Racing, touring, exploring, exercising – the mighty stand up paddleboard does it all. Knowing that versatility is a large part of a SUP’s appeal, we wanted to add another option to what’s possible on your board: yoga.

In addition to nimble muscle tissue and a calm mind, has some in the post justicesend this shot to Emily. I think she’lank, or three-legged dog might work better to sell the piece. doing yoga on your SUP introduces the benefit of an unstable surface. This instability stimulates your workout in a different way and engages all of your senses because you’re fully tuned in to the environment.

We checked in with Emily Hinton (MEC staffer, avid yogi, and certified SUP instructor) to get some ground rules for doing yoga on your stand up paddleboard, and her suggestion for five poses to take to the water with you.

SUP yoga ground rules:

• Listen to your body, and don’t do anything that doesn’t feel good.
• Keeping your core tight keeps your back safe and enhances every pose you’re in.
• As always with yoga, it’s important to maintain balance. Be sure to do poses on both sides of your body for about the same amount of time.
• In almost every pose, there will be room for you to place your paddle next to you on your board. If your paddle can’t fit, try to incorporate it into your pose for additional balance or core engagement.
• Bring a happy spirit. Yoga is fun and adding water and nature to it just heightens the experience (not to mention the chance of falling in!).

SUP Yoga Poses

THREE-LEGGED DOG (Sirsasana)

“This pose is a great hip opener,” says Emily. “And throwing your leg up in the air while you’re balancing on a SUP is just a lot of fun.”

• Because gravity is working against you, this pose has a natural resistance to it. This creates a nice push-pull, which you’ll definitely feel in your hips, calves and shoulders.
• Try to not hunch your shoulders. Instead, be mindful of trying to move them away from your ears.
• Don’t worry about keeping your feet flat on the board. Instead, concentrate more on creating a straight back.

Bonus: Seeing the water as the sky and the sky as the water makes gives the upside-down-ness of this pose a pretty interesting perspective.

SIDE PLANK

“There are a lot of variations on this pose – from your elbows, from straight arms, from your knees, from straight legs – and each one provides a really great side stretch,” says Emily. “All these modifications means there’s an accessible option for everyone.”

• Get into standard plank, and from there, rotate your weight into one hand and extend your other arm to the sky. If you’re doing side plank from your elbows or knees, rotate and roll open from whatever variation you’re most comfortable with.
• Take a few breaths before moving from one side to the other to help you practice your balance and strengthen your core.
• Your obliques, arms and shoulders will love this one, as much for the stretch as for the added core work.

Bonus: The trick to getting the deepest stretch you can is to find your centre of gravity on the board. When you’re in side plank, extend your top arm as high up as possible and keep your core tight. Stacking your feet on top of one another makes balancing more difficult, while staggering them so they’re side-by-side (as shown by Emily below) makes it easier.

TREE (Vriksasana)

“Depending on how choppy the water is, this can be a very hard pose,” says Emily. “It’s all about a good strong core to help you balance.”

• Standing upright, engage your core and raise one foot up. Place your foot either on your calf or on your thigh. Be sure to not rest your lifted foot on your knee.
• If you want to incorporate your paddle, hold onto it as you get into the pose. Once you’ve found your balance, raise your paddle up above your head.
• Take a few breaths to settle into the pose and then switch legs.
• To help find your balance, pick a focal point on the horizon and focus on it.

Bonus: If you’re looking to up the ante with this pose, close your eyes and try to maintain your balance. Don’t worry, the water makes for a super soft landing pad.

EAGLE (Garudasana)

“This is one of my favourite poses on land, but it’s very tricky on water because of the balance and twists required,” says Emily. “Getting into the pose on solid ground is a challenge, so when you add the movement of the board it makes it even more difficult to hold the pose.”

• Bring your right leg up and across your left leg at the knee. Hook your right foot behind your shin (or as close as you can get it) so your legs are on top of one another. Cross your left arm over your right, setting your left elbow into the crook of your right arm, and place your palms together.
• When you’re all crossed and feeling stable, sit back as far as you can, while still maintaining your balance.
• Remain in the pose for several breaths before you unravel and set up on the other side.
• Wrapping your arms provides a solid stretch for your shoulders and creates space across your back for better shoulder mobility.
• Staying balanced in this pose has a lot to do with keeping your core engaged and a strong, straight back.

Bonus: The first time you try this pose, make sure it’s a warm day when you won’t mind taking an unexpected dip. “I have yet to manage this pose without falling off my board,” says Emily.

An eagle that’s solid on land gets a little trickier when it’s on water.

CORPSE (Savasana)

“This is obviously a very basic pose but it’s exceptional for winding down,” Emily explains. “Finishing up with this pose calms your body and helps your breathing return to normal.”

• Lie down in a neutral position on the board: hands out and palms turned up, legs softly bent at the knees with feet flopped to the side. Relax your breath, move your shoulders away from your ears and just breathe.
• Allow every muscle in your body to release and let your body sink into your board.

Bonus: Being in corpse pose while you’re floating on the water adds an extra level of relaxation. The energy of the sun, the soothing sound of water lapping against your board, the fresh air around you – these elements are what set SUP yoga apart from its dry land equivalent.

If you’re looking for more moves to add to your stand up paddleboarding, check out Emily’s five favourite SUP exercises for muscle building and calorie burning. For specifics on how to choose a board and paddle, basic stroke techniques, and commonly asked questions, visit our stand up paddleboarding page or read our post on the basics of stand up paddleboarding.