Where they are located - Outer Harbor, Longboards - part of their summer program
What it cost - $25
Level of difficulty - moderate - requires balance and strength
Review -
One week ago this morning, I headed out of the house rather early in the morning (for a holiday). Labor day morning was a little cool, making me think of the coming fall, so I left wearing a long sleeve Under Armor shirt, but with a change of clothes (anticipating warmer weather). It felt strange wearing long-sleeves after a summer during which sweating at 80 degrees and 80% humidity at 1AM was as commonplace as it would be in Florida.
Rushing to ensure that I got there on time, I grabbed my change of clothes, water bottle, water-proof phone case, and life jacket, and then threw my bike rack and beach-cruiser bike onto the car. And as the haze of the early morning lifted, I cruised down Route 5 along the glass-smooth lake to the Outer Harbor. By the time I got to Longboard's hut, I was already sweating and had to change into a t-shirt. The owner, Nancy, greeted me with a smile and a hug. It was a gorgeous day to head out on the lake.
For those of you who have taken the "paddling basics" class from Longboards, you are qualified to try out their SUP fitness classes. Over the course of the past summer they had aerobic paddling, SUP yoga, bootcamp-style classes, and other offerings that Buffalo natives could avail themselves of (even collaborating with other fitness studios in the areas, and bringing the Grove Juice truck). These activities take the relatively leisurely activity of paddling on a board, and ratchet it up a bit for people who want to "feel the burn".
I had been meaning to make it out to these classes all summer, but between my busy schedule, and some untimely wind on the lake (calm water is preferable), I hadn't been able to try one yet. This particular class, taught by Joanne Wu (an accomplished yogi with multiple styles under her belt) was a SUP yoga class, with a bicycle ride after we pulled the boards into shore.
Having tried (and failed miserably at) some yoga poses the last time I was one a paddleboard, I was concerned that I would fall in - and I almost did, catching myself at the last moment. Although I had a very slim, light weight, tippy board, and although Joanna was kind enough to switch boards with me mid-class, when I talked to her after class she said that falling in isn't the worst thing that could happen - in fact, in some of her classes, she asks her students to just let go and fall. This allows you the freedom of having done it, and no longer being frightened of it, allowing you more freedom in your yoga practice. This, however, was not the case this class, and we all came away from the experience dry.
The yoga class focused on grounded and centered poses - we were not asked to do a tree pose, or a dancer, rather, we stayed stable with 2-4 limbs grounded into the board. If you were looking for a challenge, there were modifications to test your balance and stability, like going into a full bow pose or bridge, or jumping rather than stepping through transitions. However, they were far from compulsory if you felt more comfortable staying grounded into the board. I really enjoyed doing this, and it was certainly a full body workout - I feel like a little training through the winter could bring me even more success and the ability to challenge my balance and stability a little more in poses.
Once we had completed the lovely water portion of the class, we headed back to the Longboards hut to hand in our paddles and life vests, and then headed to the bike rental hut (or in my case, took the bike off the back of my car). Once everyone was geared up, we pedaled down along the lake at a relatively leisurely pace, stopping here and there to do some yoga poses that incorporated the bicycle into the practice - on the way back, we got our cardio for the day with some spin-class-style interval speed pedaling. The path itself is quite flat, well maintained, and a very easy bike ride along the lake.
This was a fantastic way to spend my day off and to send the summer off gently. I can't wait until next summer to get back on a board, and enjoy more of Longboard's classes!
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