When students arrive for a SUP yoga class I hand them a paddle and an anchor. The response is usually one of relief that they will not be floating away the entire class. Anchoring your SUP allows you to truly focus on the poses and completely surrender to the flow. It is essential for large classes so all students can see and hear the instructor and makes it so much more enjoyable, especially on windy days.

Ideally, you do not want to practice SUP yoga in waters  deeper than ten feet. For the anchors you usually give 5 extra feet of line. So if you are practicing in 10 feet of water you would have 15 feet of rope. You should always size the rope taking high tide into consideration. Extra rope will not affect anything.

The first option, and the one I teach with is a mushroom anchor. You clip it onto the loop on the back of your board and let it live back there until you find  your spot you will be practicing. You simply drop it off the back of the board, and you are good to go. It’s very simple to retrieve when you are ready. You simply pull the line up, wrap it back around the anchor and are good to go.  This anchor is easy for students to carry, and get back on the board.

The next option is a sand bag anchor. This is a cheaper option, but it is more likely to drift. This is used off the back of the board as well, and dropped when you are in your preferred spot. It is a little harder to pull out of the water but still does the trick.

The third option is a daisy chain. This is where the students boards are all connected. A carabiner is clipped to the loop on the back of the board and then you pass around a daisy chain and each student clips onto it. These ropes are evenly spaced between the loops so you will all be equal distance from one another. With this option you can do a line or have the class in a circle.

All of these options allow the class to truly focus on the yoga. The hardest part of anchoring is getting everyone lined up. You do need to take currents into consideration. Everyone should end up facing the same way, although there are tricky weather and current days. The instructor will teach backwards on their board and anchor in front of their students. That way they are on the same angle as their students. Anchors are very easy to find and reasonably priced. A quick search on amazon will bring you many options. 

Happy anchoring.