Santosha Paddleboard Yoga

Do one thing daily that challenges you! That’s the mantra for healthy, happy people.

Do something new every day. That’s the mantra at ilovethisrock. Do both and you’re winning.

If you’re not being challenged then what are you doing all day long? We decided to embrace the challenge of yoga… But on a big surf board. Paddle board yoga (or SUP Yoga for Stand Up Paddle Yoga) is still definitely yoga but the magic of doing it on the ripples of Carlisle Bay changes everything.

Is it hard? A lot less than you would think but the experience is one which is both exciting and a lot of fun. We’re so glad we went. One of us was a total novice. The other has loads of yoga pants and knew exactly what was going on.

Instructor, Stef Lemieux started Santosha Yoga when she moved to Barbados. Santosha means a practise of happiness and if I were on the water every day stretching myself out I’m pretty sure I would be practising happiness too. Certified to the teeth for Hatha Yoga, Paddle Board instructing, Open Water Paddle, SUP Yoga and then Sea Rescue and CPR you kind of wish that the water was a bit more dangerous so you could test out her skills.

Stef’s schedule is open to all levels of experience and she does Wednesdays and Thursdays at 5pm for just over an hour… Which means you get to contort and twist your body into beautiful shapes with the backdrop of the tropical sun as it sinks beneath the Caribbean Sea. And that. Is amazing.

There is also a Saturday morning lesson at 9am. So whether you’re bright eyed and bushy-tailed or hungover from a night out on the booze, it’s a good idea to get your muscles moving… And we all have space for some Vitamin Sea! The best part is that it’s at Pebbles Beach which is the crown glory of the south coast. Paddle Barbados kit the class out with the best boards and when you’re done you have the Barbados Cruising Club to pass out in.

So why Stef Lemieux? She was born and raised in Canada and practised yoga for over ten years and worked at a massive yoga brand. Every vacation she had was dedicated to visiting Barbados and just a few weeks here were what gave her all the revitalisation she needed.  So if this is how good it was for her she she knew she had to live here. As an instructor, Stef is skilled and graceful on the water. She is warm, friendly and quick to smile and crack a joke, even when you’re falling off your board!

“If you’re not falling, you’re not trying!”

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