Hey there this is Leslie Kolovich.  Joining me this morning is Chris Miller Founder of Surfing Yogis USA.  Chris’s story is so wonderful!  He tells of being in a corporate, fast paced, number crunching life.  Sound familiar to anyone?  Chris had several profoundly powerful experiences on the water surfing, and tells his story of feeling a calling to explore spiritual life. Does this ring true for anyone?  I think it does!   Chris left the corporate world to study comparative religion, and is about to finish with a masters degree.  His studies take him to where the most profound philosophy of religion began, India.  He meets a Yogi there who takes him surfing, shows him the beauty of India, and show Chris his truest heart.  Sampu Samantaray the Yogi he speaks about has a vision that SUP and Surfing, and all water related sports can benefit his country in so many ways. This is where Chris and friends got on board to help, thus Surfing Yogis USA was born.  Sampu created the first ever India Surf Festival last year, and is planning the 2nd one this coming January 2013.

Ultimate Goal: Build an eco-friendly surf and SUP shaping bay – first of its kind – in India, for the benefit of all Indians interested in water sports.

Project is focusing on supplying boards in India for projects like Chilika Lagoon to save the dolphins from boat strikes.

We also want more Indians, especially those in the city, to have access to surfing and SUP to connect them with their environment to raise their ecological consciousness.

India has countless environmental organizations, ours is unique because something magical happens when Indians see SUP and surfing – it draws crowds of hundreds of people sometimes – and it starts an important dialogue between us, the visitors, and them, the inhabitants.

There is a large shortage of boards in India, we want to give them the tools to make these boards in a sustainable and local fashion.

Anyone who wants to experience the tremendous beauty of India ought to join us for the India Surf Festival Jan 25-27 in the Konark Balukhand Ecological Sanctuary just North of Orissa’s coastal town of Purī. It’s a magical place.