"It's an extremely calming way to fit in some exercise, while also becoming more aware of your surroundings."
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| | | | | | | Why Paddleboarding Is the Perfect Form of Meditation | Last summer, one of the only getaways I took was to my family's lake house in upstate New York. A cousin of mine had kindly left her inflatable stand-up paddleboard for the whole family to use, urging us to all try it out.
Despite having been on a paddleboard many times over the past few years, I rarely had access to a body of water and space to store a SUP board (hello, New York City apartment). So the first morning, I woke up just in time to get out on the lake as the sun was rising, and meandered down to the boathouse. The inflatable board was large, but easy to lift and get into the water.
After some uneasy first few paddles and a wobbly stand-up, I found myself cruising around the cove with just the loons to keep me company. The lake was quiet at that hour, and with no interruptions or distractions—as well as having to be totally present to keep myself from falling—the sport became akin to meditation for me. After that first go, I vowed to get out every morning the weather allowed.
The beauty of stand-up paddleboarding is that you can do it on any body of water. And the perk of an inflatable board is that you can also bring that with you on road trips, just in case you stumble across a lake, river, or ocean. It's an extremely calming way to fit in some exercise, while also becoming more aware of your surroundings.
With summer right around the corner, I'm excited to get back on the board, and see where the lake will take me. Just so long as there's some sun and cool water near my toes.
Beyond the board, there are a few items I'd recommend: a comfortable bathing suit, the proper life vest, sunglasses, and sunscreen are all must-haves. Here are a few of our roundups to help you gather everything you need.
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