I love swimming and I find it an enjoyable way of exercising! I can undoubtedly say that now although this wasn’t always the case when I was learning to swim. It has taken me quite a while to be able to say that I truly enjoy swimming.
Learning to swim by holding onto a pole
I grew up, as many did in the UK, learning how to swim while holding onto a long pole held by a swimming instructor who was not in the water with me, but standing on the side of the pool yelling. I would hold onto this pole for dear life gasping for breath, feeling terrified of letting go. Eventually when I did let go and somehow managed to stay afloat, the pole would follow me, giving me a little prod now and then. This made me feel even more terrified.
Then, as I was learning to swim, it was all about keeping my head above the water at all costs. I felt that if I went underwater, surely I would drown. My time in the pool was full of gasping through my mouth, swallowing and breathing in water, spluttering, not being able to see (no goggles offered at the time), feeling terrified of being splashed or pushed under – and a little bit of swimming!
I’m sure many people can relate to this – swimming for survival is the way many learn to swim. For me there was a severe lack of joy and a great deal of anxiety associated with learning to swim this way.
Later on as an adult I bought myself a pair of goggles and taught myself to swim breast stroke while putting my face partially under the water. This was progress but I was still full of fear of getting a mouthful of water and not being able to breathe.
Learning to swim – breathing through my nose
About two years ago I was introduced to a completely different approach to swimming by Simone Benhayon…
I was invited to breathe in and out through my nose, not my mouth. This initially created more panic in me as I couldn’t imagine ever being able to get enough air. The gasping was an old and ingrained habit! But slowly, slowly I taught myself to do this… initially by not swimming and simply getting used to being under water and breathing out through my nose. I began to find a beauty in this and marvelled at the quality of my breath under the water and the wonderful bubbles that I would create. This felt gorgeous, and for a while it was enough just to do this.
After a while, with the help of my goggles, I felt confident enough to go completely under the water and glide along while breathing out my amazing bubbles. No swimming involved… just gliding and stopping, gliding and stopping. I found a joy in this which felt totally different to any other time in the water. It started to feel like fun!
Over time I have taught myself to swim front-crawl (freestyle) while breathing through my nose. It is still a work in progress, but I am discovering how to remain connected to my breath (and my bubbles!) while swimming. I can still panic a bit, but what I have discovered is that if I take in water while breathing through my nose it does not go into my lungs, therefore I am not going to drown! This discovery has just been amazing, and I have become more and more confident in the water.
Staying with my breath and the bubbles, focussing on the quality of my movement and the sensation of the water (instead of focussing on the fear), has changed my experience of swimming completely. The feel of my body moving through the water can feel absolutely divine.
Growing confidence – in the water and in life
A few days ago I went for my swim, and without thinking I just began to swim. I pushed off into crawl, immersed myself in the water, breathed out my bubbles, enjoyed my body and the way I was moving in the water, and found that I was feeling joy while I was swimming. Even coming up for air was joyful! I cannot express how amazing this feels.
This ongoing experience is giving me growing confidence in my life too. The same principles apply when breathing my way through life. By enjoying the quality of my breath and my movements and staying with myself in every moment I feel more joyful and feel that I can embrace life more fully and without fear.
Breathing through my nose as I was re-learning to swim has enabled me to find joy through swimming; it has truly made a difference to how I feel about being in the water. It has also made a big difference to the quality of my life. What an incredible gift! Thank you Simone Benhayon.
By Rebecca Turner, Beauty Advisor, London, UK
560 Comments
I have loved reading this blog, as well as many of the comments. This impulses me to give another chance to regularly swim and keep observing my movements, being with myself in it and learning how lovingly and fluent I can be in life..
Learning by fear increases the constant anxiousness in the body for any new experience.
Fear based learning makes our whole body contract whereas when we are encouraged to explore our own relationship with an activity we can stay with the joy and playfulness that naturally comes to the surface when we allow it.
Learning to blow bubbles in the water through our noses is one of those things that has changed so many lives as we all should learn to eventually learn to swim without the fear associated with being thrown in the deep end and then struggling to get a gasp of air. As children or even babies we should learn to blow bubbles and play in water and this would save so many drowning’s as fences don’t seem to keep children out.
