Big Deal #5 :: Swimming

I love water. Always have.

When I was a little girl, I used to swim in our bath tub--dives and all that. Finally, after years of dreaming I joined a class at Oyster Swimming Pool in May this year.

I knew it would come to me naturally. I learned the freestyle in just four days. Although, perfecting it took another ten. Swimming taught me more than just being able to move in water. It taught me to let go of wanting to be in control all the time. When you're in water you should move with the water's rhythm. Let your body loose and you'll float. Keep yourself stiff and think of 'holding' the water, you're likely to drown. I thought it was a great life lesson. We are all such terrible control freaks!

Swimming is meditation in motion.

No amount of massages ever calmed my muscle knots. On my first day, my coach focused just on loosening my muscles to be in sync with the water. 'Keep your shoulders loose, Keep your shoulders loose!' he screamed at me. Two days in the water and I could feel my body thanking me. Never before did I relax in that way and I practice Mindfullness (mind you). 

One of my favourite things to do is to stay underwater, and I always dreamed of being able to swim like a fish. I used to sneak off to the 8ft level, go underwater and move around like a fish. Coach always screamed at me for doing that. 'Show me the hand movement. Stop the fish act.' Perhaps I should go back and perfect the breaststroke. It's damn tough.

There's not many pics of me swimming. Mum happened to capture this one time when I was simply relaxing at Song's of Earth.

The Swimming Tan

Get this--No amount of sunscreen can protect you from tanning. But, it does protect you from the harmful effects of sun. So, don't forget to apply it. I don't understand why people are afraid of the swimming tan. Unlike tanning in the sun when you're outdoors, the swimming tan is healthy. You're skin glows from the inside. It's just a tan and it's beautiful on your nicely toned muscles. The best part is the way it fades in wonderful golden hues. Man! I love it.

So yeah! Fulfilling another dream and true to being a pisces in water--BIG DEAL!

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