4TipsforTurningSwimmingintoa

MovingMeditation
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LexieWilliamson
January16,2014

Iusedtodismissswimmingasboring.Itlackedtherushofrunningonafrostydayortheadrenalineedge
ofcycling.ButaforayintotriathlonhasforcedmeintothewaterandIrealizedthatIhadtotallymissed
thepoint.

Swimmingisnotdullbutis,infact,theultimate,strippeddownmovingmeditation.Theinabilitytosee
almostanythingexceptthelineatthebottomofthepool,andhearnothingbuttherushofwater,creates
aninsulating,cocooningeffect.

ItsakindofenforcedunderwaterPratyaharaor"sensewithdrawal"thefifthelementofyogaas
describedbythesagePatajaliinhisYogaSutras.Shuttingoutexternalstimuli,suchastheglareofthe
swimmingpoollightsordroneofpopmusic,letsthemindsettle.

Thisisnotasittingstockstillandcrossleggedmeditation,butamovingmeditation.It'salittlelikethe
Zenwalkingversionbutwithmoreflow.Thissensationofflowcomesfromboththeliteralfluidityofthe
waterandfromthenaturalglidingactionofswimming.

Watchaneliteswimmerassheslideswithgrace:cuttinganddrawingback,reaching,extending.Every
strokeandtiltisdesignedtobeaerodynamicanddolphinlike,buttheresultissomethingveryyogic.
Thereisnojoltingorjarringbutasteady,smoothrhythm.

Granted,theprosalwaysmakeitlookeffortless,butanyonecantransformtheirswimmingintoamoving
meditationifitdoesntalreadyfeellikeone.

Hereareafewsuggestions:

1. SlowitDown

Foramoreyogicapproachtoswimmingitisnecessarytoslowdown.Ignoretheclockonthe
wall.Takeguidancefromthe"TotalImmersion"schoolofswimmingwhosefounder,Terry
Laughlin,askshisstudentstotake"yogabreaths"betweenlapsandrotatetheirbodiestobeboth
streamlinedandunhurried.Bydoingthis,thestressfulurgetogulpairisremoved.Armsdont
flailbutextendandpullbackinslowmotion.Theresultissurprisinglyrelaxingasthereisample
timetobreathe.

2. FindaComfortableBreathingRhythm

Ifyouarenewtofreestyle,taketimetolearnthebreathingtechnique.Agoodcoachwillteach
youhowtobreathecomfortablywithinafewweeks.Oncethemechanicsofbreathingarethere,
youcanbecomemoremindful.Alternatively,substituteadifferentstrokethatdoesntrequire
synchronizingbreathingwithheadtiltingandarmcoordination.Breaststrokeisagoodoption.

3. ExhaleThroughtheNose
 Whetheryou'reswimmingfreestyleorbreaststroke,releasetheexhaleasaslowtricklethrough
thenose.Thiswillnotonlyslowthewholebreathingprocessdown,butitwillalsocreatea
pleasingtrailofbubbleswhichyoucanobserveinthenextstage.Ifthisisnotpossible,purse
yourlipsandsoftlyblowtheairouttonarrowtheflowofair.

4. LatchOntoOneElement

Onceyouhavefoundahappyswimmingrhythm,oraninklingofflow,begintolatchontothe
followingvisualorauditoryelementsofyourswim:

o Thesoundthetrailofbubblesmakeastheyescapefromyournose.

o Therollingsensationofthebodyasittiltsfromsidetoside.

o Theshapeofthearmasitliftsoutofthewater.

o The"hole"thefingertipsmakeastheydipintothewater.

o Thepaddlelikeactionofthefeet.

Justlikeanymeditation,thereisnorightorwrong.Resisttheurgetocriticizeyourbreathingtechniqueor
strokeaction.Practiceobservinginadetachedmannerbyeitherstickingwithoneelementormoving
throughthebodyfromthefingertipdiptothepaddlefeet.
Swimming Meditation: If only the Buddha had had a
swimming pool
By Buddhistdoor International Dr. Robert Law
Buddhistdoor Global | 2011-11-01 |
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In the Buddhist tradition, there is abundant literature on Walking

Meditation. The reason is obvious. Walking does not require any

tools, or preparation or expensive capital investment. This would

be the ideal choice for monks who would normally live a simple life

in a simple environment. But apart from walking, we can practise

Mindful Meditation while going about a lot of other everyday

activities.

Nowadays, swimming has become a popular pastime for many. Go

to any public or private swimming pool, and you will note that at

different times of the day, there are regulars who go almost every

day at around the same time and spend a certain period of time

swimming. Many of them will tell you that they have been doing it

for years and that if circumstances prevent them from doing it on

any one day, they will feel very uncomfortable and incomplete. I

know of a group of people who swim every morning in a private

club swimming pool in Hong Kong. They all attest to the benefit of

regular swimming: better physical health and increased immunity

to minor ailments etc. Most of them swim just before going to work
in the morning and they claim that after the swim, they feel

refreshed and ready to meet the days challenge.

So, what is happening here?

