Why I like to swim.

Swimming is my zen.

I learned to swim at the age of 27.  There is nothing inherently wrong about that but it can be unusual when you grew up in Australia. My parents were working 6 days and nights a week when I was in Primary School so I always missed having my consent form signed to take part in lessons.

So why do I like to swim?  Before I could swim, I was terrified of any depth over my shoulders.  I once nearly drowned in a friends backyard pool and yes it is indeed a very quiet way to die. Ironically, its the the feeling of the water over my head and then standing up and letting the water sluice off me that I like the most.

Learning to swim
So finally, it dawned on me I should just learn to swim.  As sad as it sounds, I took inspiration from watching the movie “Sleeping with the Enemy” with Julia Roberts in it.  She played a character who learned to swim in the movie and the look of determination and focus made me think “hey I can learn to swim.  If Julia Roberts can do it, why can’t I?” That is NOT the exact conversation that I had in my head.  But I did think oh you can learn to swim as an adult. Its not just an activity that you can master only when you are young like ballet or gymnastics.

In short, I joined a gym to access their indoor heated pool and adult swim lessons and just gave it a GO. First time I had to go into the deep end, I nearly had a panic attack.  Surely if I let go, I would sink to the bottom and die.  Sure the instructor was right there but that feeling of panic isn’t rational.  It took me a year of going once or twice a week.  It was only once I started going twice a week – once for a lesson and once for my own private practise that I really progressed.  It took me a year to swim the length of a 25m pool without stopping or feeling like I was suffocating.  I learned about controlled breathing.  I finally had a breakthrough moment with co-ordinating my arms and legs to do the breast stroke.  And the image that helped?  A flat out frog underwater.  I managed to tread water in the DEEP END for more than 1 minute.  I know because I had a watch on and I stared and counted the seconds. I learned the techniques of free style and breathing. I learned how to do TUMBLE TURNS.  I always thought they were so cool.

After my lessons stopped, I decided to try and swim 1km of laps.  I thought that was a suitable next goal.  And sometimes I had to stop mid length and hold on to the sides of the pool trying to catch my breath but when I hit that 1km, I probably felt the proudest of myself I’ve ever felt since gaining entrance into university.

I had set myself what felt like an impossible goal. Learn to swim as an adult. Get in the pool in the deep end let go of the edges.  And swim. Like Julia Roberts in Sleeping with the Enemy.  Oh yeah.

Swimming now
I’ve moved on from the 25m pool.  I have gone on to swim at various 50m pools and the most breathtaking is the North Sydney pool in the shadow of the Sydney Harbour Bridge.  Taking a breath and seeing that big arch with the rattle of a train going by. It’s magnificent.

I like to swim now because its like sport and meditation combined.  With swimming, it cuts out all the other distractions.  You focus on the breathing, the extension of your arm, on not shortening your stroke, turning your head to breath and when to release your breath and blowing air out your nose a little to prevent water getting in and the blue of the pool.  It’s a state of mindfulness. A shared concept with meditation.

Swimming quiets my brain.  You can’t really multitask with swimming.  No one really talks to you. Its just about you and a body of water.

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My swim gear

• Swim cap (no body wants hair all over the pool or in your mouth)

• Swim Goggles
– (Tip – Wash your antifog goggles with dishwashing liquid and rinse after every swim.  This will keep them from fogging.)

• Cheapie waterproof Casio watch (to keep an eye on the time)

• tankini and bottoms

• H2o Audio casing and headphones

• Ipod Shuffle (loaded with suitably upbeat, or driven music to keep up the swim pace)

• Choodie – (A hooded and zip up towel robe so I can hop straight in the car and shower)

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