10 Reasons You Should Try Yoga On A Stand Up Paddleboard - Huffington Post

Is your yoga routine getting a little stale? If you're looking for a new challenge, yoga on a stand up paddleboard will reinvigorate you and push you to become an even better yogi than you thought possible -- all while enjoying the natural splendor of floating on water. And it's not just for the lucky few in tropical places like Hawaii. The S.U.P. yoga community^[1] is much larger than you'd expect, making it easier for you^[2] to try it.

Below, ten reasons you should try it today.

It's a better workout.

Since the platform is unstable, you have to engage your core more for better balance. L.A.-based yoga instructor Dice lida-Klein told Men's Fitness that the workout is more challenging. "Your whole midsection will have to work to keep you balanced and afloat. You have to work harder and focus more on the water."

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It will refine your technique.

You'll be more in tune with your poses, according to Namaste S.U.P. For example, during downward dog, if you have more weight on one side, your board will let you know.

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It's more calming.

The sensation of floating is helps to alleviate the heaviness that life sometimes throws on our shoulders.

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It will help you focus on your breath.

Ujjayi Pranayama, or Ocean Breath, is a popular yoga method for breathing because the "ocean" sound is believed to soothe your mind. Scientific studies show that even recordings of the ocean help people to relax and can change someone's mood immediately. The gentle sound of water lapping while on a paddleboard will help you relax and key you in to the most important aspect of yoga: your breath.

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It's empowering.

Standing up on a paddle board gives you a unique perspective of both the water and the horizon. It's as close as you can get to walking on water, and the possibility of falling helps practitioners really focus on themselves and their poses. "It's about letting go of the fear^[8] ," Teresa Van Eyk, owner of Satya Yoga in Saugatuck, MI, recently told the Holland Sentinel. "You get off the water feeling really rejuvenated. It's empowering."

It's fun.

It's well-known that novelty is important in exercise regimens in order to stay motivated and happy. According to the National Institute of Health, "Mixing it up also helps to reduce boredom and cut your risk of injury." There are many different types of yoga, but it's still easy to fall into a rut. Trying paddleboard yoga will keep you on your toes.

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It's just a touch scary.

The very real possibility of falling into the water provides just enough adrenaline to your workout to keep you focused and motivated. And that, explains Men's Health, can help you fight the ill-effects of stress in your everyday life.

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It teaches you to get back up.

If you do fall in, you are forced to overcome the set-back, climb back up on your board, and try again -- which is a life lesson in and of itself. Yoga-instructor lida-Klein says that conquering the fear of falling in is essential. "The quicker you become okay with falling into the water," he told Men's Fitness, "the better you'll feel and the easier it will be."

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It's more challenging.

When the board is your mat, there's less room for error. If you feel like you've started to master your normal yoga class, it's time you tried this:

It's beautiful.

Between breathing fresh air, soaking up vitamin D and enjoying the natural landscape, it beats just about any gym or studio out there. "Yoga means 'union,'" Hilary Kimblin, owner of Yoga Under the Trees in Beverley Hills, CA, told Yoga Journal. "When it's practiced outdoors it seems like the union with nature, humanity, and the universe is truly felt."

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  Child's Pose (Balasana)

  
  

  The calming child's pose is a resting posture that can help quiet the mind, easing stress and anxiety while gently stretching the back. It's also good for the nervous system and lymphatic system, Kennedy notes. "It's one of the key poses that you can come to in the middle of a class whenever you want to to relieve stress," she says. "It's very restorative ... it's child-like and allows us to come inward to ourselves."

  
  


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  Bridge Pose (Setu Bandha Sarvangasana)

  
  

  Not to be confused with the <a href="http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/473" target="_blank">full wheel</a>, the bridge pose provides gentle stretching of the back and legs while alleviating stress and tension. The pose can reduce anxiety, fatigue, backaches, headaches and insomnia, and is even thought to be therapeutic for high blood pressure. Eva Norlyk Smith, Ph.D., yoga teacher and Managing Editor at YogaUOnline, recommends a supported bridge pose with a block underneath the sacrum as a gentler and more de-stressing way to enjoy the stretch.

