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photo by Sarah Maloney
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photo by Sarah Maloney
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photo by Sarah Maloney
Doing the crow yoga pose — where you hold your body up with your arms and you rest your shins on your upper arms — can be daunting in the studio. Pattie Wagner struggles with the pose, but doing yoga on a stand-up paddleboard surrounded by water emboldened her to go for it.
“People tend to be more willing to try poses because you’re going to fall into the water versus onto a hard floor,” says the 50-year-old Green resident and owner of Release Yoga in Green that hosts stand-up paddleboard yoga classes. “Popping up into crow pose with much more ease was a great experience.”
For about seven years, Release Yoga has been offering stand-up paddleboard yoga classes on the North Reservoir in Portage Lakes, with upcoming dates June 24, July 9, 23 and 29, and Aug. 6, 13, 19 and 26. It’s so popular that people come from Cleveland and Columbus to try it. The class is approachable to newbies, as it starts with an introductory lesson on using the boards from KillinIt Kayaks and safety tips while you are in shallow water. You paddle out to deeper water to do yoga poses and anchor your board — that’s the secret to success.
“The anchor holds you in place and keeps you from floating off,” Wagner says. “Keep in mind the board is not stable because it’s on water, so it’s always going to be shifting a little.”
Those subtle movements make the poses more difficult, including some that people consider easy in the studio like the arms-to-floor downward dog, and warrior one and two lunges.
“They become more challenging because your center of balance is shifted,” Wagner says.
She has fallen before and says almost everyone falls off their boards at one point, and getting back on is a workout that takes core strength.
The benefits are gaining strength, flexibility and balance and being outdoors, watching the birds fly by. Wagner thinks the best part is how being in nature helps you deeply connect with your inner peace, like when she did the reclined Savasana on her board.
“You have the water supporting you. It’s incredibly relaxing,” she says, “just laying on your back and watching the clouds move by.”
Tip: Wear a swimsuit, and bring a towel — you will get wet!
Class, 803 State Mill Road, Akron, releaseyoga.com
