Stand-up paddleboard (or SUP) yoga—a marine-meets-mindfulness workout—is a relatively new concept. The practice in itself feels very L.A.: heading to the water but incorporating a zen workout into your beach day. I’ve always liked the sound of it in theory but never had any serious plans to try a class—first, despite the common perception of L.A. that everyone here is obsessed with working out, I’m not much of a fitness girl. I’m also not a great swimmer, so I’ve especially never attempted any kind of aquatic workout. If you lose your balance in a regular yoga class, the worst that could happen is you topple over; in a SUP yoga class, you’d end up underwater.
But when I got an invite to try a new SUP yoga offering at the luxurious Maybourne Beverly Hills hotel—previously the Montage Beverly Hills—my interest was piqued. Rather than in the ocean, a lake or a lagoon, it was being held in a pool, on a rooftop, in the middle of Beverly Hills. It definitely seemed more beginner-friendly than the beach—and besides, what could be more quintessentially L.A.? I decided to give it a shot.
I arrived at the hotel for the morning class and took the elevator up to the ninth-floor rooftop, where there’s a bar, cabanas and a small, three-foot-deep pool that had been transformed into a floating yoga studio. I saw six paddleboards spaced out evenly atop the water and was relieved to see they were anchored in place. Maybe I could do this. I got to chat with the class’s teacher—Sarah Tiefenthaler, a SUP yoga pioneer and the founder of YOGAqua, which has been offering SUP yoga classes in Marina del Rey’s Mother’s Beach since 2011. Her welcoming and chill vibes helped put my mind at ease. I was assured no prior paddleboard experience was necessary—and that since the hotel started offering the classes, only two students had fallen into the water, while most stayed nice and dry on top of their paddleboards. What were the odds I would add to that number?
After helping each of us crawl from the edge of the pool onto our paddleboards, Sarah led us through a Vinyasa-style class of sun salutations, upward and downward dog, cat/cow, warrior and child’s pose—pushing us out of our comfort zones but not in a pushy way. After moving from sitting to standing, I was feeling surprisingly steady on my board and secretly pleased with myself. That is until we moved into a lunge and lifted one arm up to the sky… and I toppled backward into the pool, somehow completely submerging myself and my made-up face into the only three feet of water. I sheepishly climbed back onto my board to a sweet showing of support—Sarah prologues the class by saying if anyone falls in, everyone else has to clap for them. Nevertheless, my confidence was shaken.
Then she started encouraging everyone to try headstands—absolutely not happening for me—but luckily modifications were suggested. A tree pose seemed like a suitable alternative, and Sarah snapped a pic of each of us—a visually impressive memento that was captured right in the nick of time. The split second after my photo was taken, I lost my balance and toppled off my board, again. Pool—2, me—0. Despite it all, lying on the board and feeling the rhythm of the water at the end of the class, I felt relaxed and accomplished.
Currently the classes are only on Saturdays and Sundays at 8am and 9am. Since each class is limited to only six participants, you can expect some personalized instruction as you move through the different poses. Lightweight yoga attire or a swimsuit are recommended—basically something you’d be okay getting wet. Your $42 ticket gets you a 60-minute class, with all equipment provided, plus a voucher for a juice at the ground-floor Maybourne Cafe. It’s a bit early to get up on a weekend, but—if you don’t fall in like I did, or even if you do—it should set you up nicely for a morning in Beverly Hills. Early morning yoga in the pool, followed by a green juice and a stroll through the 90210—does it get more “L.A.” than that?
Or you can stick around the hotel, which is the site of our pick for the best rooftop bar in L.A.: Dante, “the ritzy 90210 rooftop outpost of an award-winning New York City cocktail bar with amazing drinks and sweeping views of the hills,” according to our food and drink editor, Patricia Kelly Yeo. It opens at 10am on the weekends—meaning right after yoga you can saunter over for brunch or have first pick of the chaise lounges by the pool and order a cocktail (we recommend the signature “fluffy” orange juice Garibaldi).
If I could do it, literally anyone can. Embrace the wobble and sign up for a SUP yoga class here.