Going forward, how you should stand
This is just for hints on how you should be standing while riding to make it most comfortable, least tiring and to reduce the chance of you falling.
Keep your arms straight at all times, pulling it towards you only makes your arms tired so just keep them straight.
Your legs should be bend at all times this is so that you can use your legs as suspension when going over waves. With locked legs that are straight you will struggle to ride over waves without bending your legs and I am sure you will fall over. Also do not worry about trying to lean back so the front of your board goes on top of the water, the board is bend at the front and back so that water already goes under the board this is not an issue.
keep your hip forwards, as you can see in the picture, the only thing that should be bend is your knees the rest of your body should be straight, when you bend your upper body forwards you will see that you have close no proper control over your legs and your board will be going all directions while you try to turn.
Always look in the direction you are going, it may sound unimportant but if you are riding and keep looking at your feet you will start to make your board nose dive into the water. If you are turning to the right look in the direction you are going, this does make turning easier, don't worry about turning over the wave, if your legs are bent properly then it will not be a problem. It's about the same as walking with your eyes closed you have no sense of direction.