![]() ‘As divers learn to control their breathing and stay calm under pressure, they can develop greater resilience and better cope with stress and anxiety.’ For many, it’s also a source of relaxation, something I’m always up for finding more ways to achieve. ‘Diving also has the potential to improve mental and emotional health,’ she adds. Rosmy Barrios, medical advisor for the Health Reporter, reckons this technique has long term health benefits including everything from a decrease in heart rate and blood pressure to an increase in lung capacity, allowing the body to oxygenate the body’s tissues more efficiently. ![]() I only had to float face down on the surface, and as the sounds of the outside world dissipated, a sense of calm enveloped me and I began to realise the benefits of the practice even in just my first 40 second stint.ĭr. We shuffled awkwardly away from the 20 or so women enthusiastically throwing their limbs around, and I filtered out the pop beats in preparation to take my hold. Soon she felt confident enough to be submerged I needed to channel my yogi breath, taking three deep inhalations (making sure each exhale was longer than the inhale), before ducking my head beneath the surface. As Amy and I clutched its tiled edge, she talked me through my first breath hold. The apparent intensity of it had deterred me though, so when mermaiding popped onto my radar it not only looked fun, but like something that would give me a gentle introduction to breathholding.Īt first, the hotel pool with its aqua aerobics class and splashing kids didn’t feel like an environment particularly conducive to meditative breathing. I’d been keen to dive in the crystal-clear waters of Greece’s Aegean Sea for years, but I’d also flirted with the idea of free diving for some time before that. That’s why I’m floundering in a heated pool at the Sani Resort on Hadiliki’s stunning coastline in mid-April, earning curious looks from passers-by. As well as learning how to wiggle into a monofin, swim with it underwater and master all the requisite safety skills, I’d be introduced to the art of breath holding, a technique mastered by free divers. My experience was to be less spiritual, but equally revelatory. Across America, residents can take certifications that help them to channel their ‘mermaid energy’, bringing balance to heart and mind and using the power of the ocean to renew their spirit and soul.Īlly began her training by getting used to holding her breath face down in the water But there’s also a spiritual angle to mermaiding some people swear by the healing powers and regenerative energy they and their myth can create. Mermaid experiences of all sorts hit the market some years ago, with hotels offering shiny, rainbow-coloured tails to kids and helping hen parties have a giggle while channelling their inner Ariel. Scuba divers can get qualifications in volcano and sinkhole diving, underwater CSI skills or even zombie apocalypse training, and last year dive certification agency, PADI, added a Mermaid Course to the mix. But it’s 2023 now, and the world has changed. I, however, am brand new to this.īack when The Little Mermaid was one of three Disney films I had recorded grainily on VHS, ‘becoming a mermaid’ wasn’t a thing. She’s been a qualified mermaid instructor for a year, and a diving instructor for eight, so she’s seen this before. The problem is, when you do that, you basically start to sink, so I was grabbing my fin, sinking, then flapping to the surface to try again. This involved puttng my legs straight out at 90 degrees from my hip and grabbing the end of the monofin and pulling back, like when you're doing a hamstring stretch on the floor. As I sink to the bottom of the kidney bean-shaped hotel pool, scabbling to grab the end of my yellow monofin while Moves Like Jagger fades into the bubbly background, I realise that ‘becoming a mermaid’ is a tad more involved than donning a tail and posing evocatively on a photogenic rock.Īmy Froise, my infinitely patient instructor, chuckles as I clumsily try not to sink while practising my cramp release.
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