“By enjoying the quality of my breath and my movements and staying with myself in every moment I feel more joyful and feel that I can embrace life more fully and without fear.” A beautiful way to swim through the waters of life.
I love how your experience in water is also flowing over to give you more confidence in life, ‘By enjoying the quality of my breath and my movements and staying with myself in every moment I feel more joyful and feel that I can embrace life more fully and without fear.’
This is inspiring Rebecca, thank you for sharing your experience.
Surrendering to the love we are within and appreciating the exquisiteness of our divine quality that is innate in us all, is a joy that cannot be contained and through our movements we reflect this glory as we imprint the world with the love we are all here to live. Our power is our connection to our love, our Soul that when embraced we are then governed by a divine quality where fear does not exist.
It is inspiring to read that it is possible to heal the anxiety of being taught to swim. I’m also in the process of teaching myself to swim and to have a different relationship with the water, as I have anxiety left over from nearly drowning in a riptide many years ago. It just goes to show these experiences do not leave us just because we get older.
We don’t think much about being afraid of the water yet as you described the pole I remember the feeling physically in my body of gasping for air and hoping they wouldn’t take the pole away. How much is that transferred into the way we approach life?
It is utterly amazing how supportive it is throughout all aspects of life, to learn how to swim with Simone Benhayon.
Thank you for sharing Rebecca, like you I had a fear of putting my head under water, holding my breath. It would be something new to try to breath out of my nose and get over the fear of the water going down into my lungs. It sounds so joyful for you to have learnt to swim this way and how it has effected other areas of your life.
I used to love swimming and even did a bit of competition when I was young but I had never truly connected to what it meant to be in the water and how much the water could reflect to me about my quality of movements. Having swim session with Simone Benhayon has changed that completely and has brought major changes to not only my awareness but also to the way I swim.
I’ve recently started swimming and find it really enjoyable. Each time, step by step learning something in each swim. Reading about you enjoying bubbles underwater got me reflecting on my own – breathe out as hard as possible to keep the water out! I do feel tired after being underwater like that. Definitely something to play with on my next swim! Thank you Rebecca.
Doing anything with fear immediately contracts us and puts us on the back foot, what is so awesome about the inspiring and supportive way that Simone Benhayon teaches swimming is that the tools we are given are equally applicable in other areas of life and thus we can move confidently in the world whatever we are faced with.
I love how Simone Benhayon is teaching people to breath through their nose while they swim. It is a super supportive way to swim.
I was just reflecting on why so many people feel anxious or have trouble breathing when they swim – it is like it is a reflection of how we do life and in our current day, many are not breathing the rhythm of their own breath but are breathing stress and anxiety and so this is felt in the water as it highlights our movements so clearly.
I love swimming this way too Rebecca. I can remember learning by swimming in my pyjamas – sink or swim it felt like. What you describe is so different – connecting to your body, breathing and moving with the flow of life. It’s something we can apply to all of living not just our time in the pool.
Every time when I swim, which is about twice a week, I get the reflexion how I am doing. My swimming shows me how much I was living in a still quality or if I was stressed and not present during my day. All get reflected in the water in how we swim when we open up to see. This I learnt from Simone Benhayon.
So many lessons in what you have shared Rebecca, as so much of life we are thrown in the murky deep end and prodded until we feel like there is no other way. When the reality is, we all can choose to float to the top breath our own breath and live the love we all are. Appreciating the love we are is an awakening that as you have shared Rebecca is found, even when we swim, so, so much of life will always equally provide opportunities to live the loving light we all are.
What a real and important sharing of the true beauty and joy of learning to swim from a new unique way whilst breathing through your nose and the quality of your every movement whilst having fun . A real testamont to Simone Benhayon.
Rebecca, you bring a whole other level to swimming, and life /— a joy most would not experience in a movement of exercise. “By enjoying the quality of my breath and my movements and staying with myself in every moment I feel more joyful and feel that I can embrace life more fully and without fear.” A Joy to read!
