Paddleboarding: Movement, Meditation & Magic on the Water

I was sitting on the dock of our villa in Turks and Caicos when I spotted a lone dolphin swimming around the bay where we were staying. 

I sprinted inside, threw on my bikini, grabbed my paddleboard and paddled out as fast as I could. 

And then something incredible happened.

He came right up to my board!

He was curious and playful, looking up at me as if he was just as interested in me as I was in him. He hung around for several minutes, and I even have underwater GoPro footage of him right there next to me with what honestly looks like a little smile on his face.

It was one of those moments that feels almost too magical to be real.

And it perfectly captures why I love paddleboarding.

There are very few things that make me feel more alive than standing on a paddleboard out on the the water. Even more so when I get to experience marine life from that unique vantage point. 

Sometimes I’m moving fast, paddling hard and feeling every muscle in my body working. Sometimes I’m practicing yoga as the board gently rocks beneath me. And sometimes I’m doing absolutely nothing — just sitting or lying down, letting the current carry me while I watch the world beneath the surface.

For me, paddleboarding has always been so much more than exercise.

It’s a moving meditation. A way to reconnect with nature, with the ocean, and with myself.

And, if I’m lucky, it’s an invitation into the magical underwater world that exists beneath me.

The Benefits of Stand Up Paddleboarding

If you’ve ever wondered, is paddleboarding good exercise? — the answer is a very enthusiastic yes.

One of my favorite things about SUP, or stand up paddleboarding, is that it’s an incredibly effective, low-impact, full-body workout. Even when you’re simply standing on the board and gently paddling, your body is constantly making tiny adjustments to maintain balance.

Your legs and glutes are working. Your core is engaged. Your arms and shoulders are moving. Your back is involved. Even your feet are working to stabilize you on the board. 

And if you decide to “lazy paddle” by sitting or kneeling, your core is still engaged the entire time. 

You can make it whatever kind of workout you want. 

A leisurely paddle on calm water can be incredibly peaceful - while still moving your body. And if you’re craving more intensity, you can launch yourself into a “sprint paddle” — going as hard and fast as you can for a certain distance. 

Talk about an oblique burner!

Then sit, and float as you recover. 

That combination — exertion followed by complete stillness — is one of my favorite forms of movement. 

It also makes paddleboarding something I can return to again and again without needing every outing to look the same. Some days I want to challenge my body. Some days I want to explore. Some days I want to do yoga. And some days I just want to be outside on the water.

There’s something beautiful about movement that doesn’t have to be all-or-nothing.

Paddleboarding Is Accessible to Practically Everyone

You might see someone effortlessly gliding across the water and think, that looks easy.

Or you might look at the board and the water and think, there is absolutely no way I’m getting on that thing.

I’ve experienced both reactions from people.

For several summers, I ran a SUP company where we taught lessons, offered rentals and hosted paddleboard yoga classes. I taught people of all ages, sizes, experience levels and athletic abilities.

My favorite thing was always watching someone go from nervous beginner to confidently paddling around on their own.

It is easy— but that doesn’t mean there isn’t technique involved.

Knowing how to hold the paddle, how to switch sides, how to stand on the board and how to use your body efficiently can make a huge difference. Good technique turns paddleboarding from something that can feel awkward and tiring into something that feels natural.

That’s why I always encourage beginners to take a lesson or go out with someone who knows what they’re doing. Once you understand the basics, you may be surprised by just how intuitive it becomes.

And if standing feels like too much at first?

Kneel.

If kneeling feels uncomfortable?

Sit.

You can still paddle, explore and enjoy being on the water.

The goal is simply to get out there. 

Paddleboard Yoga: My Favorite Kind of Yoga

As someone who is certified in SUP Yoga and loves to share the practice with others, I can honestly say that it is my absolute favorite way to move through an asana (yoga posture) flow. 

Suddenly, nature becomes part of the experience.

You’re breathing with the rhythm of the water. You’re feeling the sun on your skin. You’re hearing birds instead of traffic. The board gently moves beneath you as you transition between poses.

And yes, balancing on a floating board adds another level of challenge.

But that’s part of what makes it so fun.

There’s something wonderfully freeing about knowing that if you lose your balance, you fall into the water.

So what?

You laugh. You climb back on. You keep going.

