"I'm trying to get people in the ocean who normally wouldn't get out there," says Vicki Carson of SUP Coronado in San Diego, California. Carson not only organizes paddleboard yoga classes, but she also puts together paddleboard boot camp classes, implementing sit-ups, squats and other fitness exercises.
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For Carson, it started when she began paddleboard surfing six years ago and, while waiting for waves, would stretch on her board. "I'd stretch out my quads—everything—and people would see me and want to do it to." A natural evolution took her to creating classes.
"It's a whole experience—a total package," Carson says. Her paddleboard yogis get the excitement and workout of paddling out through the waves, the benefits of yoga with the added element of the ocean, subject to constant change.
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"When you're going through your yoga flow and dealing with conditions like wind and current or if it's cold, you really have to let your mind be peaceful." But, according to Carson, the challenges are worth it. "People leave practically crying because it's so enlightening."
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