What is a Water & Wellness Day?
Have you been browsing through the SUP & Soul site and come across our water and wellness days at Weir Wood Reservoir and thought ooooooh that sounds interesting, what’s that all about then eh? Well, let me tell you…and show you…and you can even hear from our guests last year.
The idea was born after we were unable to host our life coaching and paddle boarding adventures in Norway last summer. Damn the pandemic.
In June 2020 I pivoted the business and spent the summer of 2020 teaching paddle boarding - I discovered that paddle boarding was giving people a much needed respite from the shitshow of Covid and the nature immersion aspect of SUP was helping my clients find a new sense of calm and re-balance - literally and mentally. Of course, I knew SUP had this magical quality to it but I didn’t know if it had the same impact on everyone - seeing it literally change a person within the space of a two hour lesson solidified this for me.
“I have had quite a few SUP sessions with Cami and all have been fantastic. Cami is so calm and clear, you have complete trust in her from the start. She clearly loves what she does and is genuinely happy to see that people have had a great time.””
The Coming Together of Magic
Towards the end of the summer I got to thinking…people really need a means to escape the madness of what’s going on and have a taste of life pre-pandemic - something that’s more than a 2 hour paddle experience but within the constraints of any potential future lockdowns that might cause issues with going further afield and having to stay somewhere overnight.
I lured SUP & Soul’s life coaching partner Théa to my garden with tea and cake (guaranteed to work every time!) where we started concocting our water & wellness master plan. We put our heads together and came up with a daytime version of our longer adventure and coaching trips and so the Water & Wellness days were born.
I reached out to SUP yoga instructor Georgie, wild swimmer and body confidence coach Claudine and another yoga instructor, Sarah to ask if they’d be up for running a trial experience day. You bet they were!
And then, as if by magic, a very wonderful friend connected me with the manager at Weir Wood Reservoir and he was all in.
Side note: I’m utterly completely convinced, that with the right energy, attitude and a whole lot of effort it is genuinely possible to manifest your dreams. Even during the most challenging of times.
So we advertised with various online SUP groups in the local area, spread the word via friends and within a week we had a full group of 12 women, a team of 5, a local cafe on board, a stunning reservoir to play in and on and a beautiful sunny day in the forecast. It was really happening.
The day before the big day, Théa and I lugged all the garden furniture we could find up to the reservoir, decorated our dedicated patch of nature, set up all the tables and seating and created a magical setting for the next day’s adventures.
Our empty chairs await in excited anticipation of the day ahead…
A Bout of Pre-show Nerves
The next morning, I was a bundle of nerves but Théa has so much experience in hosting women in nature that she was able to calm my nerves with soothing words of encouragement and through her own genuine excitement for the day ahead.
When we arrived there was a grey mist hanging over the water - although beautiful and mysterious I was super nervous the forecast was wrong and that this late September day was actually going to be a wash out. I distracted myself with boiling water for teas and coffees and inflating paddle boards. Getting all of the last minute prep done before our guests arrived.
The day started with a misty moodiness hanging over the reservoir…but not for long!
Low and behold…as the first guests started arriving the mist began to lift and before long the sun was shining warm and bright in the morning sky.
Warm Welcomes and Magic Circles
We greeted our guests, inviting everyone to take their place in the circle and the welcome speeches and check ins began. We invited everyone to introduce themselves, explain where they’d journeyed from and what they’d hope to gain from the day. This in itself was such a wonderful way for us all to connect and learn more about each other collectively. You could really sense the energy and excitement of the group for what lay ahead.
Our opening check in circle - it’s undeniable, when women gather, magic happens
We divided the group into beginner paddle boarders and those with some experience and set off to our respective areas to get started with our adventures.
While I was teaching the beginner paddle boarders on our secluded beach, Théa led her group deep into the woodland to their dedicated space for reconnecting with their inner child.
I’ll Have Lashings of Fun and Play Please
Théa’s life coaching workshop is all about guiding our guests back to what fun and play mean to them. It’s amazing how we all interpret fun and play differently and as adults we lose sight of this. When did we learn to stop letting go and giving ourselves fully to the moment, allowing ourselves to be silly and excitable with complete abandon. I don’t want to say too much about Théa’s session because part of what makes it so special is the surprise element of what you’ll get up to but know this - you’ll laugh, you’ll feel lighter and you’ll come away remembering just how important fun and play are in every day life, even when things feel serious and heavy. In fact, that’s when it’s needed most.
