Aqua Yoga / Floating Fitness

wanderinglight

You guyyyyys...I've gone deep down into the rabbit hole into the world of Aqua Yoga / Fitness classes (where you basically do a whole class standing up on a floating foam board) but there are no classes near me. And boards are $600+! And I don't have a pool, except for the one at my gym, and I doubt I could bring my own giant foam board there.

(Here's a link to what a class looks like, in case anyone is curious what the heck I'm talking about https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gA79MJOk5GQ)

But it's got me wondering if there is a cheaper way to approximate these kinds of workouts? Like using an extra large kickboard? Or is there some other sort of "mat" I could get or rig up that would float? I'd love to find something I could stand up on and try it out at a lake or a friend's pool just to see what it feels like.

Lately I've been doing a lot of water running and standing yoga postures and it has been awesome. It's got me wanting to do more.

amtyrell

I have seen stand up paddle board yoga which looks basically the same

wanderinglight

amtyrell wrote: »

I have seen stand up paddle board yoga which looks basically the same

Yep, but those boards are even more expensive than the yoga boards! I'm trying to find a cheaper workaround. I even thought of getting a boogie board, but I think it's too small / unstable.

canadianlbs

i know this is a non-helpful post, and i know i'm a pool-hating yoga sceptic [#disclosure].

but even discounting all that, i just have to ask . . . why?

not saying you can't, or trying to talk you out of it. just saying it because it's so loud in my head i feel like you can probably hear it whether i ask it or not.

i don't think there's anything that you could really find and use easily at a public pool, because anything big enough to be applicable is almost bound to be a big pain in the butt to wrassle. but your question did remind me that when i was a kid, giant inner tubes were the focus of a lot of balance and endurance type games i used to play with myself.

LauraInTheWater

Omg that sounds so much fun!! Wish I could still do yoga! I do aqua Zumba/water aerobics and swim laps. Do you get good results from water running?

wanderinglight

canadianlbs wrote: »

i know this is a non-helpful post, and i know i'm a pool-hating yoga sceptic [#disclosure].

but even discounting all that, i just have to ask . . . why?

not saying you can't, or trying to talk you out of it. just saying it because it's so loud in my head i feel like you can probably hear it whether i ask it or not.

i don't think there's anything that you could really find and use easily at a public pool, because anything big enough to be applicable is almost bound to be a big pain in the butt to wrassle. but your question did remind me that when i was a kid, giant inner tubes were the focus of a lot of balance and endurance type games i used to play with myself.

Because I'm a landlocked mermaid and if I had my way I would always, every single day, be on or in the water

I have a few injuries and swimming has been my favorite form of exercise for many years, but lap swimming can definitely get boring. Those classes just seem super challenging and fun and I love the idea of diving off the board at the end of a sweaty session.

wanderinglight

LauraInTheWater wrote: »

Omg that sounds so much fun!! Wish I could still do yoga! I do aqua Zumba/water aerobics and swim laps. Do you get good results from water running?

I know!! Don't they look amazing??

I have only recently gotten back into swimming / water running after a long absence and I think that lap swimming does more for a total workout but the running is really helping me with some of my specific issues. I ended up with permanent numbness down my sciatic nerve after a back surgery and can't run on land or stand on my tiptoes, but I can do both in the pool. So I do a series of my own creation of jump lunges and backwards running and high knees and it sure does get my heart rate up. I recently added in some standard yoga moves (like standing tree pose) and really love the feeling of standing in the water while doing those moves.

StacywithaY

That looks super fun!

Costco has SUP boards relatively cheap... but cheap means something different to us all, right!

canadianlbs

wanderinglight wrote: »

Because I'm a landlocked mermaid and if I had my way I would always, every single day, be on or in the water

I have a few injuries and swimming has been my favorite form of exercise for many years, but lap swimming can definitely get boring. Those classes just seem super challenging and fun and I love the idea of diving off the board at the end of a sweaty session.

fair enough. hope you come up with an answer then.