  
  


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  Standing Forward Bend (Uttanasana)

  
  

  Often used as a transition between poses, uttanasana has many benefits when practiced as a pose in itself. The posture stretches the hamstrings, thighs, hips, and is thought to relieve stress, fatigue and mild depression. If your goal is to de-stress in the pose, it's best done with the knees slightly bent, Kennedy says. "It's great for the legs and a lot of different physical things, and it also allows us to calm the mind. You're reversing the blood flow and just hanging out," she says.

  
  


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  Eagle Pose (Garudasana)

  
  

  The active and empowering eagle pose can help ward off stress by improving concentration and balance, and also by opening up the shoulders, upper back and hips. "Eagle is an empowerment pose because it releases tension in the shoulders, legs and back, and it does require focus for you to remain balanced in it," says Kennedy. "You're literally squeezing the tension out of the body. It's a very active de-stress move"

  
  


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  Corpse Pose (Savasana)

  
  

  Most yoga practices end with several minutes spent in savasana, and it can easily be the most calming part of the whole thing. The pose puts the body completely at ease and emphasizes total relaxation. Savasana can trigger the body's "relaxation response," a state of deep rest that slows the breathing and lowers the blood pressure while quieting the nervous system. "[Savasana] is <em>the</em> relaxation pose," Kennedy says. "It's actually difficult for many people because we're so not used to being still ... But it encourages the body to come to a more restful state."

  
  


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  Extended Triangle Pose (Utthita Trikonasana)

  
  

  One of the foundational postures, the triangle pose is an excellent stress-reliever and full-body stretch, <a href="http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/494" target="_blank">according to Yoga Journal</a>. It can also help to improve digestion, and potentially mitigate the symptoms of conditions like anxiety, osteoporosis and sciata.

  
  


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  Legs-Up-The-Wall Pose (Viparita Karani)

  
  

  Norlyk Smith recommends the resting legs up the wall pose for stress reduction. The pose is traditionally thought to <a href="http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/690" target="_blank">slow the aging process</a>. "It helps renew blood and lymph drainage back into the heart area," she says.

  
  


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  Puppy Pose (Uttana Shishosana)

  
  

  A variation of child's pose with a heart-opening effect, this mild inversion pose can help to counter our tendency to crouch and slouch the shoulders when stressed, according to Norlyk Smith.

  
  


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  Cat Pose (Marjaryasana)

  
  

  The cat pose soothes and stretches the lower back, relieving stress while gently massaging the spine. Try arching and rounding the back 10 times in a row while focusing on deep inhaling and exhaling. "[In the cat pose], you're releasing stress in the spine ... If you're in a class, it allows students to begin to slow down and focus on the breath," Kennedy says. "It's one of those transition poses that takes us from the outside world in."

  
  


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  Dolphin Pose

  
  

  Similar to the downward-facing dog position, except with the forearms on the floor, his standing inversion pose can help to quiet the mind, alleviate stress and reduce anxiety, <a href="http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/2462" target="_blank">according to Yoga Journal</a>. The posture stretches the shoulders, neck and spine.

  
  

References

1. ^{^} S.U.P. yoga community (namastesup.com)


2. ^{^} making it easier for you (namastesup.com)


3. ^{^} the workout is more challenging (www.mensfitness.com)


4. ^{^} more in tune with your poses (namastesup.com)


5. ^{^} helps to alleviate the heaviness (www.huffingtonpost.com)


6. ^{^} believed to soothe your mind (www.yogaoutlet.com)


7. ^{^} someone's mood immediately (www.onearth.org)


8. ^{^} letting go of the fear (www.hollandsentinel.com)


9. ^{^} Mixing it up (www.nlm.nih.gov)


10. ^{^} many different types of yoga (www.huffingtonpost.com)


11. ^{^} explains Men's Health (www.menshealth.com)


12. ^{^} conquering the fear of falling in is essential (www.mensfitness.com)


13. ^{^} union with nature, humanity, and the universe is truly felt (www.yogajournal.com)