Lap Swimming as Meditation

Central to meditation, and the Eastern philosophy of Yoga, is control of the breath or prana or life force. The essence of swimming laps is control of the breath.

As a young adult, I frequently swam across the several lakes that bordered my home in India’s Himalayan foothills. It was an indescribable experience – just the green water, the blue sky and a body in tune with its environment and the rhythm of its breathing.

Today, I try to reconstruct the experience (somewhat) with lap swimming – a sensation that can only be understood by those that experience it. This exercise lifts me above myself to a mind-body experience that undeniably releases a flood of endorphins. The feeling is not dissimilar to the uplifting experience that follows a yoga session or meditation practice.

If meditation means guiding the mind inward and is marked by concentration, controlled breathing and withdrawal of the senses from the external world - then swimming laps can be viewed as meditation. Who says meditation insists on us sitting down cross-legged, or being still, or closing our eyes?

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