Water adds even more challenging aspect to yoga

With the growing popularity of stand-up paddleboarding, it isn't uncommon to spot a group of yogis balancing on lakes and rivers. Seeing the opportunity to set itself apart from other gyms, fitness specialist Jason Hadland brought the activityto the centre.

Aside from the paddleboards tethered to lane ropes, the yoga class is a lot like those on dry land. From the pool deck, Allyson Howlett takes the class through breathing exercises to relax before launching into several positions.

"It's very distracting, but that's part of yoga practice in itself," Howlett said.

"You focus your attention on your practice and inward and create that atmosphere to yourself."

Block noise

Hopefully, she said, those participating will be able to block out the outward noise.

Howlett has practiced yoga on a board outdoors on the Kennebecasis River and on the Northumberland Strait. As relaxing as it is to drift along while going through poses, she said the indoor classes offer fewer restrictions to movements.

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"I do wear a life jacket when I'm out there," she said.

"So that's something that makes working out on the water a little more tricky."

But don't think for a moment that the indoor setting takes the challenge out of the practice. Liz Martin has been doing yoga daily for 14 years and she finds the pool has added a whole new level of difficulty.

"There are certain poses that I really thought I was solid in on the ground like 'Up Dog'" she said. "When you put it on something like water, you realize your balance was not evenly distributed."

Sure enough, as Martin works her way through the poses, she loses her balance and ends up in the water. Not that she minds, she said, the cool water serves as a humbling reminder to avoid getting cocky.

"It puts your ego back in check," she said.

"When you're like 'I'm amazing at this' and all of a sudden you're three feet under, you get an ego kick."

Other options

Not a fan of yoga? Hadland said the pool offers a faster-paced endurance course with the boards.

"We do quite a bit more in the way of push-ups, squats," he said.

"We're literally on and off the board in the water."

Hadland said the paddleboards add an entirely new element for people growing tired of their regular exercise routines.

"A lot of classes...you can kind of go through the motions, same with your workout at the gym," he said.

"With the paddleboard stuff you're in the moment, you're really focused or you're going to be wet."

Hadland said he's hoping to see more people grow interested in the programs so they canexpand the number of courses offered. But for those interested in trying it out, the next round of paddleboard classes begin in March.