To mark #MindfulMonday this year (21 September), Devon Mind hosted The Mindful Paddle for local residents across the county. This series of free paddle boarding sessions took advantage of our unique access to the water, to encourage physical activity and promote the concept of mindfulness.

Organised as part of the Great British Week of Sport, the Mindful Paddle saw Devon Mind working with the Mount Batten Watersports & Activities Centre in Plymouth and the Discovery Surf School in Bigbury-on-Sea, to host a series of stand up paddle boarding (SUP) sessions infused with short mindfulness exercises. Participation was encouraged from anyone who felt that their mental health had been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown, anyone who felt they needed to get active again and would like to try paddle boarding, and anyone who was experiencing a mental health issue already.

The SUP sessions were led by professional instructors, with short mindfulness exercises designed to help boost mood and reduce stress delivered at the beginning, middle and end of each by Devon Mind’s Zoe Copeland. The aim was to create a safe, supportive and non-judgmental space for participants.

“I was very nervous about it. Getting in the water and feeling, ‘Ahh, there’s no way I’m going to be able to do this! How am I going to get something out of this?’ […] But we did it. It’s soothing; a different perspective.”

- Participant in The Mindful Paddle

On the day, 11 participants from different areas of Devon were welcomed across three socially-distanced sessions: one in Plymouth and two in Bigbury-on-Sea. Speaking after the event, Zoe exclaimed that:

I spent the day being inspired by people who overcame so many different barriers to show up for an activity which most had never done before! Not only did they turn up, take part, and stay to the end, but they all achieved individual goals out on the water. It was great to spend the day amongst open-minded people and to watch their courage unfold!

Asked at the end of the session about their experience, feedback from participants was overwhelmingly positive. “I loved it,” said one attendee. “I think being in the sea is something that’s great for mental health. It’s lovely also having to concentrate, balance, and really feel your body. You couldn’t help but feel the muscles. It was really good for mindfulness.” When asked about how they felt compared to before the session, another participant stated: “I feel a lot calmer … Previously, mindfulness hasn’t really worked for me. I think trying it in a new setting has definitely helped, and I’ll definitely try to take it further.”

Participants were also asked to rank how they were feeling at the start of the session and then again at the end, with every participant who responded reporting an improvement in their general mood as a result of the activity. “Mine’s changed - it’s now an 8 from a 5 or 6,” said an attendee at one of the Bigbury sessions. “It’s definitely gone up from interacting with people, being on the sea, and being in the sunshine,” they added.

A collection of photos from The Mindful Paddle are available here. If you would like to be among the first to hear about future events, sign up for the Devon Mind email newsletter. Thank you to all who attended!