Try something new: SUP Yoga
There are so many fun ways to get active this summer, and one of those ways is by doing yoga on the water.
Meet Logan Griffith aka @logieyogi, a former collegiate swimmer who found her way to yoga through a shoulder injury.
Photo by @csleecreative_
"I was unable to do anything without pain for a long while, and yoga was a way back into movement for me, but I ended up slowly falling in love with the inner heat, the poses, and the yoga off the mat."
After completing her training in 2018 and teaching, yoga became one of her deepest passions.
"I appreciate the opportunity to help others the way that I’ve been helped through yoga. I mostly teach vinyasa based classes and also offer some restorative classes. I offer private 1:1 lessons and teach public studio classes"
In 2020, Logan became a SUP Yoga teacher, and combined her first love — the water — with yoga. Now, it’s one of her favorite things to teach.
"I think it really helps to build proprioception (the awareness of the body in space around it) and it transfers some important knowledge of the physical practice back to the mat."
Below, Logan answers a few questions about this practice.
Q. What is SUP Yoga?
A. SUP Yoga is Stand UP Paddle-board Yoga, or just the practice of yoga while on a stand up paddle-board.
Paddle-boarding is a sport that comes to us via the pacific island region, most notably (and most modernly) through Hawaii. The wonderful training that I did to become certified in teaching took the time to educate upon the actual sport, the different types of boards, the technical names of the parts of the board, and technical strokes, as well as a big focus on water safety.
As an instructor, I also hold CPR and First Aid certifications to make sure my students are protected and safe (no new thing to me, I was also a lifeguard and swim instructor in college — no big surprise as a swimmer).
Q. What's it like being outside on the water during this practice?
A. Practicing outside in public holds its share of distraction. Sometimes we have boats go by, making waves, rocking us around. Sometimes we encounter other paddlers or boaters that are curious and want to watch or say hello. Sometimes we’re our own distraction when we fall in! But mostly, we’re lucky enough to have the opportunity to sit in nature, to experience the world around us, to listen and soak in the natural beauty and sunshine of the day.
It can be a little disorienting at first to bring your land practice to the water. You look between your legs in downward facing dog and you see both sky and water. All of a sudden, the “mat” beneath you isn’t steady and still- it’s also being moved gently by the water underneath you. If you place too much pressure on one side of the board, the board and your body starts to lean that way too.
We adjust our practice on the board by staying centered over the sweet spot, by taking our poses a little wider than traditionally expected (which, by the way, is always available on land or on the water), and by starting out seated. We warm up the core and get ourselves steady, balanced, and engaged before we even stand up.
Photo by @csleecreative_
Q. Do you have any tips for newbies who are interested, but may be nervous to try?
A. I have all sorts come out to try SUP Yoga:
~ People who have never gotten on a board
~ People who have never done yoga
~ People who have never done either
~ Or who have done both
The best advice I can give is just to show up! It’s the hardest part of the whole thing. Everything else is a piece of cake.
When people ask me about it, one of the first things they ask is “Well what if I fall in?”
My answer is always, “So what if you do?”
The water is nice, it’s not hard to get back on the board, and in this famously hot heat (even in the mornings) most of my students want to jump in to cool off. If you accidentally fall in, we all laugh, we give ourselves the permission to be human, messy, and imperfect — and we take time to get everyone back together before we move on.
Want to take a class? Logan's last class of the season is this Saturday, July 15th at 9:30 a.m.
Meeting point:
California Republic SUP
3072 US Hwy 378
Leesville, SC
Just 30 min from downtown Columbia.
The class is $40 (includes the rental of all equipment).
To sign up, reach out to Logan via Instagram.
If you can’t make it to class, Steve aka Moondoggie, the owner of California Republic SUP, will still be renting out paddleboards through August.
"It’s definitely worth a visit on its own and then you’ll be prepped and ready for next season!"
Want to try another one of Logan's classes? You can catch her at at Tribe Yoga and Wellness, Everyday Wellness, and teaching brunch yoga class at Jake’s on Devine on select Sunday mornings.