paddle board yoga on the chattahoochee river

sometimes there are things you've always dreamed of doing or had on your "life list", and other times things come along that you have never even thought of … and they still feels like a dream come true.

stand up paddle board yoga was like that for me. i never even knew it was a thing until my friend madison posted pictures of it. last night i tried it for the first time, and it was so much fun! it felt like a vacation. we took our class at sunset on the river - absolutely beautiful. at first i was terrified to stand up and paddle around, but paddling around ended up being easier than standing up and standing still on the board without a paddle. (we anchored our boards and tied our paddles to the anchor for the class.)

the first fifteen minutes or so i was terrified. madison said, "well at least if you fall it's just into water." very true. very logical. and a very positive and grounded way to think. but i was busy fielding rapid-fire thoughts in my brain like: "was that a snapping turtle sticking its head out of the water? what if i hit my head on a rock? i wonder if there really are crocodiles in the chattahoochee? which way will i go if a crocodile shows up? what if i get sucked out of this calm inlet to the rapids? i'm not a strong swimmer. why am i doing this? how is everyone else making this look so easy? why am i the only one whose legs are shaking? what was i thinking trying this so soon after having a baby, my core is still weak. i wish there weren't so many onlookers …"

the first few poses and attempts at standing up i was seriously so scared i was doing my mental chant of "thank you Jesus" and variations of "I can do everything through Christ who strengthens me" because that is just what works for me, as crazy as it may sound. i am a big believer in taking risks and doing things that scare you.

the good news is after the initial fears passed, i relaxed and had a great time. we all fell in a few times. the water felt great. we laughed a lot. it wasn't hard to get back up onto the board like i was afraid it might be. and afterward my other friends were talking about how their legs were shaking too. guess that's like most of life - we think it's just us, but it's never just us.

if it was free, i would seriously do this every day. great workout + fun + relaxing + nothing refreshes me more than time outside, especially being on (or near) water. at the end we just laid on our boards for a few minutes. we were supposed to close our eyes for the closing sequence, but no way jose ... i was enjoying the gorgeous sky, eyes wide open. ;) if you ever get the chance to try it, go for it!

 

{rachel in the water, madison in the middle, and me. i must have been tensing up my shoulders and neck, because my neck is sore/tight today, whoops.}

 {sweet friends i am going to miss! madison is from utah and rachel is from texas, and their husbands are in ranger regiment too. thank you lance for being an AMAZING dad and husband and giving me a fun night out!!!}

{source: pinterest}