For me, that makes SUP yoga feel less serious and more playful. It’s challenging, but it’s also incredibly zen.

I also frequently use my board for Pilates-inspired workouts. I love incorporating exercises using the paddle, along with plenty of core and glute work using nothing but the board as my floating mat.

There are endless ways to move your body on a paddleboard.

And because the environment is constantly changing — the wind, the current, the waves, the weather — no two sessions are ever exactly the same.

The Ocean Is the Best Part

As much as I love the physical benefits of paddleboarding, the real reason I keep coming back is what happens when I’m out there.

The wildlife encounters I’ve had are some of the most magical moments of my life.

I’ve had up-close encounters with all kinds of marine life, in many different locations and areas of the world — dolphins, humpback whales, different shark species (I LOVE seeing them — am I crazy?), sea turtles, manatees, stingrays, seals and various schools of fish.

There is something completely different about experiencing these animals from the surface of the water rather than from a boat, from shore or through an aquarium window. 

You are in their environment.

Their home.

And sometimes, they come up to visit you.

Moments like that change the way you see the ocean.

You realize you aren’t simply looking at nature. You are participating in it.

There is a kind of awe that happens when you realize you are sharing the water with other living creatures. It reminds you that the ocean is not just a beautiful backdrop — it is a living, breathing ecosystem filled with an entire world that most of us rarely get to see.

Those encounters fill me with so much joy.

They make me feel connected. Present. Tiny in the best possible way.

And truly, they make me feel alive.

Loving the Ocean Means Taking Care of It

Spending so much time on the water has also made me much more conscious of what I put on my skin and what ultimately ends up in the environment around me.

When you love the ocean, protecting it stops feeling like an abstract environmental issue. It becomes personal.

This is a big part of why reef-safer, mineral sun care is so important to me.

Anything you put on your skin or in your hair will come off in the water!

I spend a lot of time outside and in the sun, so sunscreen is essential. On the board I reach for a sun stick most often, because it stays put when my hands are wet and there is no bottle to fumble with. But I want to be thoughtful about the products I use —not just for my own wellbeing, but because I spend so much time directly in the water. 

Some of my favorite days are the ones when I stop paddling and go for a snorkel or a swim right off my board. 

Those are the moments when I’m completely immersed in the environment I’m trying to protect. 

For me, that makes the connection between clean living and ocean conservation very simple: I want the things I use on my body to align with the places and ecosystems I love.

It's one of the reasons I'm so passionate about the plant-powered, reef-conscious suncare we make at Meadow and Bark. Taking care of our skin and taking care of the planet don’t have to be separate conversations.

Small choices matter, especially when millions of people are making them every day.

And when you spend enough time on, in or underneath the water, you start to notice just how worth protecting it is.

Paddleboarding as a Moving Meditation

I think this is ultimately why I love SUP so much.

It gets me outside. It gets me moving. It gets me onto the water. And it gives my mind somewhere else to go.

There’s a rhythm to paddling that becomes meditative.

The stroke of the paddle.

The sound of the water.

The movement of the board beneath you.

The rhythm of your breath.

Eventually, you stop thinking so much and simply are.

No phone. No notifications. No to-do list.

Just water, sky, sunlight and whatever happens to be swimming around me.

And unlike traditional meditation, where the goal might be to sit completely still, paddleboarding gives me a moving path into that same state of presence. A colleague at Meadow and Bark found the same thing on land, in a simple daily walk.

I can challenge my body and quiet my mind at the same time.

I can sweat, then float.

I can move, then be still.

I can look inward while being completely surrounded by the natural world.

In a world that constantly asks us to move faster, going for a paddle naturally pulls us into the present moment and reconnects us with the world around us.

It’s medicine for the mind, body and spirit.

And maybe that’s the real magic of paddleboarding.

It’s not just about the workout. It’s not just about being outside. It’s not even just about the ocean.

It’s about the way all of those things come together.

You move your body. You quiet your mind. You feel the sun on your skin. You breathe fresh air. You reconnect with nature. 

And every once in a while, a wild dolphin might swim up beside your board and remind you just how incredible it is to be here.

That, to me, is the magic.

I sincerely hope you give it a try if you haven’t already.

 

Warm regards, 

Jen Hanono 

Head of Sustainability