Have you thought it possible to embrace the wind and control it in your arms? Have you wondered what it is like skimming over coastal water, soaring flying like a pelican - gliding a whisper above the waves? Have you yearned to hear nothing but the wind rushing past your ears and feel the sea water jumping across your face?

You can do it.

Windsurfing makes all of this possible. Learning is not difficult. In the initial phases you must learn how to balance the board on water while in motion. It is not unlike skateboarding. The second step is to learn how to manipulate the sail to your best advantage. But first of you must accept the sea and the wind as one - a combination of forces that will make you fly over water.

Lose any fear you may have of water or of falling into it from any angle. Allow yourself to fall. Practice falling from all positions. Then do it at faster and faster speeds. Rule one is not to be too afraid of the water. A healthy admiration is always a positive. The water is your friend and falling is a part of the process. Stand on the board without a sail. Try to balance yourself on the board. Accept failure at first because you will fall every time. You become more comfortable after each fall. Imagine the board as an extension of your body.

Ready? Now fasten a sail rig to the board. Place your backside to the wind and grasp the rope and the sail handle with your hands. Pull the rig with the sail up out of the water and clasp the boom so as to capture the natural force of the wind. Arch your back and allow the wind to move you forward. Practice makes perfect.

Practice using your body to gain speed -- the better you manipulate the weight of your body dangling from the boom of the sail, the faster you sail or fly just above the water level.

It’s time to exercise control of the sail. Pull on the boom by using your hands, switching the position of your feet to balancing your body against the board the sea and the wind speed. When you have mastered maintaining your balance (finally) make all three forces (don’t forget that gravity is a force). All should come together as a unit or team. Rarely can you sail directly into the wind for extended periods.

Experiment by turning and using the sail to capture the wind to make you turn and maintain motion. You will have to zigzag toward your destination. Be sure to use these windsurfing tools so you reach a speed that allows you to stay upright and to maneuver the board as you wish.

You will learn how to balance on the board first at a standstill and then while you sail. Choose a shallow place and a less windy day in order to facilitate success in your first few steps. Make the board and the sail extensions of your body and use the wind to glide over the water like a giant bird.

Once you can “get the hang of it” you will have an adrenalin rush you never thought possible – a natural high. Each time you will become more adept and you will want to gain more speed and experience the stronger wind. You will go faster each time. Your face will point toward the sun and your smile will lift all the senses you have used to get pleasure from such a sport.

Now, let this feeling of exhilaration fill your soul. Keep going. You have just learned how to dance on water.