GBA Lifestyle News
An elevator convo with Dee Cheung and Nadine Bubner. See here for more from our Next Up series.
What do you do?
We are Stand Up Paddleboard Yoga Hong Kong and the only accredited training school in Asia under the Academy of Surf Instructors. We take people out of the city and to the sea, to connect them to nature and to their own practice.
How does your business work?
We publish public class dates every month (newsletter subscribers hear first) and we also take private groups, parties and corporate teams out to the waters. We use boards at Hi Wind Lover on Stanley beach.
How did you get started?
Over a cup of tea and a want to practice SUP YOGA ourselves, but finding no one in Hong Kong who was teaching it. So we decided to put it out to the city and see if anyone else felt the same. When we had a full class and a wait list, we knew we were onto something!
Who are your customers?
People who want to feel connected to their practice on the water, and the challenge of paddling too! You have to be able to swim in open water and have some coordination to paddle. Aside from that, we will show you what you need to know.
There is no ego when you’re practicing on a paddle board. You don’t have to worry about how you look compared to that person beside you in the full splits because on a board, everyone is PRESENT in their own practice and having fun.
Can you give us a rundown of a day in your working life?
Dee: At the moment, I have been wearing three full-time hats: Mommy, Yoga Teacher and Float On Hong Kong partner. Every day is planned with three To-Do tasks, but sometimes it means just staying offline and being with my 9-month old, our dog and my husband. It’s a balancing act for sure, but my one constant every day is to have my mindfulness practice in the shower. I often just shower very quickly after teaching and so my morning showers have become my time to really get present and be alone!
Nadine: I have been teaching yoga full-time after leaving the corporate world four years ago. I also do coaching for endurance races. Since 2017, I’ve been training instructors for the Academy of Surfing Instructors (ASI) with SUP Yoga Hong Kong. I try to keep one day a week off, but when passion and business meet, it is not so easy to draw a line of separation.
