“Yoga is not about touching your toes. It’s about unlocking your ideas about what you want, where you think you can go and what you will achieve when you get there,” Cindy Lee

Stand up paddleboard yoga is the newest trend taking over the East End. Stand up paddle boarding (SUP) has been around for years in Hawaii as a way for surfers to keep in shape when the waves were not good for surfing. Performing yoga while on a paddleboard adds the extra elements of balance and stretching to the activity.

Señora Kearns, who teaches SUP yoga, said about the benefits, “Besides the physical benefits of strengthening the entire body, SUP yoga forces us to stay focused, feel our body, and listen to our breath, which is very therapeutic. In addition, there is something to be said when you feel so connected to nature.” Yoga means “union” and doing it outside, the connection with the universe and mankind is truly felt.

According to Señora Kearns, to take a SUP class it is not necessary to own your own paddleboard – board rentals are always available through Island Surf. One session cost $35 plus board rental for a 90-minute class. Señora Kearns teaches her classes mainly in our local bays in Westhampton through her local Yoga studio as well as Island Surf.

SUP yoga is not as hard as it seems. SUP yoga uses the same poses as a regular yoga class, but “we start out a bit gentler on the board.  After people get used to the board, they usually figure out pretty quickly how their body and balance work on the board. You need to use a lot of legs and core muscles, as well as breath work to balance. It’s challenging, but it’s also fun! Holding postures while your fingers dangle in the water is pretty neat,” said Señora Kearns.

She continued, “Like anything in life, it’s about having fun in a safe way! If this is something you feel like trying, do it. Yoga is a personal practice and you are the one who chooses how you want to practice. There is no such thing as perfection.”

For an enjoyable way to exercise this summer (and have fun while relieving stress!), definitely give SUP yoga a try.   Namaste!