Stand Up Paddleboard Yoga doesn’t just bring some trendy new twist to the traditional Yoga practice; it re-ignites it. Imagine floating in Savasana in the middle of the ocean, your fingers graze the cool salty water and you lay on your back with your skin soaking up the sun. The waves gently rock you and as your instructor calls you back to your body you blink your eyes open and see the open sky.
The reasons why you should give SUP Yoga a try are too numerous, so we chose a random top three (we will let you add your personal favorites to the list yourself).
SUP Yoga is Great Because…
1. It refines your physical practice
It is easy to tune out and to get into a mindless rhythm once we are comfortable with our yoga practice. On a SUP board every move you make needs to be intentional because balance is more challenging. Yoga on a board will force you to think about engaging core muscles to ensure fluid transitions.
2. It forces you to be present
Whether you are a yogi or not, we all have a little chaos in our lives. Even when we relax our minds race and it is difficult to shut off our brain. But being on a SUP board and practicing yoga will force you into being in the present moment. There is always so much more going on around you, the waves of the ocean, birds flying, fish in the water, a dolphin in the distance, clean air, the nearby beach, the warmth of the sun; all of these surroundings paired with balance and movement on your board to ensure not falling in doesn’t leave a lot of space for worrying about life’s troubles.
3. It’s fun!
It is probably apparent that the reason most people try SUP Yoga in the first place is because they think it looks fun. On a sunny day when the water is cool and refreshing, you just want to be out in it and soak it all in. Not to mention it is a good way to get in exercise that doesn’t feel like a chore!
Whatever your reason for being interested in SUP Yoga, don’t let the fear of trying something new be the reason you end up staying at home. SUPY is beginner friendly, and worst-case scenario is you take a dip in the sea and dry off in the sun. If you learn one thing from your time on the board, hopefully it will be that when you fall, you get back up (or you learn that falling isn’t so bad!). The only real failure is not trying.
Article by Taylor Chaput, owner and founder of Paddleboard Bliss