22 NAMASKAR
SPORTS YOGA & SCUBA DIVING? More similar than different BY DONALD DAY At first glance, it seems to be an odd combination - Yoga, the physical, mental, and spiritual practice to exercise, boost health and reduce stress, seems far removed from donning a scuba tank and descending into the open ocean. However, when you look more closely, the effects of both are not very different. Both yoga and diving are very relaxing and meditative. Both have a similarly strong focus on breathing. Ideal breathing in both activities is slow, deep and relaxed. We know from meditation practice that slow and deep breathing helps calm down the body and the mind – particularly useful when stressed. group will try and ensure everyone sees the amazing things that wait to be discovered. Neither is about winning, but to experience something amazing and share this experience. Everybody wins. In today’s competitive world, this is rejuvenating, calming and refreshing. Yoga and diving are also very complimentary, which explains the recent surge in combined offerings. People passionate about diving are usually balanced and relaxed, aware of the nature that surrounds them and are naturally curious – very similar to yogis. Benefits of yoga for the diver include better buoyancy control, reduced air consumption (and breath, but even fit divers can find themselves breathing too fast or too shallow from the stress of diving. That’s where yoga comes in. Like scuba, yoga places emphasis on proper inhalation and exhalation, as breathing is considered the essential connection between body and mind. Practiced regularly, yoga promotes deep, slow breathing, and teaches you how to calm your mind. Yoga also strengthens and stretches muscles that are important in diving. After a dive, yoga can help to stretch and relief stiff muscles (if done lightly, as the diver should never engage in strenuous exercise after diving). To appreciate yoga’s breathing benefits, it helps to understand what happens when you breathe. The primary function of your lungs is to draw in oxygen-rich air and expel the carbon dioxide waste your cells generate. That oxygen/carbon dioxide exchange happens in the alveoli, microscopic, grapelike sacs that line your lungs. On land, we use just a fraction of our lung space, leaving scores of alveoli untouched. At depth some, especially new divers, use even fewer alveoli per breath, taking shallower, rapid breaths. Another similarity is focus – in yoga and scuba diving, the practitioner is required to focus entirely on the task at hand. In yoga, you focus on the posture, the alignment, the depth of the posture and the breathing. In diving, you focus on your surroundings, your buoyancy, your depth– and your breathing. Finally – both activities are non-competitive. In yoga it doesn’t really matter if the person next to you seems to have a background in Olympic-level gymnastics or somehow does not seem to have bones. You only compete with yourself and what you and your body can do on the day. Similarly, in diving buddies take care of each other and people in a dive therefore longer dive times), relaxation both on land and underwater, and improved physical fitness for diving. The average diver sightseeing at 30 feet in warm, calm seas can expect an average tank of air to last about an hour. But as any diver can tell you, the sport is anything but average. Deeper dives, stronger currents and chilly water can drastically reduce bottom time. New divers, a little nervous and prone to “panting” rather than easy breathing, have been known to empty a tank in less than 30 minutes. Obviously, increasing your physical fitness is one way to get more out of every The solution is breathing slowly, deeply and fully, especially on exhalation. Your impulse to breathe is triggered by the build-up of carbon dioxide, so by learning to exhale fully, you clear more carbon dioxide and automatically breathe more slowly. Slower breathing also improves your concentration and focus. Deep breathing exercises such as those used in yoga training help keep blood gases normal and are very beneficial as a relaxing technique. So where can you combine these activities? There are several resorts as well as specialized trips that not only offer yoga classes, but have integrated programs, sometimes even offer retreats. Here the combined offering of yoga, diving and often healthy nutrition is carefully coordinated and delivers a meaningful time with lasting impact. Get in touch for a recommendation, or if you want to know more about combining yoga, meditation and diving. <strong>Oct</strong>ober <strong>2015</strong> 23