Day 234 of 365 - The Healing Power of Water
I have two favorite memories of being in natural water. The first is on the river where our family cottage was located. I was maybe age 12 or so. Something I loved doing was, getting up before everyone else, slipping on my bathing suit and going to the dock. First, I would appreciate the quiet stillness of the water in the early morning. Then, I delighted in diving in, feeling the smooth flow of the water slide over me while I swam out to the anchored raft. I'd pull myself up and sit there in solitude for a bit, maybe feel the early warmth of the sun, before swimming back to join the bustle of family activity for the day.
There was something sacred and holy about that experience for me. Hence, it is etched in my mind and still brings forth a sense of calm and serenity when I remember it.
I learned to swim in that river. We did not go to swimming lessons as kids. We just got tossed around in the river by siblings and it was a matter of survival to figure out how to stay afloat. Somehow, I figured it out. At times when there was not a lot of activity in the water, I would practice my own style of strokes to improve my skills.
Swimming lessons didn't actually happen for me until I was in university. I chose to take classes because I wanted to swim laps in the university pool for exercise. I had realized that I was a very inefficient swimmer compared to others I observed, and wanted to improve on that. As a result I can now do a reasonable front crawl, side stroke and back stroke. Breast stroke and I never became good friends.
So, I had some fond memories of water time and gained enough skill level to be safe in fairly calm water. But, I did not swim a lot, other than sporadic episodes such as when we had the cottage or when I had an opportunity to be in a pool.
The second most favorite water memory is from the Caribbean Sea. In adult life, I've had several short-lived holidays near warm ocean water. It was my first experience of really easily floating in salt water, being able to relax and enjoy that. Of course, it was fun to play in crashing big waves at the shore for awhile, but swimming in the ocean really only felt safe to me on calmer days.
One of my most memorable experiences was learning how to snorkel. Once I got comfortable with the breathing technique, I loved the magical underwater environment, where sound was muffled and sunlight filtered through, displaying the fascinating life below the surface. A few experiences like that are also etched in my memory.
Those experiences gave me both a sense of solitude and awe. Learning to swim increased my resilience as well as my sense of safety. It's pretty easy to believe in the restorative benefits of water if you've ever had a great, relaxing vacation at the shore of a lake, river or ocean. But, it turns out that water in many forms can be healing.
Having any kind of positive connection with water, ranging from soaking in the tub, swimming, walking in in the rain or near a body of water, or visiting an aquarium to watch marine life can be medicinal. Being in or near water is a great tool for dealing with any of the stresses of life.
Watching a couple of videos of a marine biologist who has made it one of his purposes to study the healing effects of water, reminded me to use this tool more often. Water as a 'go to' remedy pervades history, yet it's not often a typical choice in our busy modern lives. But we can change that.
Aside from doing more of the easily accessible water activities on a more regular basis, I think I will now add to my wish list, a flotation tank experience, which is apparently very beneficial. Let's go to the water more often!
There was something sacred and holy about that experience for me. Hence, it is etched in my mind and still brings forth a sense of calm and serenity when I remember it.
I learned to swim in that river. We did not go to swimming lessons as kids. We just got tossed around in the river by siblings and it was a matter of survival to figure out how to stay afloat. Somehow, I figured it out. At times when there was not a lot of activity in the water, I would practice my own style of strokes to improve my skills.
Swimming lessons didn't actually happen for me until I was in university. I chose to take classes because I wanted to swim laps in the university pool for exercise. I had realized that I was a very inefficient swimmer compared to others I observed, and wanted to improve on that. As a result I can now do a reasonable front crawl, side stroke and back stroke. Breast stroke and I never became good friends.
So, I had some fond memories of water time and gained enough skill level to be safe in fairly calm water. But, I did not swim a lot, other than sporadic episodes such as when we had the cottage or when I had an opportunity to be in a pool.
The second most favorite water memory is from the Caribbean Sea. In adult life, I've had several short-lived holidays near warm ocean water. It was my first experience of really easily floating in salt water, being able to relax and enjoy that. Of course, it was fun to play in crashing big waves at the shore for awhile, but swimming in the ocean really only felt safe to me on calmer days.
One of my most memorable experiences was learning how to snorkel. Once I got comfortable with the breathing technique, I loved the magical underwater environment, where sound was muffled and sunlight filtered through, displaying the fascinating life below the surface. A few experiences like that are also etched in my memory.
Those experiences gave me both a sense of solitude and awe. Learning to swim increased my resilience as well as my sense of safety. It's pretty easy to believe in the restorative benefits of water if you've ever had a great, relaxing vacation at the shore of a lake, river or ocean. But, it turns out that water in many forms can be healing.
Having any kind of positive connection with water, ranging from soaking in the tub, swimming, walking in in the rain or near a body of water, or visiting an aquarium to watch marine life can be medicinal. Being in or near water is a great tool for dealing with any of the stresses of life.
Watching a couple of videos of a marine biologist who has made it one of his purposes to study the healing effects of water, reminded me to use this tool more often. Water as a 'go to' remedy pervades history, yet it's not often a typical choice in our busy modern lives. But we can change that.
Aside from doing more of the easily accessible water activities on a more regular basis, I think I will now add to my wish list, a flotation tank experience, which is apparently very beneficial. Let's go to the water more often!
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