My introduction to yoga occurred through practising sports medicine in South Africa and New Zealand. Some of the top sports teams and athletes had yoga teachers, and I witnessed the benefits of yoga in injury prevention, rehabilitation, flexibility and enhanced performance.

Shortly after that, in the 1990s, I had the opportunity of doing a succession of multi-day sea kayaking trips. Other expedition paddlers will understand how residual stiffness built in my muscles over the days and long thermarest nights (“Will you stop creaking when you turn!”). I noticed startling differences when I began my days with a yoga session on the beach before hopping in my kayak. My body felt more supple and flexible. I was able to paddle more efficiently and for much longer without accumulating significant stiffness over the duration of the trip. There was such an improvement and increased joy in my paddling that yoga and kayaking became close companions.

The next step in the journey was when I started racing surf skis and sea kayaks. Efficiency and form of paddling stroke became crucial to speed, endurance and enjoyment. I learned how essential the twist and involvement of the core muscles were in the whole process. My fascination with aspects of yoga, including the way it assisted with kayaking, led me to do a two month yoga teacher training program in Indonesia.

It became clear to me that yoga postures could help people learn a proper and biomechanically correct forward stroke. Most recreational paddlers simply don’t get this right, and even after years of paddling, are inefficient,

often compromising or injuring their back and shoulders. It can be horrible to watch! Clearly, yoga twists facilitate torso rotation. The scapula control learned in postures like Downward Dog relieves the strain on neck and shoulder (rotator cuff) muscles. Also, the balancing postures are excellent for core stability and translating paddle power into forward motion without rocking the boat. The alignment one learns in yoga is extremely useful for ergonomic kayak technique. I believe every kayaker can improve style, stroke and enjoyment with the knowledge and practice of yoga.

Yoga students who have not yet kayaked, tend to learn quickly due to body awareness, flexibility, balance and knowledge of alignment. Kayaking also assists them in developing upper body strength and core strength, especially the rotational strength of the oblique muscles. Paddling is essentially a rhythmic succession of sequential twists in an aqueous environment. For those with a background in yoga, I would suggest the following in preparation for kayaking: a Sun Salutation series, hip openers, hamstring stretches or forward bends, standing and sitting twists, core work and some shoulder openers and stabilizers. The beach is your studio!

Rob Hansen is a medical doctor, qualified yoga teacher and kayak instructor. He is an enthusiastic recreational and competitive kayaker with a weakness for kayaks with sleek lines.