Did you even know paddleboard yoga was a thing? We didn’t either, but this ‘SUP’ board club in on the Red Sea invites women of all ages, sizes, and walks of life to give their best downward waterdog.
If you’re a yoga or water fanatic the idea of paddleboard yoga, or SUP board yoga as it’s technically called, is probably going to be the most exciting thing you see today. SUP is an acronym for ‘stand up paddleboarding’ and tells it exactly like it is– it’s a sort of surfboard-looking piece of floatation heaven that you’re meant to stand on and paddle your heart out till you reach near mermaid levels of tranquility, and a group of athletic women in Eilat, Israel are taking it to the next level with their small paddleboard yoga club. Eilat is the Northern border of the Red Sea, which is also shared by Jordan, Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Yemen, Somalia, and Saudi Arabia.
Imagine for a moment that you’re finding your namaste with views of 2 continents, and at least 4 of those countries all at once.
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The members of What Sup Red Sea are a group of eager, athletic women of ranging from their 20s to 60s of every shape, color and size, including my supermom sister in law, Shunit Hermon.
“The classes are two mornings a week, but if you have a membership to the club you can use the boards as much as you want. Our group is really nice, and our instructor is all about female empowerment. When she’s not teaching the paddleboard yoga classes, she’s giving lectures and teaching women how to be strong and proud.”
While you may assume the SUP board club is mostly for men or very young women, that’s simply not the case. The majority of the club is women in their 30s and 40s, many are moms, and almost everyone has a full time gig. The women simply live an excuse-free life to connect to themselves, the others in the group, and the world around them.
“We don’t really go into the water too much, but much of the 1 hour class has our hands, arms, or feet in the water. We are encouraged to really take the energy of the sea and all that surrounds it into ourselves. It’s calming. It cleans your soul, and I leave happy each time.”
Classes are 80 shekels each (or about $20 USD), or 400 shekels (about $100 USS for the unlimited monthly club membership so you can SUP as much as your heart desires.
