Downward –facing dog. Dolphin pose. Crow pose. Head-to-knee forward bend. If you recognize these terms, you are one of the growing group of people that are joining the world of yoga.
Yoga is a physical, mental, and spiritual practice or discipline, which originated in India a very long long time ago, but only gained prominence in the west in the 20th century.
More recently, yoga has been moved from the studio to bodies of water…yep, yoga on paddleboards is a sweeping new fitness trend that is getting people up and active combining their desire to stay fit and their love of the water, two things that are very important and popular in Chestermere.
Sara Munro, who grew up on an acreage close to Chestermere and graduated from Chestermere High School in 1994, has noticed this need in our city and has just opened ‘Wild Spirit SUP Yoga’.
Munro began paddling with the ‘Surfsup’ when Kameil and Shane Rozumniak, former Chestermere residents who ran a SUP business while they lived here. “I was addicted my first time on a Paddleboard, about 4 years ago. I love paddling and doing yoga here on the lake as well as taking my board up to the mountain lakes, explains Munro.
Munro says that Wild Spirit SUP Yoga encourages men and women to get out and enjoy nature and the beauty of Chestermere Lake. “It’s an opportunity to connect mind, body & spirit through the practice of yoga on the water. As we float and flow, we are building stamina, strength and balance and the more you come out the more you get comfortable with flowing, twisting and bending on the water. We will conquer fears, explore basic postures and free our wild spirits. All levels are welcome”.
Some of the benefits that Munro says come from SUP yoga are connecting to nature and being outside enjoying the short summer while bringing a fun and exciting new way to enjoy yoga and an invigorating workout.
“You’re challenging the same muscles but in a different way, engaging your core more often as you try and maintain balance. Pretty much using every muscle in your body. It’s low impact so it’s easy on your joints and ligaments. Once out on the water you notice it decreases stress levels. Performing yoga while on a paddleboard adds an extra dimension of balance to the activity. This can be a lot of fun as well as very challenging for someone who is already an experienced practitioner of yoga. Advanced students can bring another level of challenge to their practice”, says Munro.
Munro adds that SUP is for anyone wanting to experience movement, a fun and exciting workout, anyone wanting to connect to nature and experience the beauty of the lake, but cautions that if you are unable to swim or have a fear of water this may not necessarily be for you. “Saying that though we offer private individualized classes for anyone wanting to try this but maybe not in a class setting. We have life jackets and I am present at all classes and I am trained in water rescue as well as standard first aid. All my teachers have standard first aid as well”, adds Munro.
On the evening of May 25th, this excited group met at the boat launch in John Peake Park and took to the lake for a session. Made up of over a dozen women and one man, the group paddled out into the lake and went through a series of movements and poses –with only one participant taking an unsuspecting plunge into the lake.
“We are a Tribe of outgoing adventurous women looking to motivate and inspire others through yoga & fitness on paddleboards. We have a selection of amazing teachers as well as different classes such as Intro to SUP Yoga, Flow Yoga, Yin Yoga, fitness boot camp classes otherwise known as Water Warriors. We also offer a yoga crossed with Pilates class, something for everyone, men and women”, added Munro.
The group operates from June to the end of September. Monday and Wednesday evenings and Saturdays and Sundays. This summer they will offer a few mountain retreat days, and some surprise SUP workshops and some sunset classes. For more details, you can visit www.wildspiritsupyoga.com