Swimming can teach us so much about how we move in life, and every time I swim I notice different things to do with my stroke, breathing and rhythm that make so much sense to how I am outside the pool!
I can relate to the fear and panic felt in the water, as a young child I didn’t have this but later as an older child I developed this after I had broken my nose and struggled to breathe in the water, from there on, all of my movements were tense in the water and there was no flow. I have now come back to enjoying being in the water more, also through the inspiration that Simone offers.
I was back in the pool this morning. I’ve come such a long way with my swimming. I can now do lengths of freestyle without panicking. Ever time I get in the pool I learn something new, and my experience tells me a great deal about how I am living.
Yes the reflections we are offered by how we move in the pool are so supportive for exposing how we are moving in our lives and the patterns that are keeping us stuck unless we are open to exploring a different way.
Thankfully I did not learn to swim holding on to a pole however the whole idea around swimming was for survival and the teaching I received was hard and very impersonal. What a joy to relearn to swim with Simone Benhayon….she is awesome with children and adults alike. My swimming is changing all the time and now I am swimming the crawl, or free stroke, like I am gliding through the water rather than fighting my way through and I am really enjoying myself in the process.
I am sure the swimming instructor’s pole haunts many a beginner swimmer and most likely has turned many a person off the joy of swimming – and when you stop and consider how much you now love swimming Rebecca that is really quite sad.
I was always afraid of the water it was like I had a memory of a bad experience with water. A friend taught me to swim and I felt save in the water , in that I could swim and would not drown , but I still had this fear about the water. I trained in water life saving . But swimming for me was always about controlling my fear of the water.
This all changed when I received swimming lessons from Simone Benhayon . The change from breathing through the mouth to breathing from the nose was huge . Breathing this way allowed my body to understand there is no danger , to be present with what my body is doing and therefore no tension or rigidity.
It is inspiring to feel Rebecca, how addressing our fears, who we are not, allows us to embrace more of who we really are giving way to a greater sense of confidence, which is our natural way of being. Through our connection to who we are, our essence, we realise more and more the potential of the greatness we are born to live, with whatever it is we do.
Connecting to our breath whether on land or in the water really does connect us to the breath of the divine and can unlock the rhythmic way we then breathe and move with. Thank you Rebecca .
I have just had a swim session with Simone Benhayon and once again I am utterly blown away by the insight and support she offers. Today I learnt powerful tools to help me stay connected throughout my day.
So so much more then just a regular swimming session.
Simone Benhayon is offering the world a true way to breathe through the ocean of life.
It is through our breath that we connect to God and through our movements that we become vehicles of the divine.
I remember one swimming session with Simone Benhayon where for the first time in my life I felt like I am able to swim on my own, and swim well. It was incredible, at the beginning of the session I couldn’t even swim in any style known to mankind, I had invented my own style of swimming which kept me afloat and that is all that mattered to me. However by the end of the session I was able to front crawl and that to me was just out of this world.
There is no doubt Rebecca that the quality of our breath and movement effects everything that we do. I love what you have expressed here, thank you;
“By enjoying the quality of my breath and my movements and staying with myself in every moment I feel more joyful and feel that I can embrace life more fully and without fear”.
I am not the biggest fan of swimming probably because of the association of those poles and I can also recall going under the water many a times and dreading the swimming classes at school.
But what you have shared here is that there is another way and as I read the ‘gliding and bubbles’ I could feel the fun in that – it feels nurturing, loving and a true way to swimming.
I love the way that water magnifies our movements. The simple act of breathing is amplified by the bubbles. When we swim it reflects how we move through life – how can it not?! The water shows us how we are living. We can literally see it as the water moves, and we can feel the effects of it in the movement of the water. What a gift to learn to swim with this awareness. Swimming is a great deal more than just a sport or form of exercise, it’s a whole lesson in life.
Lovely to feel how your growing confidence with swimming is reflected in your life.
Not until I heard Simone Benhayon talk about the fact that we learn to swim out of fear of drowning did I ever consider what a terrible and unsupportive foundation that is – certainly not enjoyable and the terror and fear you describe, holding on to a pole and trying to stay afloat, I can also relate to.
