Community Corner

The Farmington River Makes for a Perfect Yoga Studio

Stand Up Paddle Boards replace yoga mats as businesses take classes outdoors in Collinsville.

As several women and one man readied to shift their bodies into various yoga poses, instructor Laura Thomas compared the practice, and life itself, to a river. 

You can never step into the same river twice, she said, paraphrasing the famous Heraclitus quote. There are always changing currents, fluctuating flows, various twists and turns, a few obstructions, varied moods and a few surprises. 

From there, the participants moved into the practice as they stood on Stand Up paddleboards in the midst of the Farmington River. 

Find out what's happening in Cantonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Stand Up Paddle Board Yoga, offered jointly through  and , has caught on quickly this spring and summer, and in the past several days has received some high-profile news coverage. 

Tuesday evening, several participants talked to Dotty Craig of New Hartford about her new rock-star status after gracing the front page for a recent Hartford Courant article

Find out what's happening in Cantonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Several women then ventured out for the evening class. Most paddled up river with Thomas. A couple newcomers worked with veteran Stand Up Paddle Board teacher Mark Langlais for about a half hour before joining the others for some yoga time. 

Yoga on the boards may seem intimidating, but participants said they are relatively stable. 

"It's pretty easy to get up," Sandee Forler of Granby said. "You're on calm water."

Kristi Sullivan of West Hartford, a yoga instructor, also found the transition easy and the experience and camaraderie exhilarating. 

"I found it very easy to do," she said. "It's a perfect way to bring indoors and outdoors together." 

Thomas said even most newcomers are comfortable fairly quickly, and as with any yoga session, poses can be modified for the less flexible.

"You get the hang of it," she said. 

After Collinsville Canoe and Kayak offered one yoga session last year, the businesses combined efforts. 

"What we brought to it was the energy of the yoga studio," said Thomas, just one of several instructors who teach the sessions, including studio owner Shawn Cole. 

Langlais said a few initial sessions were canceled, but the idea quickly caught on after that, even before the press coverage. 

"There's lots of interest," he said. "Classes are growing very fast." 

Sessions are offered Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. There are both afternoon and evening classes. Sessions are $59 for one and discounts are available to those who sign up for multiple dates. The sessions include use of a paddle board, instruction and use the paddle board for an extra hour prior to the evening sessions or after the afternoon ones. 

Register online or find out more about the businesses at http://www.cckstore.com/ and http://www.yogacentercollinsville.com/


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here