It’s early in her morning practice when Gillian Gibree takes a familiar

asana: Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward-Facing Dog Pose). To start

waking up her arms and legs, she presses evenly through her hands and

feet. She lifts her sitting bones skyward as she relaxes her neck and finds

extension in her long spine. Her wispy blond hair falls about her face, but

what comes into view when she looks back between her ankles is not

the wall of a yoga studio. Instead, it’s where the cool, blue ocean meets

the sky. Seagulls fly in the distance, and at any moment, a dolphin may

make an appearance. Her mat? An epoxy paddleboard that gently rocks

with the Pacific’s undulating waves. Gibree shifts her weight front to back

and side to side to steady her floating Down Dog. “It’s a totally different

experience than in the studio,” says Gibree, a vinyasa yoga teacher

and professional standup paddleboard racer who first began playing

with yoga poses on her board in 2009. “You’re out in the elements and

have a total connection to nature. It’s so relaxing and meditative. It feels

amazing.”

Water-loving yogis play with balance,

focus, and core strength by taking their

practice offshore.

JOY

ride

live well

ESCAPE

december 2017 / january 2018

yogajournal.com.sg

ART CREDIT :

STYLISTS: LYN HEINEKEN & TATIANA SAUNDERS; HAIR/MAKEUP: RENEE LOIZ/AUBRI BALK; TOP: LULULEMON ATHLETICA; SHORTS:

HOTDROP; JEWELRY: DANI SCHMIDT/OCEAN LOVE DESIGN AND EDEN; BOARD: 404; PADDLE: KIALOA