Paddleboard Yoga, invented by 2009, is the practice of modern yoga as exercise, and sometimes specific transitions between postures, while stand up paddleboarding, usually with the board in calm water, such as a lake.
Paddleboard Yoga, invented by 2009, is the practice of modern yoga as exercise, and sometimes specific transitions between postures, while stand up paddleboarding, usually with the board in calm water, such as a lake.
Stand up paddleboarding (without yoga) was created in the 1940s by surfers at Waikiki in Hawaii. [1] In 2009, the yoga teacher and author Rachel Brathen adopted what she called the "playful" [2] but at that time "unheard of" [2] practice of Paddleboard Yoga as suitable for her holiday courses on Aruba in Costa Rica, stating that she had not invented it. The resulting publicity in The New York Times helped to popularise the practice. [2]
Paddleboard Yoga is the hybrid practice of modern yoga as exercise, and sometimes specific transitions between postures, while stand up paddleboarding. The board is usually in calm water, such as a lake; instructors emphasize both the precision of movements and safety. [3] [4] However by 2013, Paddleboard Yoga was also being practised in Beverly Harbor, Massachusetts, a place with strong currents; each board was fitted with a small anchor. [5]
The equipment used may be either a normal length surfboard or a specially designed stand up paddle board; there are also inflatable boards for beginners, which are more tolerant of imprecise moves. Beginners can in addition practise on the beach or in a swimming pool to gain the strength and flexibility to maintain the balance necessary when the board is afloat. [6] Stand up paddle boards intended for yoga have a wider deck of around 35 inches (89 cm) for stability, and a rounded prow or nose to give more deck space, compared to those designed for other purposes. A foam plastic deck pad fixed to the board serves as a yoga mat. An elastic bungee grid may be fixed near the prow to hold the paddle or other equipment such as a water bottle. [7]
Beginner classes start with reclining or kneeling asanas that demand less precise balance, such as Bidalasana (Cat and Cow poses), advancing to standing asanas such as Vriksasana, Tree Pose. Balance is assisted by directing the gaze to a fixed point. [1]
According to Alexa Pozniak on Boston.com, Paddleboard Yoga provides both "a physical workout", the core abdominal muscles constantly working to keep the body balanced on the board, and "an exercise in mental focus", not least to stay out of the water. [5] Lauren Ladoceour, in Yoga Journal , wrote that described the practice as bringing "a sense of joyful freedom to an otherwise earth-bound yoga practice." [1] Jessica Matthews found the experience both exciting and tranquil, combining exercise and relaxation. [3] Jennifer Nelson, on Today.com , called the practice in shallow water in a Key West mangrove surrounded by fish and turtles "nothing short of a Zen workout". [4] The travel writer Elizabeth Gowing stated that after an hour's tuition, which included Camatkarasana, Wild Thing pose, she was able to stand on her board in Virabhadrasana, Warrior Pose. [8]
Paddleboard yoga, or SUP yoga, offers numerous physical and mental benefits. Practicing yoga on an unstable surface like a paddleboard engages stabilizer muscles, improving balance and coordination. Research has shown that stand-up paddleboarding can lead to cardiovascular, musculoskeletal, and psychological improvements, particularly for beginners. [9] Additionally, transitioning between different postures on a paddleboard activates various muscle groups, enhancing overall training efficiency. [10]
Iyengar Yoga, named after and developed by B. K. S. Iyengar, and described in his bestselling 1966 book Light on Yoga, is a form of yoga as exercise that has an emphasis on detail, precision and alignment in the performance of yoga postures (asanas).
Pilates is a type of mind-body exercise developed in the early 20th century by German physical trainer Joseph Pilates, after whom it was named. Pilates called his method "Contrology". It is practiced worldwide, especially in developed countries such as Australia, Canada, Germany, South Korea, New Zealand, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Pilates uses a combination of around 50 repetitive exercises to spur muscle exertion. Each exercise flows from the "five essentials": breath, cervical alignment, rib and scapular stabilization, pelvic mobility, and utilization of the transversus abdominis. Each exercise is typically repeated three to five times. As of 2023, over 12 million people practice Pilates.
An āsana is a body posture, originally and still a general term for a sitting meditation pose, and later extended in hatha yoga and modern yoga as exercise, to any type of position, adding reclining, standing, inverted, twisting, and balancing poses. The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali define "asana" as "[a position that] is steady and comfortable". Patanjali mentions the ability to sit for extended periods as one of the eight limbs of his system. Asanas are also called yoga poses or yoga postures in English.
Sun Salutation, also called Surya Namaskar or Salute to the Sun, is a practice in yoga as exercise incorporating a flow sequence of some twelve linked asanas. The asana sequence was first recorded as yoga in the early 20th century, though similar exercises were in use in India before that, for example among wrestlers. The basic sequence involves moving from a standing position into Downward and Upward Dog poses and then back to the standing position, but many variations are possible. The set of 12 asanas is dedicated to the Hindu solar deity, Surya. In some Indian traditions, the positions are each associated with a different mantra.
