Evolve Board Spotlight: The Roots Yoga SUP Board
Is the Roots the best SUP yoga board on the market?
Over the last ten to fifteen years, yoga has exploded onto the scene as a way to balance the mind, stretch the body, and increase your level of overall wellness. It has become so popular that you will likely be able to find a yoga studio no matter where you are in the United States.
Out of this popularity, new forms of yoga began to grow. It started with hot yoga, then moved to a fusion of dance and yoga, and most recently came SUP yoga.
SUP yoga combines paddle boarding with a light flow class right on the water. While yoga in the studio can be a challenge, SUP yoga forces the practitioner to also use patience and even more balance. It’s also a great way to connect with nature while flowing through poses.
At first, most SUP yoga classes used regular cruising boards to conduct their flows. These worked great, but were missing key components to have the best class possible.
At Evolve, we understood the need to create a board that was perfect for SUP yoga and for paddling. After research, talking with local SUP yoga teachers, and understanding what makes a great paddle board, we introduced the Roots SUP Yoga board to our lineup.
After a few tweaks over the years, we believe the current iteration of our Roots board is the perfect paddle board for the activity.
In this article we’re going to discuss why the Roots Yoga SUP board is the ultimate board for SUP yoga and why it should be on your radar if you enjoy this fun and stimulating outdoor activity.
Features
The Roots Yoga SUP board comes standard as a 10’6’’x32’’ inch board. It features three different color schemes to fit your style - pink/lime, blue/lime, and classic white/bamboo.
Each board has the option of a flat foam mat or an upgraded Yoloha Yoga cork mat that reaches farther forward on the deck to accommodate any pose you wish to try.
The shape of the board is designed with thick rails to increase your balance, a flat surface, and comes with two anchor points on the front and back of the board with an additional two attachment points behind the handle. We included these as an option if you wanted to attach workout bands to increase your workout intensity.
And each comes with our signature “tree pose” logo to remind you to put your roots down when on the water.
Why it is the Best Board for SUP Yoga
Yoga is about balance. In each pose you need to feel your feet anchored to the mat. Your breath needs to match your movements. And you need to feel strong through each pose.
Just like the practice of yoga, our board is designed with balance in mind.
The Only Board You Will Ever Need
When we first sought out ideas on creating the Roots Yoga SUP, we were quick to realize the boards currently on the market offer an either/or option.
Either you purchase a board that is perfect for SUP yoga, or you buy one that is great for paddling. It was difficult to find a board that could do both.
Why? Most SUP yoga boards are built with the idea of it being a platform to perform poses. They’re usually very square shaped, boxy, with a wide base, and hardly any shape that would make you think it paddles well.
In fact, most didn’t. The square, boxy, thick rails were fantastic for practicing yoga, but terrible for paddling. If you wanted to use your SUP yoga board for a long distance paddle, or for a fun time in the bay, it quickly turned into a miserable time on the water. It felt like paddling a door.
As a result, most practitioners would have to buy two boards - one for SUP yoga and one for paddling.
The other problem that quickly arose was the fact that regular cruising boards, ones that were great for paddling long distances, were lacking the thick rails, the upgraded mat, and the anchor positions to keep you in one spot while practicing.
You see the problem here? There was no balance.
To fix this, we designed our board with balance in mind - through each line, section, and curve. We set out to create a board that would be perfect for SUP yoga but also paddle well in any environment.
With our Roots Yoga SUP you will have a board that has thick rails to increase your balance in any pose, a pad that stretches farther towards the nose to accommodate your downward dog pose, but one that still retains the shape of our most popular board - the Paddilac.
What does this mean? The Roots Yoga SUP board is the perfect balance between having a comfortable SUP yoga platform and a board that will be smooth through each paddle stroke and perform great on the water, even during the longest of cruising paddles.
Mat
Our next idea involved the mat where you practice yoga on. Most SUP yoga boards either have a conventional diamond pad - one similar to what we use on our cruising boards, or a flat foam pad.
While we love a good diamond pad for grip, especially in the surf, we quickly realized it was very uncomfortable to lay on for extended periods of time. As a result, we switched to a flat foam deck pad for added comfort.
Not content to settle there, we decided next to partner with Yoloha Yoga to incorporate a cork deck pad upgrade on our boards.
The natural cork material is anti-bacterial, anti-microbial, comfortable to the touch, and increases its grip when wet - all attributes important to SUP yoga. Especially since you’re likely to get water on your board and most freshwater locations are full of bacteria and other microbes.
Not only that, each cork mat is easy to clean and has no PVC’s, latex, plasticizers or rubber smells. Important for those face down poses like pigeon. It’s a completely natural and sustainable material.
The Yoloha Yoga cork mat truly sets us apart from the crowd.
Style
Last, we wanted to create a board that would inspire your practice on the water. One that would fit your specific tastes and fill you with confidence while you practice.
Our Roots board comes in three distinct styles. The original color scheme is the pink and lime. This bright combination is a reminder of beautiful sunsets and forest greens. It’s a way to connect with nature while immersed in it.
The blue lime is perfect for men who like to practice SUP yoga. It also gives the feeling of connecting with the water while surrounded by the trees.
And our final option is a classic white with bamboo surface. The white and brown match beautifully with the cork deck pad to give the board a natural feel and a closer connection to nature as a whole.
Conclusion
Just as yoga is about balance, our Roots Yoga SUP board is too. Through each iteration we sought to craft a board that would combine the performance needed for paddling and SUP yoga. By increasing the rail size, pushing the mat farther towards the nose, having the option for anchor positions, and incorporating a Yoloha Yoga cork mat, we believe we’ve created the ultimate board for SUP yoga.
Interested in giving it a try? Contact us today and we will set you up with a demo! Or we can point you towards the nearest retail location in your area. Experience first hand why this is the only board you will ever need - either for paddling or SUP yoga.
