SUP Yoga in Hossegor

I’ve written about different styles of yoga before so you might know that I like to try out something new once in a while! Well, I’ve definitely taken this to a whole new level by trying out SUP Yoga in Hossegor (France).

As my husband is from the area we know Hossegor very well so when I found out that they do SUP Yoga I definitely had to try it!

What is SUP Yoga?

SUP Yoga is short for Stand Up Paddleboard Yoga and that’s exactly what it is! You take a paddle board and you do yoga! Simple right? Well, I can tell you it’s not!

I’ve been searching the internet for the origins of SUP Yoga but opinions seem to differ on this. It’s not really important who came up with the idea either but I can see how not only surfers can definitely benefit from it.

You are working on strength and flexibility like in a normal yoga class but doing the poses on the water adds a whole new dimension to the practice.

The Class

The class I took at SUP Yoga Hossegor was led by the lovely Elodie, who is also a fellow yoga blogger (if you speak French then definitely check out her blog Goofy Coconut)!

We had a little intro to how to use the paddle board and then off we went on the lake in Hossegor! I have to add here that it’s a salt-water lake connected to the Atlantic Ocean so there were definitely a few challenges (waves, currents) on the way!

I also have to confess that I’m neither a surfer nor am I particularly comfortable in the water… This is why I made my way across the lake standing on my knees rather than standing up completely.

Once we got to the spot, Elodie tied all the board to hers so we wouldn’t float in different directions and then the real challenge began!

Elodie teaches Ashtanga style yoga so the class itself was demanding. She kept it simple of course as the class was for all levels but if we hadn’t been on the water we would still have gotten a really good work out!

The main challenge was the standing postures. I am used to Iyengar style alignment which is not possible on the paddle board unless you want to become very familiar with the water around you very soon… The weight distribution has to keep you balanced on the board which meant that my legs had to work a lot harder than in a normal yoga class!

Here is me attempting a very wobbly side angle pose! Well, at least that’s what it was supposed to be 😉

We did a good hour of Ashtanga style yoga so Sun Salutations, standing poses, seated poses and even some backbends. I was very grateful that we didn’t do any headstands (I would have definitely landed in the water) and I was very happy once we got to the seated poses – even though Elodie didn’t even miss out the dreaded vinyasas!

As with any yoga class the best part was a well deserved Savasana at the end! I have no idea how long we stayed in Savasana but I would suspect it was no longer than 5 minutes by which time we found ourselves in a completely different part of the lake so lots of fun paddling all the way back 🙂

The Verdict

Would I do SUP Yoga again? Absolutely! I think I would even do it on the Thames back in London! The weather has to be right of course and as the class includes the rental of the paddle board it’s not cheap (EUR 30) but worth every cent!

I don’t think that previous yoga experience will give you an advantage even though it helps if you are familiar with the poses and don’t have to look at the teacher all the time!

Being on the paddle board will really test your balance and ability to focus! Doing yoga outside in nature is lovely of course and Savasana on a paddle board with rocking movements of the water and the sound of the waves is simply heavenly!

Disclosure: this is NOT a sponsored post. I paid the full price for the class and wrote this post because I enjoyed it and want everyone to try SUP Yoga in Hossegor 🙂