Downward Dog Pose or Downward-facing Dog Pose, also called Adho Mukha Svanasana, is an inversion asana, often practised as part of a flowing sequence of poses, especially Surya Namaskar, the Salute to the Sun. The asana is commonly used in modern yoga as exercise. The asana does not have formally named variations, but several playful variants are used to assist beginning practitioners to become comfortable in the pose.
Tree pose or Vrikshasana is a balancing asana. It is one of the very few standing poses in medieval hatha yoga, and remains popular in modern yoga as exercise. The pose has been called iconic of modern yoga; it is often featured in yoga magazines, and practised in public displays such as for the International Day of Yoga.
Ustrasana, Ushtrasana, or Camel Pose is a kneeling back-bending asana in modern yoga as exercise.
Paddling, in regard to waterborne transport, is the act of propelling a human-powered watercraft using at least one hand-held paddle. The paddle, which consists of one or two blades joined to a shaft, is also used to steer the vessel via generating a difference in propulsion between the two sides of the watercraft. The paddle is not connected to the boat, unlike in rowing where the oar is attached to the boat.
Standup paddleboarding (SUP) is a water sport born from surfing with modern roots in Hawaii. Standup paddleboarders stand on boards that are floating on the water and use a paddle to propel themselves through the water. The sport was documented in a 2013 report that identified it as the outdoor sporting activity with the most first-time participants in the United States that year. Variations include flat water paddling, racing, surfing, whitewater SUP, yoga, and fishing.
Yin Yoga is slow-paced style of yoga, incorporating principles of traditional Chinese medicine, with asanas (postures) that are held for longer periods of time than in other yoga styles. Advanced practitioners may stay in one asana for five minutes or more. The sequences of postures are meant to stimulate the channels of the subtle body - known as meridians in Chinese medicine and as nadis in Hatha yoga.
Garudasana or Eagle Pose is a standing balancing asana in modern yoga as exercise. The name was used in medieval hatha yoga for a different pose.
Meditative postures or meditation seats are the body positions or asanas, usually sitting but also sometimes standing or reclining, used to facilitate meditation. Best known in the Buddhist and Hindu traditions are the lotus and kneeling positions; other options include sitting on a chair, with the spine upright.
Hot yoga is a form of yoga as exercise performed under hot and humid conditions, resulting in considerable sweating. Some hot yoga practices seek to replicate the heat and humidity of India, where yoga originated. Bikram Choudhury has suggested that the heated environment of Bikram Yoga helps to prepare the body for movement and to "remove impurities".
Namaste Yoga is an instructional yoga as exercise television series produced by Namaste TV, a division of Omnifilm Entertainment, headquartered in Vancouver. In 2021, the company launched an online fitness platform and app called Movement by NM where Namaste Yoga episodes are available for streaming.
Bidalasana or Marjariasana, both meaning Cat Pose in Sanskrit, is a kneeling asana in modern yoga as exercise. A variant with one leg held up is Vyaghrasana, Tiger Pose; a similar variant with one leg held straight out is Chakravakasana, Sunbird Pose. A variant with the back lowered is Bitilasana, Cow Pose; this is often used as the counter-posture, and a widely used exercise is to alternate between Cat and Cow Poses repeatedly.
Yoga as exercise is a physical activity consisting mainly of postures, often connected by flowing sequences, sometimes accompanied by breathing exercises, and frequently ending with relaxation lying down or meditation. Yoga in this form has become familiar across the world, especially in the US and Europe. It is derived from medieval Haṭha yoga, which made use of similar postures, but it is generally simply called "yoga". Academics have given yoga as exercise a variety of names, including modern postural yoga and transnational anglophone yoga.
The standing asanas are the yoga poses or asanas with one or both feet on the ground, and the body more or less upright. They are among the most distinctive features of modern yoga as exercise. Until the 20th century there were very few of these, the best example being Vrikshasana, Tree Pose. From the time of Krishnamacharya in Mysore, many standing poses have been created. Two major sources of these asanas have been identified: the exercise sequence Surya Namaskar ; and the gymnastics widely practised in India at the time, based on the prevailing physical culture.
Yoga in Britain is the practice of yoga, including modern yoga as exercise, in Britain. Yoga, consisting mainly of postures (asanas), arrived in Britain early in the 20th century, though the first classes that contained asanas were described as exercise systems for women rather than yoga. Classes called yoga, again mainly for women, began in the 1960s. Yoga grew further with the help of television programmes and the arrival of major brands including Iyengar Yoga and Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga.
Props used in yoga include chairs, blocks, belts, mats, blankets, bolsters, and straps. They are used in postural yoga to assist with correct alignment in an asana, for ease in mindful yoga practice, to enable poses to be held for longer periods in Yin Yoga, where support may allow muscles to relax, and to enable people with movement restricted for any reason, such as stiffness, injury, or arthritis, to continue with their practice.
Not an inventor of SUP but rather a leader in the SUP Yoga community, the technique has blossomed around the world.
