I recently completed the first stage of my Foundation Traning (FT for short) training level one in San Diego. Part 2 involves 50 hours of teaching. So what better place than Surf spot car parks, where I spend a lot of time exercising my vocal cords, talking nonsense and drinking cups of tea. If you dont know me by now, im Mike Guest or Guesty, part-time motor mouth, full-time freckle pushing buttons on cameras for fun and a living. I'm endlessly fascinated by my fellow humans and their stories and journeys that have taken them to the moment we meet.
Lately, this has begun to evolve; it's not just about documenting this through photography and words but a building desire/fascination with the body and the intrinsic links between our mind, body, and soul.
For me, there is no silver bullet and boy, did I try to find one but a series of ever-evolving changes to my recipe for what works for me and my specific needs at the time. Iv not mastered it he’ll I often forget the recipe and need a reminder from someone.
I’v had some chronic back issues on and off from my late 20's and into my 40's. Pain sucks. It drains the joy out of life. It stifles my creativity and makes me grumpy and grumpy Mike ain’t no fun for me or you.
I saw this ear-to-ear grin paddling out towards me and instantly felt a sense of relief. I thought to myself, "Awesome, it’s not a grumpy local day." figuring out lineups, im never quite sure what im going to get. It impresses the poker face people can put on or, let’s be honest, the epic resting bitch face a lot of people can do in the surf myself included at times.
I might chat a bit much in the lineup for some people ( sorry, not sorry 🥸). I think im getting better at reading the room and working out who's up for a chat and who's not, I love a good old yarn. This conversation took a relatively classic route with two forthy somethings chatting about injuries and what they use/do to manage, maintain, and improve things. The surf was small but perfectly clean, with big lulls, which afforded us the time to chat.
Hector had heard about FT, seen some bits online, and followed some pro surfers who use it on the WSL world tour; he wanted to learn more. We traded waves and knowledge, and I talked to him about the basics of FT and how I used it.
We exchanged contact info and agreed to meet in the car sometime this week, and I'd give him a lesson.
The following day, the surf had got smaller, but I was more focused on a shot of the pelicans riding the waves. It's dam impressive that they’re centimetres away from the surface, riding the updraft created by waves that circumnavigate the coastline for thousands of miles. If I get re-incarnated, i do believe i found my air animal and just for the record, I'd be down with Hector Dolphin if it an ocean mammal.
Hector surfed as I bobbed about, waiting for the pelicans to appear after numerous flybyes from my new pelican pals, im getting hungry. I promised to return after my breakfast and give him an intro lesson in the car park.
Who knows what the outhere locals were thinking of us, but quite frankly, who cares. There’s no hiding it FT can look mighty weird to the on-looker. An Hour passed Hector headed to work I walked back up the hill.
What a buzz to share some knowledge and see someone pick it up so fast and have multiple a-ha moments in the time we spent learning in the car park.
I love photography, and im pretty confident it will always be part of my life artistically and making a living, in some shape or form. Still, after 13 or so years, I want to add something thats about helping people more directly. Today showed me how that could and might play out.
Big thanks to my pal Mora Morgoven for the last four years of teaching me and helping me eliminate my chronic pain. I am excited to get to work alongside you as an assistant now. Oh, and thanks for the kick the butt to get my qualification done.
Please feel free to reach out if you have a chat and want to know more. Mora has two retreats set up this year ill be there assisting and photographing on them. They are fully booked, but you can put your name down for future ones. I’ll be doing online and in-person intro FT session as I need to get my 50h as a student teacher. Hit me up on Email.
Gracias to the Foundation Traning team for the 2.5 days of in-person and the 30h hours of online learning beforehand.
So, what is Foundation Training, Mike? Essentially, it's a series of exercises that alleviate pain by creating space in your body and re-establishing healthy movement patterns. While it's not a cure-all, it provides a highly effective route out of pain whilst building high-quality strength and mobility. The exercises are beautifully designed to counteract the compressive effects of our heavily seated modern lives and can be seamlessly integrated into your daily activities once you grasp the basics.
For more info about it check this video Dr. Eric Goodman Helps the World's Best Surfers Live Healthier Lives.
Such a pleasure to meet You Mike, i think You just showed up in the right moment, there is no coincidences in life. Pelicans are my animal too and it's the first time i heard someone say the same. Thanks so much for your help and teaching FT to me. I am still doing everyday since our last encounter and it feels better and better every day. Hope our paths Cross again. Cheers. Héctor Estrada