Add Swimming to Your Mindfulness Practice With These 4 Tips

Source: 4 Tips For Turning Swimming Into A Moving Meditation

During the summer many people think about taking a dip in a cool pool to make the summer heat bearable. But what about swimming during the rest of the year? Many people forget about how amazing an exercise swimming is, and how it can easily be added to your mindfulness exercise routine. You can burn around 500 calories in an hour session of swimming; now that’s pretty impressive. But I’m sure you’re wondering how does mindfulness fit into the equation?  Well we have four easy ways for you to consider.

#4. Take it slow – Don’t disrupt the water too much, take it slow. Slow down your stroke and extend your breath. This will take away from  gasping breaths as you move across the pool.

#3. Master your breath – Master the breath, and don’t feel bad if it takes you a couple of times, everyone moves at their own pace. When you’re able to master your breath, you can think about it less and start to become more mindful.

#2. Nose first – As you’re swimming exhale through your nose; this helps in slowing the breathing process down, and you will observe bubbles coming from your nose that you can focus on.

Now for number #1 – You’ve mastered the breath, now you can focus on one thing during your practice like:

• The sound of bubbles coming from your nose
• The sensation as your body tilts side-to-side in the water
• The shape of the arm as it lifts out the water
• The “hole” the fingertips make as they dip into the water
• The paddle action of your feet

Now get out there and expanded your mindfulness practice through swimming!

 

READ MORE: 10 Reasons to Consider Cycling to Work

This article covers the exercise and mindfulness pillars of the Living Happier @Work program.