Leigh Claxton / Leigh Claxton

Students practice stand-up paddle yoga, traditional yoga and fitness exercises taught on the water on floating boards.

Who wants to do yoga in a sweaty gym room or even a breezy studio when you can do it on the bay? That's where Leigh Claxton goes. Claxton teaches stand-up paddle yoga (known among practitioners as SUP Yoga), which combines balance and stabilizing training with the core workout of a typical yoga class. Classes are three or four days a week in Sausalito. More information is at http://www.onboardfitness.org.

Name: Leigh Claxton

Age: Late 40s

Residence: Mill Valley

Occupation: Yoga instructor and rehabilitation coach

Activity: Stand-up paddle yoga

Describe paddle yoga: Classes are traditional yoga and fitness classes taught on the water on floating boards. Your mat is a stand-up paddleboard.

Where the idea came from: In 2009, I began experimenting with some stabilizing exercises on the boards to use with head-injury patients. By being able to actually feel what they were doing and see minor weight shifts, they were better able to grasp the relearning and reprogramming that needs to take place after a head injury. I realized how much centering was taking place and how great that would be for yoga.

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Stand-up paddle yoga classes on the bay