Amazing sharing Michelle about growing confidence in the water! Swimming can sometimes be fraught with a panic, a need for survival, or even then competition. Its important to enjoy something like swimming as its very beneficial for our bodies and our fitness!
Re-learning to do things is always a humbling experience. Quite often I have found I have grabbed on to something I’m proficient at and use the skills in a re-call mode, but this is robbing us of feeling the delicateness and openness of the occasion which is how we would perhaps be a part of it on the first time.
Loved your sharing Rebecca, its beautiful how life changes around when we start connecting to joy within. I too have become more confidence with the breathing technique Simone has shared, it takes all the panic out of swimming. I love water and swimming so much more joyful now.
When I re-applied the way I go about swimming, from a connection to my body then a number of things changed, I could breathe through my nose with ease, there was a natural sense of trust and like I didnt need to gasp for air or keep pulling and kicking in a way like I am trying to get to the other end. I also noticed the feeling of “squad training” energy not be present and could feel how there were so many instructions about technique and form which simply did not aid the feeling of connection in the water. What’s the point of making it ‘look good’ or ‘right’ and ‘polished’ if there is no fun or enjoyment?
Its amazing how so many things change, by technique and by strength when we are applying wisdom to them for instance feeling connected to our body in the pool, and breathing through our nose instead of our mouth, and not being breathless or exhausted from swimming, but having fun and enjoying the water! Same could go for a lot of things we do.
Loved your story Rebecca, as it an absolute promotion for the true way of swimming, which should be fun and easy and not a way of surviving. The bubble part of your sharing made me laugh: I for sure will pay attention on my bubbles from now on.
Its remarkable to think that learning to swim as a child could be so cruel and lacking in understanding. I think an instructor in the water, particularly in the initial period of learning is so important. Swimming should be something that is enjoyable and allow a freedom in the movement. Thanks for sharing your story Rebecca, the level of patience to develop your swimming and breathing through your nose feels like a key part of the process.
Re reading your blog inspires me to pick up regular swimming again, as I love swimming and the reflection the water (and our bubbles) offers us.
I enjoy swimming in the way by breathing through my nose and by doing free style too. I see how much lighter I move through the water, than some years ago. It shows that I am also lighter energy in my body, the water’s reflection is clearly indicating that.
It’s very inspiring to read that it is possible to swim in a way which takes away all of the panic of being in the water, and to be able to be confident with your face in the water without having the water go up your nose, which is a horrible sensation is worth exploring.
“…. swimming for survival is the way many learn to swim. ” Very true Rebecca. Learning to breathe in and out through my nose and thus feeling confident swimming free style has changed my attitude to swimming. Thanks to Simone Benhayon and her beautiful warm pool in Somerset.
I used to struggle swimming and although I could swim breast stroke I had no idea how to do the front crawl. I found breathing and coordinating my legs and arms a real challenge. I then took part in an amazing 2 day course with Simone Benhayon called “swimming without survival” and it had transformed how I view being in the water. I now find I can swim the front crawl and I love to practice it!
I swam a lot as a child and teenager, but then as an adult dropped it. It was upon meeting Simone Benhayon and understanding and feeling for myself the benefits of swimming with a certain quality that I now swim weekly again. It supports me hugely in life if I am open to listening to what is magnified to me about my life and I cannot imagine now not swimming as there is always more to become aware of and or deepen in myself .
Oh I would love to have the opportunity to re-imprint the way I was taught to swim and to bring that back into my life as part and parcel of my exercise rhythm. Who is to say, from reading this blog and the comments we couldn’t give it a go as a start?!
I agree with Leigh’s comment, I had a pool session with Simone Benhayon yesterday, incredibly healing and the water really does magnify how I have been living my life.
