It's Hot: Stand-up Paddleboard Yoga

LONGPORT, N.J. - On a warm Friday morning, a group paddled out from the Seaview Harbor Marina for a workout as serene as it is challenging: yoga - on a paddleboard.

From Long Beach Island to Cape May, stand-up paddleboard yoga has gained popularity in recent years. Instructors say tourists and locals alike are drawn to the challenge of the exercise, as well as the relaxation that accompanies the meditation part of the classes.

At the Seaview Harbor Marina, Kimberly Notarianni, an instructor with OC Paddleboard in Ocean City, leads the pack. From the start of the 10 a.m. class, she makes it clear that participants are entering a "no-judgment zone" on the water.

That was a good thing - I, a novice to paddleboard yoga, took a tumble as I moved into warrior two, a lunge position. After a long, peace-disrupting laugh, I recovered, flipping the board right-side up and pulling myself back onto it.

"It happens a lot," said Jeff Santoloci, owner of LBI Surfing, which offers paddleboard yoga farther up the coast. "It's kind of a given" that students will make a splash.

"I'd say almost 90 percent [of participants] get wet," said Dee Schmitz, owner of SUP New Jersey, which offers classes on North Jersey lakes and in several South Jersey beach towns, including Lavallete and Point Pleasant.

Three lifelong friends from Boyertown - Jessica and Michael Carver, a couple who paddleboard frequently, and Becky Karver - also took the OC Paddleboard class that July morning, but they managed to stay dry. Karver had taken a class last summer and persuaded the couple to join her this year during a vacation at the Shore.

Michael Carver said he had never done yoga before, but he was quickly balancing like a pro. Crouched, palms shaking as they pressed into the board, he lifted his legs - bent at the knees - about six inches into the air.

Becky Jenkins, owner of OC Paddleboard, said her business has been offering stand-up paddleboard yoga since summer 2013.

Practicing on a paddleboard has humbled Notarianni, the instructor said. As she struggled the first time she tried stand-up paddleboard yoga three years ago, she developed greater empathy for students who have difficulty balancing on land. The practice became a passion.

"It makes a difference to hear the birds and feel the breeze," she said.

"I like the challenge of the balance," Schmitz said. "It's a lot different than being on hard ground."

Though stand-up paddleboard yoga instructors welcome first-timers, they recommend taking a basic paddleboarding class beforehand.

"A lot of people want to try it," Schmitz said. "I've had 6- and 7-year-old little guys."

The structure of classes depends on several factors - students' experience level, wind, whether the water is placid or choppy.

"That's what I love about it . . .. Every class is completely different," said Kristel Fillmore, who has been a stand-up paddleboard yoga instructor at Jersey Shore Adventures in Wildwood for the last year.

Fillmore said locals frequent the weekday classes and the Sunday classes attract vacationers.

"They usually love it," Fillmore said. "They say it's the best savasana [the final relaxation pose in a yoga class] they've ever had."

Fillmore has been teaching for three summers at Jersey Shore Adventures but started practicing five years ago, when, she said, it seemed she was one of the only people in the area doing paddleboard yoga.

Now, "it's crazy how many floating yoga studios there are" on the Jersey coast, Fillmore said. "It's awesome to see it grow."

OC Paddleboard offers $30 stand-up paddleboard yoga classes at 10 a.m. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at Longport's Seaview Harbor Marina. For more information, or to reserve classes, call 609-938-0117.

Jersey Shore Adventures offers $35 classes at 7 a.m. Monday through Friday, at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, and

at 8 a.m. Sunday at the K & D Family Marina in West Wildwood. For more information, or to make reservations, call 609-849-8620.

SUP New Jersey offers frequent classes at Seaside Park, Seaside Heights, Lavallette, Ocean Beach, Chadwick Beach, and Point Pleasant. For more information, call 973-782-2420.

LBI Surfing offers stand-up paddleboard yoga classes several times a week. For more information, or to make reservations, call 609-494-7873.EndText