RAVE Sports Blog Expand Your Yoga Horizons. #nationalyogamonth

Five Reasons to Try SUP YogaImagine performing downward-facing dog pose by pressing evenly through your hands and feet, lifting your sitting bones skyward, relaxing your neck and extending your spine, and looking back between your ankles. But what you see is not a routine yoga studio wall, but the sparkly blue water of a calm lake or ocean bay. Waves gently rock your floating "studio" so you shift your weight slightly to steady your balance. Your breathing is calm and deep, yet your muscles feel awake. As you feel the warmth of sunshine on your skin and hear water birds in the distance, you realize you are connecting to nature in a way that you don't in the yoga studio. You feel more relaxed than you've felt in a long time.Being able to practice yoga in the outdoors and deeply connect with nature and the universe is one of the main reasons yogis enjoy stand-up paddleboard yoga. The word "yoga" is Sanskrit for "union" or "connection", so SUP yoga is one way to truly experience the connection that yoga intends. Using the water as your studio means you are literally leaving the stress and pressures of life behind on land to find a union with the outdoors.A second reason to try SUP yoga is that it has serious fitness benefits. Because your mat is a floating epoxy 10- to 12-foot paddleboard that rocks with the waves, it really fires up core muscles and strengthens muscles that aren't used in land-based yoga poses. Even the basic plank pose becomes more challenging on a SUP because your core and arms are also working to maintain balance on a tipsy surface.Refining your technique is another benefit of SUP yoga. Trying to stay balanced on your SUP not only requires additional strength, but also additional focus on technique. The slip of a foot while transitioning between poses can cause the board to tip, so SUP yogis learn to focus on micro-movements and constantly adjust their weight distribution while focusing their eyes on a focal point such as the shoreline on the horizon.A fourth reason is to let go of your fear and feel empowered. The possibility of falling in the water makes SUP yoga a unique challenge, so overcoming that fear is inspiring. Many SUP yogis say that letting go of that fear rejuvenates and emboldens them and the thrill of that achievement adds to the yoga experience.Finally, perhaps the best reason to try SUP yoga is that it is just plain fun! Being on a floating "studio" means you must give up some control of your environment, allow yourself to let go, and just enjoy the present moment. And if you do fall in, make it a chance to laugh, climb back on the board, and try again.Convinced to try SUP yoga? Whether you live near the ocean, a lake, or a river, many SUP yoga classes are available and can be easily found online. RAVE Sports ® also recently introduced SUP boards specifically engineered for yoga and other cross-training fitness activities.The new Core CrossfitTM SUP offers a hybrid of stability and performance for paddlers of all abilities for an optimal challenge of focus, balance, fitness, and core strength. Engineered and designed in the USA with a slightly wider-than-usual foam deck the size of a standard yoga mat, the Core CrossfitTM also features unique magnetic paddle wraps to hold your paddle securely cradles during your yoga routine.