Three reasons you should try paddleboard (SUP) yoga. It’s not as hard as you think. Whether it’s to try something new or have fun, you won’t be disappointed!
Have you heard of stand up paddleboard (SUP) yoga? Other than a few pictures on a friend’s social media posts, I hadn’t seen anyone use an SUP, much less perform yoga on one. Last week, I was presented with a new opportunity. It entailed participating in a group yoga class while balancing on a paddleboard in a large hot spring pool. It was such a fun workout! If you have the opportunity, give stand up paddleboard yoga a try.
Paddleboard yoga on the itinerary
I was clueless about paddleboard yoga until last week when Andrew and I spent a night at Castle Hot Springs. It’s a beautiful oasis resort nestled at the base of the Bradshaw Mountains, just outside of Phoenix. Our trip provided a respite and the opportunity to participate in a few mindful activities. I briefly mentioned our meditation session, and I discussed an insightful hike. Both were great experiences, but the paddleboard yoga class we attended offered a unique, fun workout.
There were six of us who participated in the class. To get started, we simply crawled onto the paddleboard, which was floating in the water. Remaining on all fours helped us maintain our balances. Once steady, we paddled out to a circular raft with docks for each paddleboard. We latched the nose of our paddleboard to the central raft so we all faced each other, forming a complete circle. I imagine this format is easier than simply floating out in open water on your own.
The instructor, KaCe, lead us through a yoga flow. She had us stay close to the board in the beginning by doing a lot of movements on all fours. Practicing on a paddleboard forced us to move a bit slower and keep our gazes on the horizon. It was helpful to be mindful of the center of the board when moving. Thankfully, our boards had a handle right at the center of gravity.
As we gained confidence, the instructor incorporated larger movements and we came up onto our feet multiple times. Balancing and moving on the board increased our core work. We had the bonus of practicing in a beautiful environment, surrounded by palm trees and the bubbling hot spring. Regardless of location, paddleboard yoga was a truly enjoyable workout. If you’re not convinced, here are three more reasons to try paddleboard yoga.
Reason #1: It’s important to try new things
For years I’ve started and stopped a yoga routine. I decided to practice yoga more consistently as part of my Commitment to Calm. It’s taken some tweaking of my routine to figure out the right mix, but at least I’m sticking with it. Part of the challenge lies in finding what I like and what works for me. I’m still knee-deep in that process since there’s so much to explore. Trying an SUP yoga class while on vacation provided an opportunity to try something new.
Trying something new is good for you. In fact, our brains have neuronal plasticity, meaning they can change and adapt. When we challenge our brains by learning something new, it creates new neural connections. Doing so boosts our cognitive skills. An article by Harvard Health recommends boosting thinking skills by finding activities that incorporate brain stimulation, physical activity, and social engagement.[1] A paddleboard yoga class offers all three!
Reason #2: It’s not as hard as you think
I was surprised to find balancing on the paddleboard wasn’t as hard as I feared it would be. Don’t get me wrong; doing yoga in water, on a paddleboard, added to the intensity of the workout for sure. However, anyone can do it with some modifications. In general, if you can do a beginner’s yoga class on land, you can do it on a paddleboard.
We had a great instructor who took it slow and kept us low to the board so we could gain confidence. Everyone managed to stay on their boards throughout the class. At the end, she opened it up to exploring some more difficult poses on the board. That’s when a few participants ended up in the water. But in fairness, they were doing balancing poses and headstands. I can’t even do that on land!
Reason #3: It’s just plain fun
Andrew and I were both a little apprehensive to do the class. Neither of us are particularly advanced at yoga, and we’ve never been on a paddleboard before. But the novelty ended up being part of the fun.
It was completely different from any yoga class we did before. In our class, we were all first-timers, which increased the level of camaraderie. We were able to laugh at ourselves. As a team, we all learned something new and got a great workout to boot. This made it even more enjoyable.
It’s obvious that having fun and enjoying life makes our time on Earth more bearable. I’ve mentioned the correlation between happiness and a state of flow, that which occurs when you completely lose yourself in an enjoyable task, hobby, or sport. We’re happier when we have fun.
Plus, engaging in fun and play, even as an adult, is crucial. Stuart Brown researched thousands of people and concluded play was an important factor in the accomplishments of successful people.[2] Further, he found negative consequences for those who grow up deprived of play, which he discovered by researching murderers. Yikes!
Whether it’s to have fun, get a workout, connect with nature, or try something new, you won’t be disappointed. Andrew and I are glad we got out of our comfort zones. Like us, you might be surprised by how much you enjoy it. Give paddleboard yoga a try!
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[1] https://www.health.harvard.edu/healthy-aging/rev-up-your-thinking-skills-by-trying-something-new
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