Swimming as meditation: All things swimming

8/6/2011

As summer wears on, I’m very aware that good swimming days are numbered. Soon, the nights will turn so cool, the water won’t heat up enough during the day to make it comfortable to slip into the lake or even some outdoor pools. That’s when I reluctantly return to the Y pool, which I love in the winter, but would rather not go to in August or even September.

For the swimmers among us, here are links to some interesting swimming stories:

The difficulties and expense some people are willing to go to, just to find water http://nyti.ms/qEi2YK

Pool wars in one city’s big, new municipal pool
http://wapo.st/o7C67T

Jane Brody reminds us water heals, but can also harm
http://nyti.ms/nQETBQ

Be mindful when you swim
http://bit.ly/9ynPvs

Practice swimming as meditation
http://bit.ly/oIHZS8

For much, much more on this topic, click on Swimming as Meditation on the right.

2 Comments

Friko link

08/08/2011 02:35

Hi Paula,

thank you very much for coming over to Friko's World and leaving a comment. I appreciate it.

Swimming is a wonderful activity; I don't do much of it because the pools round here all contain lots of chlorine, which really doesn't agree with me. Besides, chlorine bleaches the tint out of my hair!

But I do have a story about Eva nearly drowning in a river; you have reminded me of it and I must see if I can make a post out of it.

paula

08/11/2011 11:51

Thanks, Friko! I'll be watching for that story. Love your poetry and so many other posts on your eclectic blog.

Although I was trained and worked as a life guard as a teenage and certified as a Water Safety Instructor in college, I nearly drowned once in a rip tide in the Atlantic Ocean. My father and young son were watching me body surf, when I got pulled out to sea by what felt like a freight train. It was just a fluke that I survived, because I was completely helpless against the force of the currents. For some reason, on my third attempt to surface, I was slammed sideways then downward, ending up on the beach, at least 1/4 mile away from where I started, backwards, upside down, bleeding from scrapes, covered in sand, coughing up seawater and amazed that I had survived, through no fault of my own. My dad walked over with my boy and said, "Wow, I didn't know you could swim underwater that long. I'm impressed." I answered, "I wasn't swimming. I was drowning," and never body surfed again.