Why Freediving?!
During a session in Greece a few weeks ago, a fellow freediver said: ‘freediving is my absolute favourite thing!!!’ In the most cheerful tone.
It got me thinking as I reluctantly slid into the water. Well actually I didn’t have to think much, I knew freediving was definitely NOT my favourite thing because it’s been uncomfortable AF at times: the sea sickness, the wetsuit struggle, the fear of going down there, of not breathing, of the unknown! My absolute favourite thing to do is what I’m doing right now: sitting in a Cafe sipping on a delicious latte freddo/cappuccino/flat white and trying to figure out how to write this post!
So why do I actually do it if it’s far from being my favourite thing and why did I even start in the first place?!
For the back story, if you didn’t read ‘create space for your thoughts, emotions & ideas’, I taught Yoga at a Yoga & Freediving retreat this June on Amorgos, Greece. It was hosted by Cherryl Duncan and Johannes and was attended by an amazing group of entrepreneurs from all over the world. It was truly magical!
Most people in our group did a freediving trial and one person joined us in our daily freediving sessions and did his Level 1. So in parallel to hearing my freediver friend say that it was his ‘absolute favourite thing’, I got curious about the fact that most people in our group chose not to pursue it. When I asked them why they chose not to, they all had different reasons: too much work, fears, problems with their ears, not wanting to start a new hobby without being sure of being able to pursue it in the future, etc. I could relate to all of their reasons of course and yet I found myself actually doing it again this year?! So I wondered again, why do I actually do it?
Over the past few weeks I came up with 8 reasons:
a simple one to start with: I looooove the Sea/ Ocean. If you ask me: want to go to the mountains this Summer or the beach? I mean none of my friends would actually ask me that because they already know that I will always choose the Ocean/ Sea over hiking! In my twenties I was surfing - or trying to - and now in my thirties I freedive - or try to. The blue is constantly calling me. I’m the happiest when I see it, when I’m in it or on it. I believe it has healing powers.
I like to learn about the body in general and what it can do, in this case learn new skills like how to duck dive, hold my breath, equalise and swim in a whole new way, as well as become aware of the subtle sensations of the body underwater.
being fascinated by the observation of our patterns and the limitations of our mind, it’s been interesting to notice them in this kind of environment.
it takes me out of my comfort zone the say the least and it’s been incredibly rewarding to think I wasn’t going to be able to do something and then to do it anyway and to feel the joy & pride on the other side of it!
it makes me have less OCD & less fears in the every day life.
it’s all about relaxation. The more relaxed you are, the better you are going to do. Something I believe to be true in the every day life as well and something I help people with on land with hypnotherapy, yoga or cranio-sacral therapy.
for the first time in a long time, it’s something I do just for myself, not because I want to teach it at some point or make money with.
And my favourite reason of all is that I just know I have to do it. It’s this inner knowing that makes me do something that is NOT ‘my absolute favourite thing’ because it knows that it helps me connect with myself in a whole new way as well as with my favourite body of water <3
