Monday, March 4, 2024
If you’re wondering why you would do yoga on wobbly ground like the water on a stand-up paddleboard, you’re not alone.
If you’re wondering why you would do yoga on wobbly ground like the water on a stand-up paddleboard, you’re not alone.
Some people already find it difficult to master yoga poses on solid ground, but what about water?
Yoga with a paddleboard, commonly known as SUP yoga, is gaining traction for its benefits, including improved balance, strengthening muscles, and the opportunity to enjoy water while exercising outdoors.
This type of yoga not only trains you to float, but also tests your strength and balance.
But this is not why Tamara Brittain, a certified yoga instructor living in Kenya, chose to start teaching yoga.
“When people think of wellness yoga or vacations with yoga, they think of India. Some think of Thailand, Bali, and more recently Costa Rica. But Kenya has it all. We have beautiful We have destinations, amazing yoga teachers, and wellness experts of all kinds.
“If we market ourselves right, we could be Africa’s number one wellness destination. That’s what I’m trying to do,” Britten says, striking a collapsed triangle pose in her Nairobi pool. talk.
Tamara Britten trains in plank yoga at her home pool in Kitisulu, Nairobi on February 28, 2024. Photo | Bonface Boguita | NMG
Since incorporating SUP into her yoga training, Britten has been organizing wellness retreats on the Kenyan coast.
“The sessions are often done in the ocean rather than in the pool, so I always start the session by lying down. I was doing this at Kilifi Creek last week. It’s to get used to the waves, and then you gradually move from a seated pose to a standing pose, which is a little more difficult because you’re balancing and the waves are bobbing,” she explains.
Teacher Brittain has also taught SUP at Rum Festival, Vipingo Ridge and Naivasha.
Tamara Brittain performs a lunge yoga workout exercise at her home pool in Kitisulu, Nairobi on February 28, 2024. Photo | Bonface Boguita | NMG
SUP is an intense abdominal workout that also improves your mobility and agility. Tamara describes it as “playful.”
“So it’s all about playfulness, right? The board moves with the ocean waves, so people often fall into the water trying to do yoga, and that’s part of the fun. If it’s really hot, you can take a quick swim to get back on track. It would be nice to go back to ,” Britten laughs.
This kind of fun exercise works the muscles of your pelvis, lower back, lower back, and abdomen. It also conditions your mind to focus on each pose.
“It’s a great way to work on your joints and stability, increasing your balance, coordination and proprioception. Water waves add a layer of complexity that shakes up your sense of balance and can be a great way to improve your stability.” she added.
Tamara Britten trains in eight-angle yoga at her home pool in Kitisuru, Nairobi on February 28, 2024. Photo | Bonface Boguita | NMG
Trainers say some poses on land are more difficult than on the board.
“Standing on one leg on the board, like the standing poses we call tree and eagle in yoga, are all very difficult. Now that the fear of falling is gone, it’s also hard to balance your arms. “If you land on water, it’s no more harmful than landing on land. That gives you a lot of confidence that you want to do the sequence,” says Britten.
To spice up her SUP classes, she uses aerial and circus art, laughter yoga, Qi Gong practices (a system that coordinates body posture and movement), breathing and meditation, and acroyoga (a combination of yoga and acrobatics). ) and other activities are added.
An avid traveler, Brittain has lived and practiced yoga in different parts of the world for over 20 years.
Tamara Brittain trains for headstand yoga at her home pool in Kitisuru, Nairobi on February 28, 2024. Photo | Bonface Boguita | NMG
“I’ve been doing yoga for years. I lived in Thailand for many years, did yoga there, came back to Kenya, continued my yoga practice with another teacher, and then… I decided to undergo yoga teacher training to become an instructor. I didn’t necessarily want to teach yoga, but I learned about human anatomy and how it acts on different parts of the body. “I wanted to do a teacher training to understand more about yoga because I thought that would be the next progression in my yoga journey. But then I realized that teaching was more fun,” she says. Masu.