De-Stress with Scuba
Did you know that scuba diving provides the same peace of mind as yoga? Do you love that after glow from a dive, where your mind is empty of thought and feels cleansed and clear? I do too, and it's perhaps one of the most important benefits that scuba diving gives: stress relief.
There is quite a lot written about the medidative effects of scuba diving - breathing continuously, slowly and deeply; letting go of all the air from your lungs in one breath, before taking a deep breath in to replace it. Oxygenating and replenishing your body's cells, whilst clearing and focusing the mind on the sound of rhythmic breathing.
There are numerous ways to get into a medidative state, and they all focus on breathing in a quiet relaxing place with no distractions.
For most people, including myself I find it almost impossible to completely clear my mind and next to impossible to find a quiet place free from distractions. Even if I achieve this, I find no matter how hard I try, thoughts pop into my head. Every place that is, except underwater.
Underwater I do switch off from the past and future, and instead without trying or being aware, find myself living in the present. Focusing on fish and pretty coral reefs is a relaxing, calming and tranquil experience.
According to Sarah Wormald in her article Scuba Diving: Underwater Medidation: "Scuba diving encourages a medidative state which increases consciousness and control of the body, allows us to achieve inner peace through single focus which clears our minds so they become free from day to day stresses and worries."
So apart from the obvious benefit of feeling absolutely great, medical studies have shown that destressing helps to improve every aspect of our lives from our relationships, sleep patterns, happiness and general well being, to our concentration and ability to succeed in work.
The ability to stay calm and balanced in life, and live a healthy lifestyle, is top of my list of priorities, and scuba diving goes a long way in helping me to achieve this.