China was never on my mind as a fun travel destination. I never imagined myself there, nor did I have a desire to go. The impressions I had of Chinese culture were unfriendly, serious and aggressive. I had seen video and photos of beautiful places in China, but I had also heard of air pollution and crowds of people. Even though I had had wonderful interactions with a few Chinese nationals, I couldn’t seem to get over the negative impressions of China that had somehow made their way into my brain. So… when I received an invitation to teach SUP
China: How the Adventure I Resisted Most Turned Out to Be the Most Profound
October 8, 2018 | Written by: | Filed Under: Anna's Blog, Trip/Tour Reports
5 Tips for Strengthening your Core Paddling
July 6, 2018 | Written by: | Filed Under: Anna's Blog, SUP Tips
Are you missing out on the incredible fitness benefits of paddleboarding due to lack of core engagement? I love that SUP is easily accessible, but I dislike the misconception that there’s nothing to it. Just like any sport there is effective and ineffective technique that can make or break your experience. If your main goal with SUP is to get out, lounge and float then read no further. You’ve probably got all that you need, and I hope that includes a leash and a PFD. If you want to reap the core strengthening, balance and fitness benefits of paddleboarding then
Whitewater Kayaking: The Secret to Beautiful Lines
July 6, 2018 | Written by: | Filed Under: Anna's Blog, Kayaking Tips
If you’ve taken kayak instruction from me you know that I’m a big believer in the importance of boat angle in running beautiful lines. The ability to set and maintain your angle when running a rapid can make or break your line, and the amount of control you have going in and out of eddies is directly related to angle. Angle is more important than speed, especially when running lower volume, technical rivers. The crux is how well you can maintain your angle because setting your angle is the easy part! Here are two POV videos of the same rapid
Stand Up Paddleboarding in the Mountains
June 14, 2018 | Written by: | Filed Under: Inspiring Articles, Latest News, SUP Tips
“A perfect weekend with an incredible teacher. Thank you for your patience, guidance and laughter Anna Levesque!” – Jen B, Asheville “I am hooked and can’t wait to SUP again! Thank you Anna for such a lovely experience.” – Paula, WV “I couldn’t ask for a better experience.” – Kellie, Nashville I’ll just let those testimonials speak for themselves. It was a great weekend full of yoga, community, relaxation, paddling and fun! Paula was concerned about her balance on the first morning, feeling wobbly on the board as we learned basic strokes and concepts on the lake. Her legs were shaking and
Women’s Paddlefest 2018
June 14, 2018 | Written by: | Filed Under: Anna's Blog, Inspiring Articles, Kayaking Tips, Latest News
Thank you to those of you who attended Women’s Paddlefest at the Nantahala Outdoor Center and raised close to $3000.00 for charity! High water, mudslides and rain days before the event didn’t stop you from joining in community, empowering yourselves and having fun. Instead of canceling we went ahead with the event modifying programming to Lake Fontana and the Nantahala, and consolidating the event to one day. We had 30 women on the lake and Anne Sontheimer from the NOC and I split the group and gave instruction on strokes and edge control/rolling. At the end of the lake session
How to Paddle Class IV with Fewer Strokes
May 9, 2018 | Written by: | Filed Under: Anna's Blog, Kayaking Tips
I recently posted a video of me running my favorite rapid, Boxcar, on the North Fork of the French Broad here in Western North Carolina. The rapid consists of a short slide leading into a 15 ft drop that you boof into a beautiful little gorge. Here it is for you! Both my Creek Week students and folks online expressed surprise at how few strokes I took to run the rapid smoothly. Taking fewer strokes is one big difference between beginner/intermediate skills and intermediate/advanced skills, especially stepping it up to Class IV creeking. As you progress you learn that creating
Top 3 Reasons to try SUP Yoga
May 8, 2018 | Written by: | Filed Under: Anna's Blog, Health and Wellness, SUP Tips
I’ve been around paddlers and yogis for over 20 years and I’ve heard ‘hardcore’ paddlers make fun of SUP yoga and yogis treat it as a novelty fad. I always say: ‘Don’t dis it until you’ve tried it!’ BTW, why is it so easy for humans to dis stuff we haven’t tried? The health, body and wellness benefits of SUP yoga are many and below I share my top 3 reasons to try SUP yoga: More Core, Fewer Imbalances SUP Yoga is an effective way to bring greater awareness to imbalances in the body and learn how to effectively
3 Easy Spring Cleanses that Work
April 10, 2018 | Written by: | Filed Under: Anna's Blog, Health and Wellness, Yoga for Paddling
The truth about cleanses is that they don’t have to be long, arduous or expensive to work. And, yes, they do work. Some don’t even require that you go without food! Benefits of cleansing include clearer skin, more energy, reduced bloating/digestive distress, weight loss and enhanced sense of taste. I’ve had folks (including my Mom) tell me that they’re skeptical of cleanses because the body has the ability to cleanse itself. The body does do a good job of cleansing itself IF/WHEN we eat a simple diet, eat only when we’re hungry and only to 75% full, and lead a
Love and Discipline: The Art of Self Care
March 1, 2018 | Written by: | Filed Under: Anna's Blog, Health and Wellness
Everyone loves talking about love in February. Love is great and all, but my favorite part of Valentine’s Day is the ‘pink food’ I have an excuse to indulge in. Pink frosted cookies, pink cake and pink champagne are some of my faves. After all, love is associated with sweet taste, a taste, according to Ayurveda, that grounds us and offers comfort. That’s part of the reason sweets are so popular. In our busy, over-stimulated lives where our nervous systems are often stretched to the max, sweets offer us a taste of love and a sense of contentment. It’s way
Things I Wish I Had Known Sooner: A Kayaking FAQ Part 1
February 10, 2018 | Written by: | Filed Under: Kayaking Tips
Take a moment to think back to when you first got into kayaking, when you were the new kid on the block. Are there “little” things that you know now that you barely need to think about but that were a source of frustration or puzzlement in the beginning? After spending a summer teaching new kayakers and fielding all sorts of questions, I got inspired to put together a short list of things I wish I had known earlier in my kayaking experience. A FAQ for new kayakers, if you will. While this list is far from comprehensive, these are