In July I had a swimming session with Simone Benhayon, I very rarely get into the pool, on holiday yes but thats about it. This was a very revealing session that exposed a lot about how I was living on land in my life in general with this perception that I could not swim (figuratively typing). So in September I went back into the pool, not for a session, but just to see if I had changed in my approach to life since. I could feel very much like you shared Rebecca an old sense of how I was taught to swim and how I felt during those swimming lessons. Towards the end I found that gasping for air was such a drain on my system whereas breathing through my nose felt much more supportive and that my movements were supported by the medium around me. It’s like the pool magnified how I go about living life and just goes to show when we take notice in the greater detail of life we can learn so much more about the whole.
Swimming for joy rather than swimming for survival. This is a beautiful way of relating to life and the way we live.
I love that Mary and it reminds me of how free and playful I can feel in the water and how to bring that flow and lightness into my daily life.
Wow Rebecca that is crazy that you get taught to swim by a pole. It shows the lack of humanity we bring into businesses when at the end of the day it is always all about people first.
I love what you share here and how you have re-imprinted your swimming experience thanks to Simone Benhayon.
Being able to get in a pool, swim and to have the way and the quality I am swimming in reflect back to me how I am living is truly remarkable. Through having pool sessions with Simone Benhayon I have totally changed the way I view swimming, not only do I now love swimming, I also see and use it as the healing it is.
Swimming in the way you have now learnt is definitely divine and how we should all be taught how to swim. There is no need for, or benefit from, fear based swimming…. when swimming in the way Simone teaches provides everything we could want plus offers us connection to a quality that can be taken and lived outside of the water as well, and as such support to transform our lives.
As a child I used to swim a lot, I loved the water and grew up training in swim squads and going to the beach with my family. It was my favourite thing to do. Then I broke my nose a few times and I used to find it difficult to swim, I would panic when I was in the water as I couldn’t get a proper breath. This went on for years and I gave up swimming. Then when I met Simone I learnt to again relax my body in the water and learn how to get a breath through my nose- it made a huge difference and I am now enjoying swimming again.
I love the way you talk about quality and your joy of re-learning to swim, because when we have learnt to do something in a certain way, it is beautiful to re-imprint it in a more loving and honouring way.
When our quality of breath and our movements are equal we leave behind a gentle ripple rather than a disturbing wake, which is very much the same regardless of whether we are in the water or not.
And how extraordinary that such a barbaric way of teaching beautiful young children to swim continues… However the extraordinary Simone Benhayon is revolutionizing this whole teaching process in the UK… What a blessing
I love how Simone Benhayon teaches swimming and everything else that comes with it about Life. I swam a lot as a child and was always confident in the water however I would push and strain my body so there was no quality which is pretty much how I was on land too. Now when I swim it is simply about my breath and building consistency and connection with my body. In this the quality and ease I swim is so much more gentle and I find whatever I learn during my lengths transfers to my day and being on land and in life if the same quality is what I choose.
“Then, as I was learning to swim, it was all about keeping my head above the water at all costs. I felt that if I went underwater, surely I would drown.” I had the same fear, so i would close my eyes and swim. I preferred back stroke as i could see everything and felt more in control. The fear of drowning did not go until is started to use googles when i got a lot older. Now i love preferred its really joyful and full of fun.
I love swimming and I learnt to breathe through my nose with Simone as well. It took a while to change and relax with this new way of breathing, there was often fear associated with it at first and I would struggle to breathe at times and take in water, this was always reflecting to me something about the way I was living that I could learn from. Now when I swim the nose breathing happens more naturally and it supports me to stay connected with my whole body and not to push ahead and swim as fast as I can but to enjoy each moment and the quality this can bring.
I find no other activity can I feel each part of the body move in every stroke. So learning the ways we can make swimming effortless are really fun and very supportive for our health . What I find in the water is that often I will go into old habits of trying and pushing, but in fact with the right technique and gentle breathing swimming is effortless and the beauty is everyone can learn to do it. Sharing our joy of being in water and how swimming can be easy is something that feels really important as swimming really should be for everyone.
