I attempted to do the peaceful warrior on a stand up paddle board in central Bristol. And it was pretty awesome.
Trying beginner Stand Up Paddle board Yoga
Bristol’s harbour is full of lovely stuff – sailing boats, floating cider bars, the occasional Banksy. And now also me, wobbling precariously on a paddleboard and trying to downward dog.
I first tried stand up paddleboarding last month with SUP Bristol, run by the awesome Tim and Kate. For the uninitiated, ‘sup’-ing is essentially standing on a very big longboard and using a paddle to propel yourself along the water. In the sea you’re likely to get knocked off balance by rogue waves, but on the calm harbourside you can canoe yourself merrily along the water, waving at bemused passers by. Nicest way to travel ever.
When SUP Bristol introduced new yoga courses I went along with my friend Maria, who was positive we’d both we flailing around in the water after our first sun salute. But after stepping onto our boards and paddling out into a quiet marina our lovely instructor Rebecca (who is also the UK’s freediving champion. New girl crush alert) took us through simple, sup-friendly yoga moves. It felt very different to yoga on dry land – it’s a great workout, as constantly adjusting your balance keeps your core engaged, but the main bonus of yoga by paddleboard is how nice it feels to practise outside under a blue sky with water lapping gently at your yoga mat. Bliss.
SUP Bristol offer Beginner Yoga sessions for £25. Check out Kate above making it look easy.
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