Water dancing
Wild swimming has become a trend in recent years with groups and practitioners popping up all over the place. Much is said of the benefits people encounter from swimming in the wild, in particular cold water.
For me, wild swimming goes beyond the physical benefits and is about deepening my relationship with water. It can be fun to play in water, scream, laugh and mess about. Water, especially the ocean, can bring out the child in us and that is a good thing, curiosity and playfulness are important qualities to nurture. But in balance with this I like to approach my wild swimming with awareness of the present moment. It is a meditation, a learning experience, a healing one, it is fluid, a conversation between friends, each experience as different as the shifting waters.
As such I place a lot of focus on my breathing, slowing it right down and filling every cell of my body with air on my slow, full in-breath. This breathing technique I practice acts as a trigger to quieten my physical mind and allow my spiritual mind to come forward. As we enter the water we can examine our mental constructions around the concept of cold, testing their validity and pushing our boundaries, eventually surrendering to the cold embrace of water with grace. It is after all real, just another experience.
Water works within us in many ways, drawing blocked emotions and tension to the surface, reducing inflammation and stress, speaking to our spirits through visions. As we deepen our relationship with water in the wild it will grow into all areas of your life, the water you drink, the water running from your tap, the water in your own body. How do we perceive and treat the water we encounter in our day to day? And if water is sentient and water is everywhere how does that change how I act and react with the world around me?
Since I was a child I have danced with water. The waves and current of the sea act as my partner in my dancing, lifting me into jumps and arabesques. Freediving down deep I found beauty in dancing my way back up to the surface. And since moving to the mountains I have discovered the joys of dancing with rivers. Water moves, water dances and when we dance with water we speak the same language. When approached with attention, love and deeper levels of consciousness we can enter into a profound conversation with water who, as a being that holds memory, has much to share with us. I have been brought to tears numerous times because of the loving gifts water has bestowed on me. She is generous indeed and seems just as delighted as I am when we dance together in such a conscious way.
If you would like to connect with water or try water dancing then click the 'connect' button below. We have some stunning rivers, plunge pools and lakes all within a close distance to our home. Slightly further afield we have more mountain lakes, hot springs and the mediterranean sea. I will also be soon be incorporating this work more intensively into my future retreats.
