Meet Leigh, Founder of OnBoardSUP Yoga

Leigh started teaching floating yoga classes in Sausalito, CA as OnBoardSUP in the summer of 2009. In addition to her many Yoga and Fitness certifications, She is a Founding Director of the Professional Stand UP Paddle Association and has Stand Up Paddle Master/Instructor Certifictates with the PSUPA, ASI/WSUPA and is active in the US Coast Guard Auxially. Leigh teaches SUP, SUP Yoga and SUP Pilates/Fitness classes. She choreographed “Balance Dynamics” and has been teaching those classes in Marin for 20+ years.. OnBoardSUP heald the very first Stand Up Paddle Yoga Teacher Training in 2009. With a 20+ year background in fitness and yoga, 24 years in outdoor leadership and a childhood spent on the water in San Diego, she generously shares her breadth of knowledge to all her students with a kind heart and pioneering spirit.

“In the summer of 2008, someone gave me an old, water-logged Stand Up Paddle (“SUP”) board that was very unstable. While paddling it, I was challenged because it was so heavy and had me really paying attention to where my balance was coming from. It dawned on me that several of my clients, who were relearning balance from head-injuries, could really benefit from getting on a board. There is so much feedback on the board that you just can’t get on the floor”.

Throughout the fall of 2008 and into spring of 2009, I took my own yoga practice to the board and would occasionally bring yoga and head injury students out to practice on the boards with me. I began paddling regularly to find a board stable enough to teach yoga classes on.

I stumbled across 4 rental boards that were available weekdays. In 2009, one class was all it took. We were off and running.

“This June will mark nine years that I have held regular Stand Up Paddle Yoga classes with almost a full year of private ”On Board” yoga lessons preceding. In fall of 2009, we held our first teacher training so we could add more classes to the schedule. We have been teaching year-round ever since. We now hold regular teacher trainings and have classes several days a week year round.”

The beginning of Stand Up paddle Yoga really mirrors the popularity of SUP itself. I had never heard of SUP Yoga or had never seen anyone doing it. Although it seems many yoga instructors had similar ah-ha moments somewhere around 2009-2010, I don’t know of anyone doing Yoga on the boards before I was.”

In addition to teaching on the boards, Leigh teaches, many disciplines of Yoga, Balance Dynamics, Pilates, Indoor Cycling and technical mountain biking.

Arline

Arline completed her PSUPA Instructor Training through OnBoardSUP in August 2012. She is also a Certified World Stand Up Paddle Association Instructor. Arline’s love of water sports began the moment she learned to swim. She later became a lifeguard and water safety instructor while attending college. She has also participated in masters open water swimming competitions. She just can’t stay away from the water! Arline is a teacher by profession. It seems a natural progression for her to share her new passion for SUP. As an instructor, she melds her ability to teach and empower. She openly shares her joy for this sport that improves balance, core strength and peace of mind.

Carrie

Carrie started taking SUP Yoga as a student in 2011. After attending classes several times a week for a year, she became a certified yoga instructor and enrolled in our OnBoardSUP Yoga Instructor Certification Program.  Most Saturdays and Sundays you can find Carrie assisting or teaching classes in Sausalito. She brings a great, positive attitude to the program and she shares her knowledge of the Bay and Sausalito with us all. She teaches in Sausalito and also at our program at 101 Surf Sports.

                                                                                                          Andriana

Amber

Amber teaches Power, Yin and OnBoardSUP Yoga in Marin county, and is a local Acupuncturist. Amber’s nature inspired Vinyasa style SUP classes are built for all levels, and will challenge your body, and your mind. She uses her vast knowledge of anatomy to accentuate particular fitness aspects, and pairs fast, strengthening Power yoga with slow, deep, mindful “Yin” yoga aspects. Amber started teaching outdoor yoga in 2013 after hiking (and yoga-ing) through the Costa Rican Rainforests. She works towards helping everyone find more clear seeing- calm abiding moments through plugging back into nature.

Cynthia

The love of yoga and water brought Cynthia to OnBoardSUP seven years ago. She continues to look forward to being out on beautiful Richardson Bay and helping others discover the joy of bringing their practice out onto the water. Cynthia has been a yogi over a decade and earned her CYT-200 certification in 2009 and her PSUPA certification with Leigh and OnBoardSUP in 2016.

Rachel

Rachel first tried yoga as a freshman in college in 2004 and has been hooked ever since. Her background in horse back riding, crossfit and active outdoor activities such as paddle boarding, hiking, backpacking and camping were changed for the better after finding yoga. She believes that yoga has to ability to help everyone. From stress relief, physical pain to spiritualist awareness, the benefits of yoga are endless. Rachel enjoys helping each of her students discover their own invigorating benefit from their yoga practice. Rachel completed her 200 hour certification in 2015 with Square One Yoga and her SUPYTT with OnBoardSUP in the spring of 2016.

Lisa

Lisa lives and works on the San Francisco Peninsula, with many interests in health: nutrition, essential oils, and massage.  She has been practicing yoga for 14 years and teaching for the past two. By integrating her love of the outdoors with yoga , she is able to help others enjoy their practice of yoga in many natural settings, as well as the traditional indoor spaces.  Lisa teaches for us in our Redwood City 101 Surf Sports location and completed her OnBoardSUP Teacheer Training in 2014.

Lynne 

Lynne sought out yoga as an escape from the frenetic pace of New York City in late 90s. After several years of gentle Hatha and conquering her fear of headstand, the field was wide-open with forays into Ashtanga, Iyengar, Bikram, and Power Yoga, before settling into a regular Vinyasa flow practice in the Bay Area. She completed an RYS-200 certification with Himalaya Yoga Valley in Dharamsala India in 2010 and a 2013 certification with Leigh Claxton at OnBoardSUP Yoga in Sausalito. She teaches a well-balanced flow class that focuses on correct alignment. She loves to share the experience of yoga with others for both the physical challenge and the potential for inner peace.

Kiki

In addition to being a yoga instructor, Kiki is a white water raft guide and leads trips all over the world.  We are so lucky to have her with us this summer.  Having practiced yoga for many years, Kiki took advantage of the inclement weather in 2017 to complete her 200 hr Yoga Teacher Training, and the OnBoardSUP Yoga/PSUPA certification. She teaches with detail and love and we have had nothing but positive response to her classes.  Like Leigh, being a water woman first gives students a confidence on the water to push their limits more than they otherwise might.