Sounds crazy but is incredibly fun! If you are interested in yoga and love water, then SUP-Yoga is just the thing for you. The SUP becomes a floating yoga mat on the water.
3 reasons to try SUP-Yoga:
- You can relax wonderfully on the water. But the waves can also be a great challenge and your deep muscles are automatically strengthened.
- Sport in the middle of nature is the best backdrop of all. You can enjoy the sunrise or sunset.
- Water has a calming effect, so you are in the here and now and focus your attention on enjoying the moment. You train your coordination and concentration. The first rays of sunshine on your skin help you to achieve deep relaxation.
Challenges in SUP Yoga
Asanas practiced on land on the yoga mat are much easier to perform than yoga exercises on the SUP board due to the stability of the surface.
What does a SUP-Yoga class look like?
Students have 5 minutes to arrive on the mat. A SUP yoga class is similar to a normal yoga class. The yoga class begins with a short meditation.
This is followed by the asanas and the savasana at the end. Popular asanas include looking up or down dog, child’s pose, warrior or bridge.
1. Downward-Facing Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana)
- Starting from quadruped pose, stand on the toes and push the buttocks upwards
- Place your heels on the floor and push your pelvis upwards, stretching your entire core
- Enjoy when everything is upside down!
2. Bow (Dhanurasana)
- Grasp your ankles
- Align your knees parallel to each other
- Slowly pull yourself upwards
- Enjoy this wonderful exercise to open the chest muscles and support a flexible spine
- Boat (Navasana)
Perfect balance and abdominal exercise: the ‘boat’ exercise is more difficult on the SUP than on land
- Position your knees parallel to each other
- Now lift first one leg, then both legs at the same time
- Make sure your back is straight
- Variation 1 (simple): Reach under the back of your knees with your hands
- Variation 2 (medium): Keep your hands on the floor
- Variation 3 (heavy): Stretch your legs away from your body and your arms behind your head (V-shape)
Have fun trying it out!