3 Poses and 3 Tips for Getting Started with SUP Yoga

I’m often asked what SUP yoga poses are best to begin doing on a paddleboard. The real answer is any — if you don’t mind getting wet.

The key difference between SUP yoga and land yoga is the instability of the paddleboard. This makes poses like Warrior seem incredibly challenging. The instability is also what makes SUP super fun, challenging, and a great workout for your core and the small stabilizer muscles of your body.

TIP 1: Find Your Center

Paddleboards have a handle to carry the board. Think of this handle as your center and position yourself so that the handle lines up with your belly button. When you’re standing, straddle the handle. If you’re in down dog position your belly button so that it’s over the handle.

Pose 1: Tadasana

Begin by finding your center. With your feet hip width apart, straddle the handle of the board. Find a fixed point on the horizon (TIP 2). Bring your hands to heart center. Slow your breath (Tip 3). Feel the movement of the water under the board and flow with the movement. Increase the challenge by gently closing your eyes. Tadasana is the “pose” you’ll use to paddle away from shore to begin practice. It’s not only a beginning SUP yoga pose, but the foundational stance for paddling.

TIP 2: Find a Fixed Point on the Horizon

Basic physics says that an object in motion remains in motion. I find this incredibly true on a paddleboard — even when the object in motion is just your gaze. The horizon does not move. To stabilize your pose, find a fixed point on the horizon for a soft gaze, or drishti. As you gain confidence on the board, you can find a fixed point with a rhythmic movement, like a boat tied to a buoy. Eventually, you’ll learn to soften your gaze and find fluidity in the movement. This will ultimately allow you to look out into the water rather than to the shore while you practice.

Pose 2: Anjaneyasana

I love opening up a SUP yoga practice with low lunge (anjaneyasana) building to a modified crescent. This pose allows you to explore the movement of the board, find balance while opening up the hips, strengthening the quads, and lengthen the hamstrings. Find your center (Tip 1). From table top or down dog, position your belly button over the handle before bringing one foot in between your hands and place your back knee, shin and top of the foot on the board. Inch your back foot further towards the tail of the board until you’re in a nice extended low lunge. Your legs should be about hip width apart with the sole of your front foot and top of your back foot pressing into the board. With your hands on the board, stretch forward into the lunge and then walk your hands back as you straighten your front leg lengthening the hamstring. As you’re ready, from the low lunge position, find a fixed point on shore for your drishti. Bring your arms up over head squeezing an imagery ball between your hands as your palms face each other. Practice focusing on a fixed point by gently rocking side to side on the board and returning to balance using your gaze and your breath (Tip 3). As you’re ready, come up onto the back toes into a high lunge or crescent pose.

Tip 3: Slow Your Breath

SUP yoga offers many amazing benefits. One of those is slowing down. This may not seem like a benny to those with a strong vinyasa practice, but slowing down and consciously moving between asana will surprise even the seasoned yogi. Slow your breath and match your movement to the breath. Use your breath to calm your practice and guide the asana. Focus on one breath, one movement. Pay attention to the transitions and the pauses within the poses and the breath.

Pose 3: “Flow” – Bitilasana and Adho Mukha Svanasana

Pose 3 is a combination of two poses – moving between table top’s cow pose (bitilasana) to downward facing dog (Adho mukha svanasana). Find your center over the handle in table top (Tip 1). On your inhale drop your belly towards the board as you take your gaze towards the sky. Pause in stillness. As you exhale begin to round your spine, curl your toes, straighten your legs as you press your heels towards the board, widening across the shoulders, pressing into your hands and taking your gaze towards your belly button in downward facing dog. Pause. Focus on not only the poses, but in between the poses and the pause at the top and bottom of each breath.

Putting it Together:

Using these tips and the four poses described above, you can create an entire beginner SUP yoga practice.

• Begin by paddling away from shore
• Find a quiet spot on the water for your practice
• Come to stillness in Tadasana
• Finding your drishti begin to find movement
• Begin with a forward fold
• Move to downward facing dog
• Drop to your knees into table top
• Move through cat/cow
• Push back into downward facing dog
• Lift your right leg behind you before stepping the right foot in between your hands
• Drop your back knee
• Move back and forth strengthening the quad followed by lengthening the hamstring
• Find stillness in low lunge
• Find a fixed point on the shore
• Come into a modified crescent with your back knee on the board
• Repeat on the opposite side
• Repeat again on the right, this time, come up onto the back toes in full crescent pose
• Repeat on the opposite side

As you can see, you are building a practice on the board. Moving mindfully with each breath between just a few poses, you can slowly add on, making each pose more challenging. Always keep in mind your center, your drishti, and your breath. And don’t forget savasana — my favorite pose!

If you have questions about getting started, let us know!

Happy SUP-ing!