Adventure 4/52: Holding a beach-inspired yoga fundraiser for Ocean Cure

You will recognize your own path when you come upon it, because you will suddenly have all the energy and imagination you will ever need.

-Jerry Gillies

Veggies: Finally tried a strip-mall Indian restaurant by our house, which passed my vegetable biryani test.

Wine: Broke into our Finger Lakes white wines ... Lamoreaux Landing's Gewurtraminer was just as good as we remembered.

This is an adventure with a history and a purpose and a future … my most exciting one to date.

It all started with a long-awaited adventure in August 2009. After years of saying I wanted to learn how to surf, I decided that I was really going to learn how to surf. (You know how sometimes you get so obsessed with a dream that you forget that all it takes is, um, just doing it?) I chose Indo Jax Surf School, based in Wilmington, NC, because of its commitment to providing charity surf camps through its non-profit, Ocean Cure. I was happy that my tuition for the week-long camp would support future charity camps.

After an amazing week of surfing with some fantastic instructors, I returned to Ohio knowing that I wanted to contribute more than just my week's tuition. I felt inspired and excited and called to act. After brainstorming with the director about how a land-locked Ohioan could help, I decided that I would attempt to raise enough money to fund at least one charity camp in 2010 by holding beach-inspired yoga classes in Ohio and Kentucky. I’d never attempted anything like this before.

My first class happened on Sunday (Jan. 31) in Cincinnati. It was a small but enthusiastic group of yogis. We grooved to Michael Franti, Xavier Rudd and Jack Johnson, then had some snacks and watched a video about Ocean Cure. Though I didn’t raise nearly as much as I’d hoped, I was glad that I’d tried it, I knew how I could improve future fundraisers (promotion is crucial), and I was giddy that I’d actually DONE something. For the past few years I’ve been searching a cause I’m passionate about, and nothing has ever “stuck.” There are plenty of organizations I appreciate, but until now, none had inspired me to act.

So, this weekend I’m holding a second fundraiser at Barefoot Works Yoga Studio in Lexington, KY, then my third one at the Tuscarawas County YMCA in Dover, OH. I’m starting to talk to the director of Ocean Cure about bringing a group of college students to NC for an alternative spring break—learning how to surf in the morning, then assisting with charity surf camps or other projects for Ocean Cure in the afternoon. I see so much potential for future collaborations, and I am just as giddy about that as I was about learning how to surf.

Speaking of which … if you are inspired to add learning how to surf onto your list of adventures, you should check out Indo Jax Surf School. You'll be in great hands with fellow adventurers.