Cause & Result & How NOT TO sink

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I still remember the strange sensation this thought brought upon me: “I’m going to sink! Really?? Me???”

It was my first time basking in the waters of Pacific Ocean, first day on the beautiful beaches of Costa del Sol in El Salvador, I had just discovered the power of waves and the fun of swimming underneath them. I dove under each and every one enjoying their pull, laughing at their strength and swimming further and further away from the shore.

Somewhere near the breaking point, I decided the waves were big enough to try body surfing and I tossed myself cheerfully on the one that looked impressive enough. As nothing works at the first time, I didn’t surf anything, instead I was tumbled down with a mighty power, mixed up with sand and stones and then spit up to the surface right in the face of the next wave of the set. By the time I came up again my throat and nose were burning from the swallowed salt, my usually cool nervous system recognized unfavorable conditions and rushed me back towards the shore and yet then my body suddenly felt so tired.

The beach was about half a mile away and the waves imposed more danger than fun at the moment. I started swimming towards the shore with my head turned back watching the waves to make sure I could dive under them instead of being swallowed again. It was exhausting. I was not moving forward. I realized I was going to sink.

I couldn’t believe it, what a surprise, I’m a great swimmer with a lifeguard license and here I am about to drown. I looked around and God bless his heart, I saw my savior! I yelled at him calling for help but he didn’t swim any closer to me! Instead he yelled back telling me to relax.

Of course, my death facing mind rejected such an option but at the same time my swimmer’s body was able to get into the position he was in. I rolled over on my back.

And then suddenly, as if by the touch of a magic wand, my fear was gone and I relaxed automatically.

The moment I relaxed the ocean stopped trying to eat me up alive but instead it carried me safely back to the shore and here I am six years and hundreds of kids turned waterproof later sharing this story with you to point out that what makes us sink is the state of mind.

Body training is necessary with no doubts. Every single move of your body causes a subsequent result. Being suspended in a liquid you can experience this omnipresent phenomenon more than ever, besides skydiving maybe. Hand moves this way, the body goes that way, legs move this way your torso goes that way, head goes this way you can breathe, head goes that way you get water in your nose and so on.

To learn which move works and keeps you safe and which doesn’t your child has to try them all. That means they have to experience the consequence of the wrong move to be able to make the right move, this is the only way the body can learn.

That’s how they have learned walking too. And exactly the same as there wouldn’t be any walking without falling, there won’t be any swimming without swallowing some water or getting some of it in the nose.

Those unpleasant and stressful experiences are unavoidable in a learning process but they should be allotted mindfully as we don’t want to create a negative association in the child’s mind.

What saved my life at the Costa del Sol was the subconscious association of my body position with a relaxed state of mind. When the nervous system is in a flight or fight mode, the body can not recuperate, the breathing is still shallow and after gasping a few breaths for a few seconds it will sink.

That’s why mindfulness and conscious coaching are the key factors assuring the time and money you have spent on swim lessons and your child’s stress have not been wasted.

More about conscious coaching in my next blog post “Conscious coaching – the whisperer’s method”, it will be up next week for the reading pleasure of your curious mind.

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