Zen Swimming

‘It’s all about relaxing your shoulders so your body is freer,’ says Zen Swimming tutor Roger Golten.

Zen Swimming is basically a more relaxed way of learning to swim. In contrast to ‘the kayak’ (powering your arms so hard you might as well be kayaking down the Thames), Zen Swimming is based on the notion that we should break down every stroke and move more gently through the water.

It’s a great way for adults to relearn their swimming stroke so they can swim more comfortably, Golten tells me. It focuses on relaxing the neck and the back, so you don’t finish your swim with aching shoulders. You’ll need a good pair of goggles as well – Zen Swimming requires that your head be kept under the water, thus lifting the strain from your shoulders. It tries to teach you to swim consciously, being aware of all the different roles your body is playing.

Golten is an expert in posture, and has been teaching in the water for five years after coming across the technique of conscious swimming while researching his book, The Owner’s Guide to the Body.

I initially felt a bit silly, gliding around in the water and standing up on the floor – it all felt rather elementary. We started in the water with the glide. Instead of pushing aggressively against the side, I was taught to simply put one foot in front of the other, push off and tuck my neck underneath myself rather than arching it out of the water. It felt clean and smooth, just gliding through the water then slowly unrolling my body, planting my feet on the ground and bringing my head through the water.

The next move went against pretty much every rule I’d been taught at school. Golten taught me the front crawl, but with every stroke slowed down and magnified. It was as if I was learning the stroke for the first time – arms slowly swinging over my head, then coming to rest under the water. It bore no resemblance to my usual front crawl, and I could feel my body relaxing into it. Even after an hour-and-a-half of Zen Swimming, I couldn’t feel any strain on my shoulders or my arms – parts that usually ache after a dip.

‘Water is the essence of fluidity, and by becoming at one with the water with Zen Swimming the feeling of the body becomes the remedy for the stresses of the mind,’ says Golten. ‘In the water you can let go and let yourself be supported. By paying attention to the different phases of each stroke you can learn when to apply effort and when to relax: a great lesson that can be taken into life generally.’

It’s recommended for anybody: competitive swimmers like me (who can’t swim properly!) or adults who would like to learn to swim in a more relaxed and conscious way.

Golten teaches in central London.

Zen Swimming took place at:

Marriot Park Lane
140 Park Lane
Mayfair
W1K 7AA

www.zenswimming.co.uk