Every time I have a swim session with Simone Benhayon I learn something, feel another revelation in my body and have something else I can work with in life after I am out of the pool. I recently had a group session with her and learnt when I get myself out of the way and instead make it about my connection to the Universe there is a flow, ease, simplicity and grace not the upward struggle I have lived many times. I was never confident in water (or life) but both are slowly changing as I have more confidence within my body and have deepened the relationship with myself .. forever work in progress. How people have learnt to swim is shocking! Being followed and prodded by a pole is surely common sense that it is not the most loving or supportive way for the learner! With Simone it is the complete opposite, she is in the pool with you, you feel her support, love and care without ANY judgement, she gives you permission to be which I guess is why she has won so many awards for her teaching and continues to do so ✨
Growing up I enjoyed swimming but now I can honestly say I love it, I took many years of teaching myself to swim as I only learnt the basics in lessons as a child, and it was so worth it, as now I can glide effortlessly in the water and make swimming whatever I want it to be. Swimming should be effortless and it should feel fun moving in the water, and there is no reason this is not attainable for everyone. Making the bubbles as you did Rebecca is a great place to start, enjoying the water first, then the learning becomes easy from there.
I can relate to the panic and fear around learning to swim and being in deep water. I am sure many people can relate too. To breathe through our nose while swimming was unheard of until I was introduced to Universal Medicine. It sounds so much more natural, supportive and loving for our body. I noticed when we go into survival mode, fear and panic we tend to breathe through our mouth. So, swimming while breathing through our mouth we are telling our body it is in fear and panic mode. No wonder I never really enjoyed swimming, I often felt I could never get enough air, my body was always tenses and hard, hence the tendency to sink instead of floating effortlessly. I would love to learn Simone Benhayon’s swimming technique.
For me re-learning swimming was very important as I originally learned to swim to survive and not to drown. That means that every lap I swam was in this energy. I was not aware of it, in fact this was the normal way to be in the water and I have to admit also outside of the water. To survive my day was my normal way of living. Since I have re-learned swimming like you have so beautiful described, my life has changed as well – I am much less exhausted and can work so much more only because: “Staying with my breath and the bubbles, focussing on the quality of my movement and the sensation of the water (instead of focussing on the fear), has changed my experience of swimming completely.”
It gives me great confidence hearing how far you have come developing your swimming style, especially considering you had a bumpy start and anxiety surrounding swimming. I love Simone Benhayon’s swimming techniques but have not yet been able to commit to practising and achieving what you have. I am very fearful in the water, I was never able to swim freestyle, even back when I was breathing through my mouth. The only style I could do is doggy paddle and breast stroke, never being able to dive has been a shameful subject too. Your story gives me hope for change, if I commit to practising, thanks for your story.
It is so amazing to find an instructor who teaches that swimming is about joy not about survival. Simone Benhayon brings a certain quality to her swim sessions which allows the swimmer to learn so much about themselves. I always come away from swim sessions with Simone feeling more clear and more true full.
How great to work with a fear of water, many have significant fears when being in water brining up much anxiousness.
I’m finding that keeping connected to me whilst I am swimming is what makes swimming enjoyable and not a chore or a marathon. It means that through this connection, I take me into each arm movement, each breathing cycle. I am very much there, present and aware rather than off in the mind somewhere, checked out on my next to do list priorities. No, mind and body are in synch, like they should be.
I remembered some of my lessons of swimming from school days as I was reading. We did not have a pole to hold on to but white polystyrene boards each that were our connection to staying afloat I remember kicking my legs wildly at first when I realised they would sink and possibly me too if I didn’t keep kicking. There was no talk about breathing that I remember. The lessons were definitely fear provoking rather than assuaging which I am am sure they were intended to be. Luckily my mum loved swimming so persuaded my Dad to have a swimming pool built into our garden. This was a huge bonus for me because the emphasis became more one of play and exploration. Later my own love for water found me training in water therapy and spending several years practising this. My life in the water is continually changing and having for the last several years been having water sessions with Simone Benhayon I too have discovered so much more about myself and how my movements in the water reflect how I live on land.
Before having swim sessions with Simone Benhayon I swam for survival which meant my nervous system was constantly in flight or fight, now having learnt how to breath through my nose, I am actually enjoying swimming and have turned something that I used to find quite stressful into something I now love.
