Paddle Board Meditation: What’s It All About?

Written by Alex Clasper / March 2023

Protecting our mental health is just as important as protecting our physical health, and for many people, meditation plays a key role in this. A few of the many benefits of meditation include reducing stress and negative emotions, boosting creativity, increasing self-awareness, as well as enhancing concentration. It’s no wonder that so many people choose to incorporate meditation into their daily routines.

So what’s paddle board meditation all about? Paddle board meditation is simply practising meditation while on a paddle board, often included as part of a SUP yoga session. It’s as simple as that, however the benefits are huge.

Why Choose To Do Paddle Board Meditation?

The paddle board really enhances the experience of meditating.The nature of stand up paddle boarding is meditative in itself - the gentle movement of the water, and the repetitive motion of pulling the paddle through the water, moving your arms from one side to the other, helps to relax the mind. In addition to this, when you go out paddle boarding, you’re surrounded by nature. All the colours, shapes and sounds of nature focus the senses, helping you feel more present and free from the stresses of everyday life.

These benefits mean that paddle boarding creates the perfect conditions for meditating. Surrounded by nature, with nothing but the water in front of you, and the gentle movement of your SUP floating on the water, this is an inspiring environment that gives you the space to focus on being present in meditation.

Paddle Board Meditation For Beginners

There’s certainly no right or wrong way to get to grips with SUP meditation, however a good way to get started is by joining a SUP yoga class. Many of the principles in SUP yoga overlap into SUP meditation, and often classes will advertise that they incorporate the two. It’s worth reading through the different instructor profiles and spending some time doing a bit of research to make sure that you find the right class for you. Once you’ve learned the basics of paddle board meditation, you may prefer to practise meditating on your own or in a smaller group - whatever works for you!

What Type Of Paddle Board Do I Need For SUP Meditation?

When choosing the best board for SUP yoga paddle board meditation, stability is the key factor to look for. It’s crucial that your board offers enough stability for you to feel centred and balanced. If you’re wobbling about on a board that’s unstable, this makes it a little harder to get into the zone! Your SUP needs to have a decent width to provide space for different yoga poses and enough volume to keep the board flat and stable on the water.

The Red Paddle Co Activ MSL inflatable paddle board has been designed specifically for SUP yoga and pilates. The 34” width provides a stable platform for conducting yoga poses, while an increased thickness provides greater rigidity whilst reducing wash over the board. The carry handles have been moved to the side of the board so that they don’t get in the way. In addition to this, an embossed EVA deck acts as a full yoga mat with a line down the middle to help you stay centred.