Grab a lifejacket before you try paddleboard yoga on Okanagan Lake | iNFOnews | Thompson-Okanagan's News Source
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Kelowna News

Grab a lifejacket before you try paddleboard yoga on Okanagan Lake

Image Credit: ADOBE STOCK

KELOWNA - Yoga can be a little bit boring. Inside a dark studio, there’s nothing to distract you from the pain of holding downward dog for ten minutes, or the ripping sensation in your hamstrings as you try to touch your toes.

Wanting to spice things up a bit, I decided to try the Kelowna Yacht Club’s Summer Stand-up Paddleboard Yoga class.

Our instructor, yogi Tyler De Freitas, told us at the beginning of class that yoga isn’t about bending your leg behind your head or being super flexible. Rather, the practice is about focusing on your body.

As I’d never been on a paddleboard before in my life, I spent the class focusing on keeping my body on the board, and out of the lake.

Our class began paddling on our knees, leaving the Yacht Club marina at 6 p.m. and heading past Waterfront Beach, around the bird sanctuary to a small inlet.

Following shortly after my first attempt to stand upright, a large gust of wind picked up and a large boat went past, tossing large waves in my direction. I barely kept on my feet, but managed to stay upright using yoga grounding techniques which I’d previously thought were baloney. Following Tyler’s instruction, I stabilized my legs by pushing my ankles towards each other, keeping my feet planted.

Once we reached the inlet, we dropped anchor and began some basic moves, sitting crosslegged, going into child’s pose, table-top and cat-cow. Then, the real balancing act began.

Child's pose, also called Balasana.
Child's pose, also called Balasana.
Image Credit: PEXELS

We moved into downward-dog, and lifted one leg and one arm, holding them aloft, our bodies only supported by one hand a one badly shaking leg.

Then, we moved into warrior one, where the front leg is bent in a lunge and the leg foot is planted parallel at the other end of the board (see photo below).

Warrior two pose, also called Virabhadra.
Warrior two pose, also called Virabhadra.
Image Credit: PEXELS

The most challenging position, and the last movement of the night was tree pose. This position involves standing on one leg, planting the opposite foot above the knee against the inner thigh, and raising your arms above your head (see photo below).

Tree pose, also called Vrksasana.
Tree pose, also called Vrksasana.
Image Credit: PEXELS

After 10 minutes of struggling, I managed to hold the pose for three seconds, after falling in the lake three times.

At the end of the class, we moved to my favourite position, Shavasana, otherwise known as corpse pose, or to non-yogis, lying down on your back.

Staring up at the sky, we noticed a curious hawk circling above us, likely wondering if we actually were corpses. 

Feeling the waves rock the board beneath me and watching ducks paddle past us in the sunset made me realize that no yoga can ever be as peaceful and exciting as paddleboard yoga.  

But don't just take my word for it. Tyler teaches a Thursday evening Sunset Salutation from 6 to 8 p.m. weekly, and a Saturday morning class from 10 a.m. to noon.

No paddleboard, no worries. Equipment is available for rent.

To sign up, click here. 


To contact a reporter for this story, email Brie Welton or call (250) 801-9235 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.

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