By Tomer Jamie Shaw, Shaw Method Teacher
My name is Tomer Jamie Shaw. I’m a trained actor—and also a Shaw Method teacher. I’ve been juggling both for over a decade now. In 2014, I joined my dad, Steven Shaw, on a Shaw Method teacher training course, and I’ve been teaching ever since.
My parents, Steven and Limor Shaw, developed the Shaw Method by combining swimming with principles of the Alexander Technique. I grew up surrounded by it—not just learning how to swim, but learning how to move with more ease, awareness, and connection to the water.
Most of my teaching has been in the pool, but over time I started surfing more, and I began to notice how much of what we teach in the Shaw Method applies to surfing too.
Surfing can feel intense—there’s a lot going on: paddling, popping up, staying balanced, not panicking when a set rolls in. What the Shaw Method gave me was a way to stay calm, move efficiently, and let go of tension I didn’t even know I was holding—especially in my neck, shoulders, and lower back.
“When you stop fighting the wave, you start enjoying it more.” – Tomer Shaw
I noticed that when I applied Shaw principles—breath, alignment, releasing tension—I wasn’t just surfing better. I was more in tune with the sea. Less focused on performance, more focused on feeling. And when you stop fighting the wave, you start enjoying it more.
That’s what the Shaw Method is really about—learning to move with the water, not against it. Whether you’re swimming, surfing, or just trying to breathe a little easier.
Tomer Jamie Shaw
Shaw Method Teacher & Actor