Today we are proud to announce our partnership with Ocean Academy DR — a surf and kitesurf school founded and operated by international surfing & kite surfing champion Luciano Gonzalez.
This partnership is twofold as it aims to develop surf & yoga retreats for professionals and corporate leaders, and to support Ocean Academy”s prosocial activities.
As a certified yoga instructor who incorporates his knowledge of yoga in his professional surf, kitesurf and SUP activities and teaching, Luciano Gonzalez became a natural driving force alongside Thierry Daher, founder of Positive Solutions and creator of Surfasana, in bringing into existence the unique yoga-surf-meditation practice.
Thierry Daher has been a yoga and surfing enthusiast for years and has enjoyed firsthand the benefits of both practices in his professional life, as well as in his personal. Thierry is intending to share the benefits of these activities in the workplace, as a powerful driver of increased wellbeing, enhanced focus and greater productivity.
While surfing and yoga are two of the most popular sport activities today in the world, they also carry significant benefits in the workplace. Indeed, according to a Workplace Health & Safety study, yoga practice is highly effective in reducing workplace burnout and increasing productivity as yoga is generally known for helping clear minds and sharpen focus.
According to Psychosomatic Medicine meditation on its own positively impacts the brain and immune function. And it enhances creativity (The Creative Brain Lab, Northwestern University), helps sharpen focus, boosts memory and attention (Daniel T. Gilbert & Harvard University). As for surfing, beyond its fun, free-spirited, environmentally-conscious philosophy – which, in our humble opinion, are values to be cherished and cultivated – according to the International Journal of Exercise Science, just a 30-minute surfing session is enough to increase perceived positive affect & tranquility and reduce negative affect & fatigue.
Self-educated and self-taught, Luciano Gonzalez’s freestyle and wave riding skills helped him win a number of major competitions: 4 times Master of the Ocean champion, PKRA, and Red Bull King of the Air, among others. He was also the official Red Bull Kite Surf Ambassador for the Caribbean for many years.
His strong purposefulness mixed with his unconditional love of the ocean and activism in environmental awareness led him to create Ocean Academy, a surf and kitesurf school located in Cabarete, a wave & wind paradise located on the North coast of the Dominican Republic. Ocean Academy donates 20% of its revenues to finance watersports training and education to local underprivileged children.
Positive Solutions aims to contribute to Ocean Academy’s prosocial endeavor in helping children set positive goals in life and empower them to become happy, responsible, confident, considerate, well-adjusted teens and adults.
Please visit Ocean Academy for more information or start a conversation with us at conversation@positivesolutions.net
For more information about Surfasana, visit Surfasana.com, read our previous post or start a conversation with us at conversation@surfasana.com
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