Why Try SUP Yoga?

Stand up paddle boarding is an outdoors adventure that is physically challenging yet relaxing, humbling yet empowering, fun yet meditative.  It already offers so much so why add yoga to the mix?  Do you really need to downdog on a SUP board to get the full SUP experience?   The answer is not really. 

You can go paddle for an hour then lay on your board and call it a day.  We did that too on our recent trip and it wasn’t any less amazing than adding a 30 minute practice to my paddle boarding.  The main reason to add yoga to your SUP is if you really love yoga and you want to take your mat yoga to the next level.

What Type of SUP Boards Work

If you decide to SUP yoga you can do it on any type of SUP board as long as you are willing to experiment with various foot positions during different poses.  A board that’s perfect for SUP is going to be easier to control when paddling but harder to balance on during yoga.  A wider board for yoga will be easier to balance on but harder to control when paddling.  Both can work! My board is the Seachoice Inflatable and my husband’s board is the FeathrLite Inflatable.

How To Warm Up Properly

For some people a long paddle may not be enough to warm as many SUP videos suggest.  A long paddle that’s quite difficult due to wind or rough water may even hinder a great practice.  The best warm up is one that balances your body and activates the right muscles.  This can include band work, suspension straps work, or bodyweight core moves before you get on your board.  A good warm up on land as well as regular functional training leading up to your SUP yoga adventure is even more important if you’re new to SUP yoga.   I used the Get Strong workouts to prepare for our week of twice daily SUP in Havasu. 

When Calm Water Is Not Happening

Ever notice how most SUP yoga videos on social media are filmed in super serene water?  In real life calm water is not common nor is it necessary.  The great news is that choppy water and strong currents can still make for a great SUP yoga practice as long as you anchor yourself into a safe place.  The chances you’ll fall off your board are slightly higher but that can be a fun challenge if your practice is slow and safe as shown in my SUP video.

Why Headstands Aren’t The Goal

I often get asked how to do headstands on a SUP board and my answer is always don’t try SUP headstands unless you can do them easily on a mat without a wall assist.  This goes for any pose you want to try on water because while social media makes it look fun and painless if you fall into the water, the reality is scary.  

Real SUP yoga fails are usually women falling out of headstands and landing hard on their backs, shoulders, or knees (I’ve seen this a lot).  Not so fun and those types of injuries can be very damaging long term!  If you can’t do headstands and feel like inverting on a SUP board try bridge, forward folds, dolphin, downdog, tabletop, and wheels.  Still fun and less risk of permanent injuries.  Try to remember that SUP yoga is about connecting with nature and expanding your practice, not about doing tricks and showing off for likes.  It’s really about the practice not about the poses.