This is a great way to experience yoga in the warmer months replacing your mat with a paddle board and challenging yourself, developing your balance and proprioception, building full body strength and overall fitness as well as improving mindfulness and mental wellbeing at the beautiful Wilderness Wellness by the Lakes.
SUP yoga is, in fact, so beneficial in so many ways.
The link between the ancient spiritual practise of yoga and stress reduction is clear, reducing depression, anxiety and negative emotions. Being outside on the water connecting with all the natural elements is so exhilarating. There is a scientifically proven connection between nature and a positive mood (as all of us regulars at Wilderness Yoga by the Lakes already know!) On water this positivity and stress release is increased!
A normal SUP session for an hour burns about 400 calories. Add to that a yoga workout you are looking at burning about 600 calories per the hourly session. I personally don't believe in counting calories, I adopt a more yogic approach to food, this figure is just an indication of how many calories you are burning during this fabulous session. Obviously eating healthily is paramount to the yogic way of living so there is no point inhaling all those donuts just because you have done a SUP yoga session.
From the moment you get on the board you will be stabilising multiple muscle groups at one time in order to keep you balanced. You will be activating muscles you did not know you had. You will be engaging and strengthening your core, arms, shoulders, legs, knees and quadriceps.
The pace of this yoga is much slower than a usual class which makes you more mindful of your movements. This encourages you to slow the breath down to synchronise it with the body increasing your body awareness and bringing a sense of deep calm to your overall wellness.
Your balance is drastically improved as is your flexibility. "SUP yoga is an excellent way to engage in neuromotor exercise which increases balance, co-ordination and proprioception (send of body in space). The water challenges your equilibrium making it a great way to increase stability and movement efficiency".[ registered SUP yoga instructor]