I was fortunate to be visiting the Sound Foundation in Somerset (UK) and had the opportunity to enjoy the swimming pool located there. The water was beautifully warm and felt like silk on my skin. When leaving the pool I felt as if I had had a healing session.
I love swimming to Rebecca and I am in the process of learning to swim whilst breathing in and out through my nose; I have had glimpses of gliding and connecting to my breathe and it does feel divine.
Thank you for the gentle reminder and motivation to feel the gloriousness of gently gliding and connecting to my body.
I really used to not like swimming, I found it a chore, since also being inspired by Simone Benhayon and her swim sessions this has changed and I now enjoy being in the water. The water reflects so much to me about how I am and where I am at. I have learnt loads about myself through swimming.
This strange ‘pole’ method of teaching would be laughable if it was not real, and in fact so much of education is a variety of the ‘pole’ method… prodding people who either sink or swim and without a thought to their well being
I can relate to the bits of your blog Rebecca about being taught to ‘swim’. I never bothered much about swimming for years; it was just something that I knew I could do well enough not to drown if I fell into deep water but I never considered that I could enjoy it as a form of exercise. This changed when I moved to a hot climate and swimming was a common form of exercise. Over the years I have continued to swim and I have found my own rhythm and way of breathing from side to side through my nose. I can now say I love it and even though I probably don’t fit the mould when it comes to technically correct movements, I just work on connecting with what feel right with my body and go from there.
I’m so glad I came back to this blog as I have simply not been in a pool for ages. I used to have monthly lessons with Simone Benhayon but since my daughter has started school it has become more difficult to get down to see Simone during the week. I have always been confident in water, as from an early age we would swim in rivers surrounding the farm I lived on. You just jumped in off the bank and if you didn’t swim you sank. My swimming technique though leaves a lot to be desired though resembling more of an out of control egg beater than a dolphin style creature taking 400 strokes to do a lap instead of the average 12. Anyway you have inspired me to go for a swim today thank you.
Great blog Rebecca. I went swimming this morning for the first time in many years and boy did my body love it. I loved the feeling of my body gliding through the water and feeling my arms moving and my breath moving through my lungs. It felt amazing.
Wonderful blog Rebecca. I have also began swimming more at home and have been gliding through the water, teaching myself to breathe through my nose. I used to always breathe through my mouth and didnt think it was a problem until one day I was in the pool and began to feel how I was gasping for air and how un-natural this felt. I had a go at breathing through my nose and well… it was like a breath of fresh air. Now I have been practising it as it has taken me a while to get used to but I am enjoying swimming so much more, feel so much more relaxed in the water and have a lot more fun.
I too Harrison have noticed a real difference since breathing through my nose, there is something a lot more graceful about it, and breathing through my nose I find encourages me to be more present and aware of my body.
Beautiful Rebecca. I love what you have shared about the direct relationship of when you work on one area of your life it builds your confidence not only in that aspect but also how that confidence lifts and lightens other parts of your life too.
This is great Rebecca, I love that a gentle breathing rhythm has allowed you to overcome your fear when swimming and that the same gentle breathing rhythm helps you be less anxious, more confident, when immersed in life.
The turn around point for me always happens when ‘fun’ or ‘joy’ steps in. As this did for you when learning to swim by breathing through your nose. It lightens us up to new possibilities and breaks old destructive patterns which hold us back. Lovely to hear of your experience Rebecca thank you for sharing.
Yes I agree Marion, when this occurs for me as well I feel it makes a huge difference in my confidence and how I understand things, my enthusiasm increases by 100%
Thank you Rebecca for sharing your swimming experience, I have always had a fear of putting my head under the water, and trouble holding my breath. It was great that you were able to continue and get over the fear, swimming sounds like something you really now enjoy. I have always loved floating with gentle waves coming in and going out, but not face down of course.
when I first read about the English way of teaching people to swim, I was stunned, horrified that such an archaic method of instruction survived… And then I remembered the outback Way of teaching swimming… Which was really just to chuck you into a dam or river, and see if you came back out… thank you indeed Simone Benhayon .
