Most of the photos in this post are from an album on the SUP Yoga Singapore facebook page! Thanks very much SUP Yoga Singapore!
From SUP's facebook page
Have you heard of Stand Up Paddleboarding, or SUP for short? I first heard of this last year or the year before last and was fairly intrigued. On the one hand, it's a water sport and I like water sports. On the other hand, I couldn't quite figure out what it's selling point was: want to paddle? Get a kayak. Want to balance on a board? Go surfing. I kind of saw SUP as the lovechild of kayaking and surfing and thought it couldn't be all that hard? In a show of great over confidence, my friends and I decided to skip a SUP lesson and go straight for SUP yoga! We all love yoga (and do it around thrice a week) and SUP yoga would be just another way of doing yoga right? Plus we'd all seen @stoked_yogi on instagram and she makes everything look so effortless, maybe we'd be effortless too? Ehhhh, not quite. Hahaha. Turns out that SUP requires a lot of core, and I can't quite do a sit-up properly, so go figure!
The incredible Stoked Yogi
It didn't help that we were all pretty nervous before the class haha. As prep,we watched videos such as this, on how to get back on your board and the realisation hit: might not be so easy to stand after all. And, horrors, we wouldn't just be standing, we'd be doing an array of yoga poses! Also, I hadn't realised that we'd be anchored, so I had visions of myself drifting away and paddling ferociously back to the group every few minutes. My arms were tried just thinking about this. Thankfully, SUP Yoga Singapore anticipated this, and we were anchored.
From SUP's facebook page
So we headed to East Coast and surprisingly for us, arrived early. So we amused ourselves looking at the SUP-pers (hehe SUP lends itself to great puns. Like if I ever had a SUP school I'd call it YO WASSUP, with the yo standing for yoga). By amused I mean our legs quaked with fear as theirs quaked with effort. We cheered on those doing well and grimmaced when another one bit the waves. It was reassuring though, to see people do long successful runs of paddling.
The SUP-pers at sea
So, when our turn came, our friendly instructor Nicole (who took all these wonderful pics!) gave a quick orientation:
Anatomy of a SUP Board. Original from SUP's facebook page, edits by me.
The inflatable paddleboards are pictured above. With some help from a nice man who was helping out at SUP, I attached my GoPro (in wrist housing) to the black strings near the nose of the Board. If you have a dry bag, you can secure it to the black lines, but chances are you won't be needing anything for the one hour at sea.
How to fling the anchor out: space yourselves so you don't fling it onto a friend. Throw away frm the shore, towards the horizon. Try to put some muscle into the throw as otherwise, you'll move a rope's length away from your carefully selected spot.
Trying not to look too anxious before hopping on
Paddling out: kneeling or on belly with hands (we did not have use of a paddle). If you are little, scooch more towards the ends to give yourself more room to paddle.
Row, row, row your board
If you are fairly tall, you may find the "sticky portion" a little too short for your yoga needs, but I had no problems and didn't have to adjust myself at all. Also, if you are small, your centre of gravity is lower! Yay for perks of being short! We were blessed with great weather - only gentle breezes and calm waves - so Nicole let us try the baby bakasana (crow) pose, with the option to move into a full bakasana. Full bakasana was when my face got to know the board well. Minor ow, nothing too major.
Something to crow about (okay I'll stop with the bad puns)
From SUP's facebook page
To my surprise, the hardest pose for me (apart from the arm balances) was the humble mountain pose. It was initially a challenge to stand on the board (see lack of core mentioned above) and I fell into the water a couple times.
The lens has gone spotty here from the water, but I'm still smiling, all is good.
The good thing is, after your first fall into the water, it is no longer scary. The downside is that in downward dog, you can welcome a nose-full of sea water. Nothing I can't handle.
Modified warriors and mountain pose on the top left
From SUP's facebook page
The back bends were fun! Basically, anything that involves a lowered centre of gravity was fun times in my book.
Wheels at sea - from SUP's facebook page
Being at sea practically calls out for the mermaid pose. Top tip: for this pose and the three-legged dog, really square your hips, this will prevent you from putting too much weight on either side which will then rock the board.
From SUP's facebook page
To my surprise, there was one pose that was easier on the SUP than on land. This was the split. I was surprised that I could lower into a full side split (the front still eludes me!) and do a forward fold - that's me in the turquoise rash guard below. I think it was the desperation to be as close to the board as possible.
From SUP's facebook page
What I really liked about SUP Yoga is the savasana pose. Drifting at sea is super relaxing.
Om (while thinking of the om nom noms later)
So, would I recommend SUP Yoga? YES! It is great for a try. Challenge yourself and all that. Make sure you've got a decent core (I define decent by ability to hold a plank for more than a minute).
Would I go back? Yes, but not so soon. I find SUP Yoga not so good for building ability to do poses, which is what I want to focus on right now. But it's got a great fun factor, and I've thought of new poses to test out (side plank, anyone?) on the SUP. So I'll be back!
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Summary of top tips:
- Come prepared. I suggest a rash guard for more grippage if you want to do arm balances.
- Come ready to take a tumble in the water - it's really okay!
- You should have a basic yoga practice, or at least know the names of the basic poses
- Find out more about SUP Yoga Singapore here, or here
- Cost: $50 for a single session ($30 for a deposit on Paypal, $20 to be paid after class)
- When: A sunset session every Sunday at 5:30 - 6:30 pm
- Where: Meet at the beach opposite the bus stop at F3 car park at East Coast Park
- Washing -up facilities at the Water Venture which is around 50m away (bring towels, toiletries and a change of clothes)
- Make a reservation here
- Have fun!
A happy customer after the class!
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