A group of six men and women looked stable on their paddleboards floating on Lake Padden on Tuesday afternoon, July 11 — until it was time to get into tree pose. After one stand-up paddle (SUP) participant splashed into the lake, two quickly followed.
The rest of the group clapped for their peers as they crawled back on their boards. Tuesday’s SUP yoga excursion was the first of five summer classes hosted by FLUX Power Yoga and City of Bellingham Parks and Recreation.
Melissa Longfellow, owner of FLUX, leads the sessions at Lake Padden. She brought SUP yoga to Bellingham in 2012, working with several different organizations to provide the service before creating FLUX in 2017.
SUP yoga originated in Hawaii in the 1940s and has since become more popular around the world. Longfellow used to travel around the country teaching SUP yoga and training other instructors.
The boards themselves are designed for yoga, measuring longer and wider than a standard paddle board, and flatter on both the top and bottom of the board.
The yoga, however, is much of the same. While balance may prove to be a little more difficult, as evidenced by the several participants who fell into the lake during Tuesday’s session, the body movements and poses are just like yoga on flat ground.
Having taught yoga around the U.S. and in Mexico, Longfellow said bringing the practice onto a paddle board is special to her.
“I am a water person. I love the water. Anytime I get a chance, I go somewhere where I can surf,” she said. “And for me, it marries two of my loves, being on a board on the water and yoga. So, it’s a no-brainer, and then just being able to enjoy the natural surroundings of the beautiful place that we live in.”
Cathie Badalamenti, 62, tried SUP yoga twice in Michigan before joining Longfellow’s class for the first time on Tuesday. She shared some of Longfellow’s sentiments about the lake and the nature surrounding it.
“I love it particularly here because the scenery is amazing. You’re out on the water — which water is my favorite — and you have a view of the mountains and the beautiful evergreens and it’s so serene and peaceful,” Badalamenti said. “I started yoga seven years ago and it really transformed my life. It’s a very calming and peaceful experience and it teaches me how to integrate my thoughts and physical being so that I can remain calm.”
The remaining sessions fall on Sunday, July 16; Sunday, July 23; Tuesday, Aug. 1; and Tuesday, Aug. 8. Each class lasts an hour, beginning at 10 a.m. on Sundays and noon on Tuesdays. Admission is $40 per class.
Those who cannot make any of the listed dates or have a group that wants to try out SUP yoga may schedule a private session by contacting Longfellow through the FLUX website.
