AZ has dozens of beautiful lakes and rivers where you can try SUP yoga.  Here’s 13+ beginner to intermediate yoga poses you can try on one of your stand up paddle boarding adventures along with tips for a safer, more enjoyable time getting your yoga flow on in the water.

Use the right size board for your body. 

If you’re a total beginner at yoga and at SUP you’ll want to start with a larger board but if you’re super experienced with yoga and maybe somewhat experienced with SUP then a smaller board can work.  It’s really a matter of how stable you feel transitioning between poses.

You can practice SUP yoga anchored or not anchored. 

Obviously an anchored practice which can be easily accomplished with a 10 lb plate and rope is safer if you’re in a busy place or a place with intense boat wake.  But if you’re on a fairly quiet lake and you feel confident enough to practice as you are flowing with the water then that works too.  Watch my SUP video above for more on that.

Plan your SUP gear based on how you’re going to SUP

AZ is not Hawaii or Oregon or Florida.  The conditions here are quite different so be sure to research your locations and know exactly what you’ll need to have in your car or on your board for maximum enjoyment.

Slow down your practice and your mind. 

SUP yoga isn’t like regular yoga where your mind wanders and you get distracted by other people in the room.  SUP yoga requires slow controlled movement and forces you to pay attention to how you move, how you breathe, the elements as well as the lake vibe.  If you stopped doing yoga because you could never truly unplug from life on your mat you’ll find that SUP yoga is exactly what you were after.

Don’t get ahead of yourself! 

Can you do a warrior flow into various arm balances and other advanced poses on the mat? Great but get ready to be humbled by the SUP and the water. because yoga is way WAY harder on the SUP board. Good news is if you keep it simple you’ll make progress faster and be busting out that bird of paradise gopro selfie sooner than later! For better balance try training with various props like ball, foam roller, core board, etc.