Remember when you used to play games with reckless abandon?
Paddling Adventures Ahoy
Over on the water, we’d had a land demo before heading to the water to practice and then we set off on a trip around the reservoir. Starting out on our knees and practicing board management - turning this way and that. It wasn’t long until the group were attempting to get up on their feet - everyone learns at a different pace with SUP, not everyone will stand first time and not everyone will stay on the board. And that’s ok. Because this is about having fun, embracing being in and on the water plus there’s something magical and liberating about an unexpected dip! It’s all part of the learning–simply brush yourself off and climb back on board. In fact, I’ll actively encourage my clients to experience falling in so they can practice self rescuing, knowing there’s an instructor close at hand if they get stuck - when water is involved safety comes first!
After a trip around the reservoir, practicing their paddle strokes and building confidence the first group are off the water and ready for some well earned lunch.
Lunch is pre-ordered and delivered to us by Cafe Hugo - how serendipitous that I should find a wonderful woman called Tania with Scandinavian roots in the local cafe at Forest Row. Tania’s food and snacks are blimmin delicious and transported me back to life in Norway (my family roots are in Norway) with every mouthful. Nom.
Time to Swap Over
After a relaxing lunch filled with chatter and enjoying the surroundings it was time to move onto the next activity. The morning paddle boarders swapped to life coaching and vice versa. The afternoon SUP session was tailored for our more experienced paddlers complete with technique coaching and challenging fun and games, all while enjoying a glorious sunny paddle around the reservoir.
I watched and observed everyone’s technique and gave tips for correcting bad habits and pointers for weather conditions, improving paddle efficiency and conserving energy on the water. We then had some fun and games with step back turns and light hearted racing.
Practicing step back turns around a buoy ready for some racing fun
After a little dip to cool down from the racing, we made our way back to our base to re-group and get ready for the next activity for the afternoon. Accompanied by tea and Scandinavian enthused cake, of course.
The last activity of the day is split into three options - there’s only so much you can do in one day!
An Afternoon Delight
The first choice is a wild swim and body confidence session with Claudine, this session is to give our guests a taste of swimming in open water with an experienced wild swimmer to help coach with breathing and responding to the effects of cold water. The session is coupled with body confidence and blue mind coaching - a real eye opener! How often do we berate our body for how it looks rather than celebrate what it can achieve? It’s a jarring moment when we come to learn just how much we’ve been conditioned to judge ourselves from the outside rather than embrace ourselves wholeheartedly, warts n all.
Hands in the air like you just don’t care ladies!
The second choice is SUP yoga - yup, you heard me - yoga on a SUP board! It’s not as difficult as it sounds though, I promise. And if there are any positions that aren’t for you then you’re invited to remain in childs pose and wait until you’re ready to join the next pose. It is an incredibly relaxing and mindful session, bobbing gently on the water with the dulcet tones of Georgie to help soothe and calm your mind and body. Georgie has such a chilled and lovely way about her, it’s very difficult not to get in rhythm with her natural calm when you’re around her. Total bliss.
A serene stretch in the fading early evening light
And then lastly, for those not quite ready to take their yoga practice onto the water, there is a land yoga session where you can enjoy being guided with your practice fully immersed in nature with the sounds and smells of nature all around you. Last year we had the wonderful soul, Sarah as our land yoga instructor but for 2021 Sarah is adventuring around the South West of England on a solo walking expedition (err wow!) so we’ve invited in a few other equally as wonderful yoga instructors to join us. More information about these special souls to come!
Sarah leading her yogis by the water, surrounded by greenery and gentle bird song
Let Us Revive, Reconnect and Rewild You
After the final activity of the afternoon we all then returned to our circle where Théa and I closed the day and led a check out asking everyone to share with us what they gained from the day, what they’ve learned and what they’ll carry with them back into the real world. A wonderful way to acknowledge the day and give thanks to each other and ourselves for showing up and creating the space and time to have fun in nature. To leave feeling fully Revived. Reconnected. Even a little Rewilded.
Convinced yet? Then I suggest you register your interest and come join us to see what all the fun is about!
And if you still need some persuading then check out this awesome video and the testimonials from our guests…
