Jill Sanford | 06.26.2017

Are you ready for a new challenge?

Whether you are a serious yogi, an experienced stand-up paddler, or new to both forms of exercise, SUP yoga is all the rage and a great way to build fitness while enjoying your natural surroundings.

Because SUP yoga involves holding athletic poses on an unstable surface, you will really have to engage your core to pull off these moves successfully. Practicing Yoga on a paddleboard forces you to refine your technique and purposefully move from one pose to the next. Plus, you get to experience it in a beautiful setting rather than a stuffy studio. There’s not much that’s more zen than getting your stretch on while floating on a glassy smooth lake at sunrise or dusk.

How to get started?

Many popular SUP locations have guide companies or yoga studios that offer SUP classes where you can learn with a like minded group of paddle yogis. Feel free to try it out on your own, however. Here’s a list of a few basic poses that are great to try out on the paddle board.

  • Mountain Pose
  • Chair Pose
  • Forward Bend
  • All the variations of Warrior Pose
  • Plank Pose
  • Downward Dog
  • Cobra

What kind of board should you use?

Usually SUP yoga enthusiasts prefer the most stable boards they can find. Look for something that is wide and sturdy with non tapered ends. Most leading brands that create paddle boards these days design a version that is specific to SUP Yoga.

Where to go?

Here’s a list of leading paddleboard destinations. While these are some of our favorite locations, this list is by no means exhaustive. Ideally you're looking for somewhere with flat, calm water and plenty of beauty. Wherever you practice SUP yoga, enjoy!

Comments

When "destination" SUP Yoga is a topic, I think I'm getting farther and farther from the audience/demographic that OP.org is targeting...
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