WELLBEING

Meditation in the ocean: The beauty of freediving

24 December, 2023 . 0

Freediving is said to promote calm while nourishing a sense of adventure. Here’s why underwater diving sans breathing equipment is gaining appeal.

For Rosie Richard, diving deep below the ocean’s surface and immersing herself in the marine environment is the perfect way to de-stress, silence the noise of daily life, and be truly present.

Freediving is a form of underwater diving that requires holding your breath until you resurface, and it’s a practice that has been growing at a rate of 40-80 per cent annually.

According to Rosie, owner of Eunoia Freediving, diving into the deep without breathing apparatus is when you truly experience the magic of the underwater world.

“When you’re scuba-diving and you’re creating lots of bubbles, you’re almost like a person looking in on another world,” Rosie tells The House of Wellness TV.

“But with freediving, you’re able to dive down silently, hold on to a rock, and just watch.

“The longer you’re able to stay there really still, the more life you’ll see and the more it will come to you.”

Benefits of freediving

On top of the opportunity to explore the mesmerising ocean realm and diverse aquatic life, freediving offers a range of physical and mental benefits.

Along with the positive effects gained from any physical activity, freediving is known to boost lung capacity, and lower anxiety and stress levels.

“For me, freediving is a form of meditation,” Rosie says.

“Having worked as a teacher for the last 10 years and leading quite a stressful life, going into the ocean and freediving was a way to destress.

“For me that was the reason I wanted to become a freediving instructor – seeing the positive benefits that freediving can have on your mental health, and your lifestyle as a whole, was something I really wanted to share with other people.”

How to start freediving

To get started with freediving, it’s a good idea to enrol in a certified course that covers essential skills and safety protocols, and explains different freediving disciplines.

Rosie says other key components you need to learn include:

Breath-holding

“Something that people don’t realise is that breath-holding is something that is really easily trained,” Rosie says.

“We do three-part breathing, or compartmentalised breathing, and that’s where we learn to isolate the breath into three different areas.

“The more we do that, the better we are able to control that area, so we are able to take in a really big, deep, full breath and remain comfortable and not lose our relaxation.”

Relaxation

When freediving, it’s important to conserve oxygen and to do this effectively, you need to relax your mind and body.

“The busier our mind is, the more oxygen we’re going to consume,” Rosie explains.

“So it’s really important to be able to go to a calm place, one where you’re not stressed, but you’re really present and focusing on the moment.

“It’s also really important to be able to relax your body – if you’re holding tension in your shoulders, or your chest, that’s going to burn a lot more energy as well.”

Equalisation

This helps to manage pressure changes in your ears as you descend into deep water.

There are a number of equalisation techniques, but the Valsalva manoeuvre is commonly used by beginners.

Is freediving safe?

As with any water activity, there are risks involved in freediving, so it’s critical to ensure you get proper training and follow safety protocols.

But Rosie says the human body is actually designed to be able to cope with freediving.

“Just like seals and dolphins, humans have a natural in-built freediving load, which is known as the mammalian dive reflex,” she explains.

“It’s triggered in three ways: the first is holding our breath, the second is being exposed to pressure, and the third is cold-water facial immersion.

“When I’m diving to deep depths and I get a negative thought enter my mind, I always think about the mammalian dive reflex, and the fact that our bodies are actually built to do this.”

Is freediving free of equipment?

While you don’t need all the apparatus associated with scuba-diving, there are still a few basic items freedivers need to help with a comfortable, relaxed dive, including:

A face mask: This helps you see better underwater; it should have a nose pocket you can pinch to help equalisation.
A snorkel: This allows you to breathe when your face is in the water.
Freediving fins: These fins are usually flexible, and characterised by their long blade and full foot pocket.

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Written by Claire Burke.