Do I need a yoga paddle board to do SUP yoga?
No, you can use any wide stable paddle board for practicing sup yoga
There a paddle boards for everything. Surfing, camping, fishing, racing and yoga. But do you need a yoga paddle board? Let’s look at the positives and negatives of a yoga paddle board.
What is SUP Yoga?
SUP yoga is practicing yoga on a paddle board in the middle of the water, typically a lake.
Benefits of a Yoga Paddle Board
1. More Stability
Yoga paddle boards are wider for extra stability. They are often quite wide on the nose and tail of the board adding stability across the board. And finally the bottom is often flat for stability.
2. Light for Easy Transport to the Water
Yoga paddle boards are often ultra light so smaller paddlers can easily carry them to and from the water.
3. Large Soft Non-Slip Deck Pad
Yoga paddle boards will have a flat deck and a large deck pad for plenty of room to exercise.
a yoga specific paddle board isn’t a must have, even for the serious yoga paddler.
Negatives of a Yoga Paddle Board
1. Extra wide yoga specific paddle boards are slow
Yoga paddle boards are perfect for practicing yoga and Pilates. But the extra width and shape make them sluggish and slow in the water.
2. Smaller paddlers can’t use proper form on an extra wide Board
The extra width also makes it hard for a smaller paddler to use proper paddling technique. A paddler with shorter arms will not be able to paddle an extra wide board with good form.
Pro Tip:
If you want to use a yoga paddle board for more than yoga look for a multi-purpose paddle board 34″ wide.
Summary
Do you need a yoga paddle board to do sup yoga? No, any stable paddle board with a large soft deck will work fine. For many paddlers a better choice is an all-around paddle board.
However, yoga paddle boards are perfect for yoga and Pilates.
But keep in mind, extra wide paddle boards are slow and sluggish to paddle. And are good only for yoga or fishing where you might want a super stable platform.
So if you want to use a yoga paddle board for more than yoga look for a paddle board that is not wider than 34″. Also a more pointed nose and longer length will improve glide.
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