Recreational swimming is a very lonely game. There is no opponent

or partner to play with you, and you cannot carry on a conversation

or communicate with other people while you are doing it. What

these swimmers do every day is, in fact, spend a certain period of

time alone with themselves. For some people, it is a time to

concentrate just on doing something and forget the world for a

while. For others, it may be a time for reflection and may be for

making plans for the rest of the day. What I have found, however,

is that swimming is a perfect way to practise Vipassana Meditation

and work towards the development of Mindfulness.

The following is a description of how Mindful Meditation can be

done while swimming. This would be especially useful for those

people who are regular swimmers and who would like to make use

of this routine to help them to develop a fuller life.

The pre-requisite
To swim, you obviously need a swimming pool. To have ones own

private swimming pool is obviously ideal. However, swimming in a

public or private club pool would be equally feasible. The most

important thing is to find a time when you can swim undisturbed

along a lane in the pool. This may mean starting when the pool

opens first thing in the morning or when the crowd is gone after

peak hours. Another pre-requisite is that you must be a reasonably

experienced swimmer who can perform the breaststroke slowly

without worrying about the mechanics of the breast stroke.

The mechanics of swimming meditation

The most ideal way to swim and meditate is to use the breast

stroke because this swimming stroke allows you to swim relatively

slowly and deliberately.

To start with, one must get into the pool slowly and deliberately

from the shallow end. You may first note the intention of getting

into the pool and then note every movement of the body muscle

and limb that get you into it. This would provide a good initiation

into a Mindful state.

Once into the pool, you can note the coolness of the water around

your legs and the sensation of the slight ripples of the water

brushing against your skin. Stand for a few minute, feeling the

sensation.

When you are ready, note first the intention of going into the

water, then take a deep breath and slowly lower your head into the

water and then slide your whole body into it. When you slide into

the water, put you two hands together with the palms together and

extend you arms straight in front of your head (which would be

under water) and stretch them forward as far a possible. At the

same time, you can use your feet to pushing against the side of

the pool so that it can give you the momentum to glide through the

water.

Let yourself glide forward slowly for a few moments with you hands

and feet fully extended and your whole body in one straight line.

Feel the sensation of water rushing through your hair and brushing

your face and then the rest of the body in a gentle caress. At the

same time, exhale slowly through you mouth by pursing your lips

and feel the water bubbles that you blow out frothing against your

face.
When you feel that the forward momentum of your body is coming

to an end, perform the traditional breaststroke by pushing your

arms straight out sideways while pressing your palms downwards.

Feel the weight of the water against your arms and palms. Then

bending your elbows, bring them to the sides of your body and

bring your palms together towards your chest. Feel the movements

of your arm and shoulder muscles and joints as you do this. As you

press your elbows and pull your upper arms to the sides of your

body, feel the pressure of the water that you have scooped

pushing your upper body up the water. Inhale while your head is

up. Feel the different sensations of air and water on your face. As

the upward push loses momentum, let your head slide back down

the water.

Form the intention of extending your arms straight in front of you

again. At the same time, bend your knees and bring them together

as if you would kneel with your heels facing skywards. Then in a

kick, stretch and extend your legs outwards, then straight behind

you again. Feel the forward momentum created by the kick of your

legs as you glide silently through the water with arms and legs

outstretched and your body in a straight line again. Again note the

sensation of water rushing through your hair and brushing against

your body as you glide. Very slowly exhale as you let the forward
momentum run its course. Repeat this series of movements as you

move forward in the pool.

When you reach the other side of the pool, touch the wall of the

side and turn your body mindfully, noting first the intention, then

the body movements required to move you around to swim back to

the shallow end of the pool.

The Meditation

After a bit of practice, you should know the number of strokes you

need to swim from one end of the pool to the other. For the

average swimmer in a 25 metre standard pool, it can be anything

between 8 to 13 strokes depending on your physique. Try to note

this number because it may become useful in your meditation.

For the beginner, the easiest way to reach a certain degree of

concentration is to count your strokes as you swim. Thus as you

push your body to glide in the water, count silently: one until

the next stroke when you count two etc, while you glide in the

water again with your body in one straight line. After a little while,

you will find your mind wandering off to other things, like the

person swimming beside you, or some noise that you hear while

your head is above water. Try to note these thoughts and bring
yourself gently back to the number counting and the alternate

sensations of water and air on your skin, the silence under water

and movements of the different body muscles as you swim.

Once you have mastered the mechanics of swimming meditation,

the next step is to concentrate on the breathing. When you inhale

with your head above water, note the fact that you are inhaling

and the movement of your chest wall and abdomen while you are

doing it. Try to imagine the air going through your whole body.

Then as you immerse your head under water, exhale slowly

through your nostrils or mouth and note the fact that you are

exhaling. Thus you concentrate your thoughts just on the

breathing: I am breathing in slowly and then I am breathing

out slowly You may also want to note the short momentary

pause in between each inhalation and exhalation.

You should swim for at least 45 minutes in this manner. You will find

that when you first start, your concentration will be very good, but

after a while, your mind will wander off. You should note these

thoughts without judgment and then gently bring yourself back to

the breathing. Over the period of 45 minutes, your mind may

sometimes behave much like a monkey with its tail on fire. But

gradually with practice, you will gain a deeper and deeper level of
concentration and you become just aware of the breathing and

nothing else for a progressively longer period of time.