Speak to any SUP Yoga enthusiast, and you’ll quickly learn how thrilling it is to combine your paddling adventures with the art of yoga. Imagine a deeply relaxing, magical experience out on a calm stretch of water, helping you to unwind from the everyday rat-race.
You may already be a SUP or yoga lover, or a complete novice to both, just as long as you’re willing to take it slow and controlled, then you’ll be well on your way to yogi success in no time.
Half the trick of SUP Yoga is having the right paddleboard. This is why we recommend a specialised board, such as our Bluefin SUP 10’8 Aura FIT, designed to provide the ideal amount of stability and rigidity, to keep any paddler’s weight evenly distributed across the board at all times, providing greater overall balance.
Yoga Poses To Get You Balancing like a Pro:
Below we have listed a few stand-alone yoga poses that will get you challenging your balance while also building strength and flexibility throughout your entire body.
You can choose to practice these poses to warm up or cool down before a paddle, to challenge your yoga technique, or just to have a bit of fun! Should you ever feel a little bit uncomfortable to get straight out on the water, these poses also work really well on land! So why not give them a go at home first before you head out to stretch under a glorious sunset?
Cat-Cow Pose – A great pose to warm up the body, flexing the spine and stretching the back, torso, and abs. Start by stacking your hips over your knees and shoulders over your wrists, making sure that your back is flat like a tabletop. Then begin to round up your back slowly until your body is like a cat, and your spine is rounded upwards. Take a breath or two in this position and then start dropping your stomach towards the SUP until your chin, chest, and bottom are facing upwards.
Downward-Facing Dog – Helping to strengthen and tone your legs, ease shoulder stiffness, and slow your heartbeat, the downward-facing dog is an easy pose to really get you feeling zen on your paddleboard! Starting in a tabletop position, slowly lift your hips and back until your legs are straight and your body forms an L shape. Drop and relax your head, and press into your thumbs and index fingers to avoid pressure on your wrists. Pedal your feet to stretch your hamstrings gently.
Child’s Pose – From a tabletop position, bring your feet together and open your knees to the width of your board (or as wide as you can go!). Lower your hips back, stretching your arms out straight, and rest your head onto the surface of your SUP. For an added backstretch, raise your palms so that only your fingertips are touching your SUP. Trust us, this one feels good!
Mountain Pose – Standing up on your SUP, with feet either together or hip-width apart (NOTE: The further apart your legs are, the more stability you’ll have). Stretch your arms up and place them together. Bending to the side from your waist, with your hips staying as still and straight as possible, you’ll get an incredible side stretch. When ready, move back to the middle, take a few breaths, and then bend to your other side.
Warrior 2 Pose – Best performed after Mountain Pose, step a foot forward and ensure your feet are aligned. Turn out the back foot 90 degrees so that it’s pointing out to the side. Raise your arms to the side to shoulder height. On an exhalation, bend your front knee and align your knee directly over the ankle of your front foot. Sink your hips low and turn your head to look at the hand, stretched out in front of you. Drop your shoulders and lift your chest.
Chair Pose – Standing up, place your feet together or shoulder-width apart. Start to bend your body as if you were going to sit down on a chair, but stop when your lower body is parallel to your SUP. At this point, you can choose whether to place your hands together in a prayer position or, alternatively, raise your arms straight up in the air for added stability.
Boat Pose – Otherwise known as Navasana, this pose challenges your core! Begin seated with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor and hands resting beside your hips. Keep your spine straight, lean back slightly, lift your feet, and bring your shins parallel to the floor. Then straighten your legs to a 45-degree angle from your SUP, bringing your body into a ‘V’ shape and hold!
Savasana – Possibly a yogi’s favourite position, lie on your back on your SUP, feeling free to dangle your arms and legs into the water if you want to. Close your eyes and take in the tranquillity of your surroundings. Namaste!
Here’s hoping that the above yoga poses provide you with the confidence and know-how to perform yoga poses on your SUP comfortably, to take your experience on the water to new levels!
Should you wish to read about getting started with SUP Yoga, then check out our other blogs listed below!
