding movement or alignment of this passion: “When I don’t have an anatomy book, I have one in a yoga style.”
Cancer yoga
Cristina Irisarri is currently undergoing training in yoga for pregnancy and everything that the hormonal changes of women suppose. One of its specialties, however, is the branch that treats oncology patients, whose case is analyzed in a personalized way to choose the movements that best suit each person. “In breast cancer, for example, you have reduced mobility in your arm. Depending on what stage of the disease you are in, a study is done and some movements are established or others“, explains the ferrolana.
He Prana Coruña Studio, where Irisarri teaches some of her classes, hosted workshops for cancer patients which were “super comforting” for the young woman due to the “special” bond that is created with the students. “Result very beneficial for them sharing and talking of their situation in a natural way and with people who are in the same situation. You see that there are people who are going through the same thing as you and that you have to face that situation. The practice of yoga gives you tools to improve both physically and to face stressful situations, helps to have a calmer and freer mind. During these processes you have to make decisions that are sometimes very difficult, and the clearer you have your mind, the better “, explains Irisarri.
–“I love yoga but surfing is my life. They are closely related to each other. When you are in the water, in contact with nature, you are in contact with yourself. You come to a meditative point. On a physical and mental level, it suits me very well “, explains Ferrol about these two complementary disciplines: with yoga you work strength, balance, elasticity … skills that all sports need.
Prana Coruña is the place where the young woman teaches her classes Vinyasa Flow, “that looks almost like a dance”, in addition to teaching other modalities such as Yin Yoga, in which the postures are held for longer and invites meditation. Irisarri does personalized classes, now online, adapted to the physical and emotional state of their students organizes retreats and workshops yoga and surfing.
The Ferrol company also collaborates with Oysho, for which it teaches classes online. IriSarri also directs yoga classes on Riazor beach and surf classes in Bastiagueiro, both in A Coruña, with the Galician brand during the summer with the Galician brand. Aimed above all at women who want to start in both disciplines, they represent a unique opportunity to enjoy a spectacular landscape from the hand of this entrepreneur who also works at the Pull & Bear headquarters.
