Mindful SUP: Mental Health Benefits of Paddle Boarding
If you have tried Stand Up Paddle Boarding, then you know what I’m talking about
The sensation you have when you are paddleboarding is very special.
SUP has multiple benefits for your physical health. But it’s also an emotionally liberating experience. It allows you to tune into your body, connect with nature, and be mindful of the present.
What is mindfulness?
Mindfulness is the act of being conscious of the present, paying attention to ourselves, our surroundings, our body, our thoughts and feelings, and our senses without making judgments about them. Being aware is letting go and becoming a spectator in our own life.
It allows us to let go of the past as well as the future, while enjoy the present moment and silence our inner dialogue.
It is simple to get started with mindfulness. It is something that everybody can do. You don't need any extra time or a particular location to practice. You can begin right now, no matter where you are. We like to practice on a SUP, which is really fun!
Why you should practice mindfulness
Mindfulness techniques can aid in the regulation of emotions, as well as the reduction of stress, anxiety, and depression. It can also assist us in improving our concentration and observing our thoughts and feelings.
It can help us be more completely engaged in life as we become more present in our lives and our relationships with others.
What is SUP mindfulness?
You can be mindful at any given moment. You can eat mindfully, walk mindfully, breathe mindfully and of course, exercise mindfully.
Stillness can assist us in regaining our sense of self, calmness, and grounding.
Paddling as mindfulness practice, on the other hand, is a unique experience. It does not just take us inside ourselves to reach a still center, but it also helps us discover our place in the world.
In SUP, mindfulness entails a shift from the mind to the world, a heightened awareness of what the environment requires of us. It means being aware of the wind, the currents, the waves, and everything around you while keeping yourself balanced and moving.
Mindfulness and SUP are a great combo. SUP makes mindfulness fun and engaging. If you find it hard to keep still for meditation, SUP can help you with that, until you acquire experience in finding stillness in your thoughts while moving peacefully.
On the other hand, mindfulness adds more spirituality to the sport itself. Other sports are more aggressive and make it harder to keep centered. But mindfulness and SUP are easily compatible.
The whole SUP journey makes you more reflexive. It makes you question how are you handling events and relationships in your life. It makes you recognize that similar journey in other aspect of your daily experience.
The benefits of SUP mindfulness
SUP mindfulness has so many benefits. Here are some of them.
SUP makes you aware of your surroundings
Have you ever been in your kitchen, asking yourself "what am I doing here"?
That happens because we are rarely truly aware of our surroundings.
And that will never happen to you during a paddleboarding session.
When you are paddleboarding, you need to be aware of where you are going and what is around you.
We're immersed in water, with a salty layer barely above the surface of the sea. We're aware, active, and trying to find balance.
If you want to be aware of your inner world, you first need to be aware of where you are, what are you doing and how are you feeling.
SUP makes you engage with all of your senses while doing a low impact full-body workout.
It helps you to light up your thoughts for a while.
When you are paddleboarding, you are in full contact with nature. You are floating on water, breathing fresh air, and receiving direct sunlight. It has a lot of health benefits, but beyond that, it is emotionally healing.
Nature has the power to harmonize us, keep us in balance, physically, emotionally, and mentally.
When you are in contact with nature, you experience a sense of expanded awareness. It allows you to be right here, right now to feel your mind and body. You will not even think about being anywhere else
SUP makes you tune into your body
SUP stimulates your whole body. It engages your back muscles, core, arms, legs, shoulders, and smaller muscle groups. You definitely will feel the work after a good SUP trip!
Sometimes we spend so much time inside our heads thinking about work, relationships and tasks in our timelines, and we completely forget about our bodies for a while. SUP is a good way to reactivate body awareness again.
While you tune into your body, you improve the relationship with the mind and the soul, and each one can light up each other. It creates a synergy among all of these planes.
If you experience stress or anxiety, go on SUP trips can help you to relax and slow your thoughts. When you are mindful of the present, the worries from the future disappear.
You can always find yourself fully aware, with the mind at ease after a good SUP day.
Final thoughts
Very often, the relationship between our body, mind and spirit can be out of balance. This happens when we are too focused on issues in our lives. We need to find ways to heal and refreshing ourselves.
Physical exercise can also be a way to help you achieve spiritual awakening and to balance your inner world. SUP is a good way to make all of these things connect, interact and improve.
When you go on a SUP trip with friends, you are absorbing yourself in the beauty of nature, breathing in fresh air, go on adventure together and be verbal. You are exposing yourself to the warm sunlight, and excising while floating on water, all of which are great ways of relaxation.
So, if you are looking for a way to take care of your body while reaching a state of peace, then paddleboarding is the sport for you. Try it: it can change your life!
To purchase SurfStar boards on Amazon, click:
Leave a comment