I have a go at this way of swimming every time I go swimming, which is not very often, but the more I do it the more familiar and normal it feels. Conversely, breathing in and out of my mouth reminds me of the panic of survival in the water. I have found that it has influenced my awareness of my sleeping at bedtime as well which is a side bonus for my husband as it is much harder to snore with a closed mouth!
Swimming by breathing through the nose sounds quite interesting and beneficial, not only to the act of swimming but also to the fact that you apply the principle in helping yourself stay connected in your everyday living
I learnt to swim in the UK in unheated outdoor pools so there was a definite sense of survival rather than pleasure. It is beautiful that so many children are now learning to swim with Simone Benhayon breathing through the nose and feeling at one with the water and themselves.
I agree Mary, it is gorgeous to see the children as they arrive for their swimming lessons with Simone Benhayon – they can’t wait to get changed and into the pool and after a session their eyes are shining brightly with the joy and fun they have experienced. Simone is revolutionizing swimming with breathing through the nose and I am sure our lungs are enjoying this too!
This sounds like awesome fun Rebecca, I haven’t really got swimming in my rhythm but I want to add it so I can learn to be in the water and be with me.
To be honest I have always found swimming pools to be intimidating, not being a confident or strong swimmer I always felt really stupid in the pool and clumsy and I have always felt intimidated by lifeguards or swimming attendants (It would feel as if they really wanted to be there and they where acting cool). Simone Benhayon through lessons in the pool has helped me so from believing in myself, showing me I am not stupid and helping me to build my confidence with me. Like Rebecca shares Simone teaches from in the pool (not from standing on the side) she interacts with everyone, is very present and you know she is with you 150% in that moment with you, she has helped (probably thousands by now) of children and adults. Simone brings Love to her work and all that she does and is an incredibly lovely lady.
It is a truly lovely to breathe through your nose and glide through the water gracefully as if not disturbing it compared to the swim to survive consciousness that drove our learning. I have always loved the water but when we remain with ourselves, deeply connected and breathing through our noses, the water and being with it in this way, feels that much more divine.
Thank you Rebecca, I was taught swim at a very young age by my father, he would be in the pool and the first thing he taught me was not to be scared of being under water and to be confident to keep my head above the water when I needed to which was great. I did however learn to breathe through my mouth. When I swim now in this way I get out of breath quickly and feel like I am trying to achieve something in the way I swim. I am totally inspired by your blog Rebecca and look forward to the next time I am at the pool to take it at a natural pace and begin to learn to breathe through my nose!
I agree Michael, it makes a very big difference to the way the swim feels whether I breath through my nose or through my mouth. There’s a lovely steadiness when I breath through my nose that allows me to feel my whole body, it feels very natural. If I were to breath through my mouth there is a sense of snatching the breath into the body, where the focus in my body feels quite disjointed. In fact since I learned to front-crawl it was always to use the nose breath…I can’t imagine how difficult and tiring it would be to do otherwise!
In re reading this blog I am still holding the fear of the past swimming experiences and realise there is so much trauma in my body. One that comes up is watching my two brothers being rescued from a ‘sink hole ‘ in the river, they both just disappeared and my father dived in and bought them both to the surface to be revived. You have revealed once again my trepidation at swimming and the holding back which will be reflected in my life.
I can’t believe how you were taught to swim with a stick??? This sounds crazy to me, but I guess would be considered normal for anyone in the UK. I was taught to swim by a lovely lady who was in the pool with us. I do remember being scared when I learnt to dive. More recently after some swim lessons from Simone Benhayon I commenced breathing through my nose and the difference has been nothing short of profound. I feel so much more connected to and aware of myself in the water. I also enjoy feeling how I am in life is reflected to me in the way I swim. For example if I have been totally stressing over study I may find that I am short of breath and feel a bit uncoordinated in the water. There have been times when I have felt great and balanced with work, study and relationships and swimming is just a breeze, gracefully so. I can’t thank Simon Benhayon enough for suggesting I try breathing out of my nose – it has transformed my relationship with swimming.