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by Tim Ganley (Author), Vie Binga (Author)
The first time I (Vie) fell off of a paddleboard, I was practicing sun salutations. I knew right then and there thatthis was going to be a lifelong passion. The time was summer of 2006, and the place, Fort Desoto on the Gulf Coast of Florida. We had just finished taking a group out for KaYoga (a term coined by Tim...) to Shell Key, a tiny island nearby. We were using our 2 newly purchased paddleboards (Jimmy Lewis) that we had ordered from North Carolina. At that time, no one in our area was carrying paddleboards. The popular belief at the local surf shops was that paddleboarding was just another fad. Time has proven they were mistaken. We had seen the curiosity on people's faces when they saw us standing while paddling, as opposed to sitting. I looked at Tim and said, "I bet I can do more Sun Salutations than you." Tim decided to take me up on this challenge and he fell in at the 9th Sun Salutation while I kept going, until I "willingly" fell in at number 20. Years later, we came to realize that at that moment, every one around us had witnessed the sea-grass roots of what came to be SUP & Yoga (Stand Up Paddle & Yoga.) People were having so much fun trying out our 2 Jimmy Lewis paddleboards that within a few months we ended up switching our kayak fleet into a SUP fleet consisting mostly of the now extinct Imagine Surf Eco Hybrid Surfers (Hybrid as in SUP/Kayak.) It was amazing to watch the enjoyment on people's faces as they were standing and gliding across the water making eye contact with the dolphins and manatees who were playing all around them. Little did we know that the amazement we were witnessing then was minimal compared to what we felt when we watched them practice yoga on their paddleboards. I cannot think of a more rewarding feeling than having played a positive part in another person's life-changing experience. Having introduced thousands of people to Stand Up Paddle & Yoga and having certified hundreds of SUP & Yoga Teachers, there are no words to describe the human bond that Stand Up Paddle & Yoga helps create. And here we are, attempting to document our personal experience, so we can introduce as many people as possible to the magical portal of Stand Up Paddle & Yoga.
