Meditation and Visualization Techniques for Isolated Freedivers

Freediving is often given a likeness to “underwater meditation”, requiring the athlete to acknowledge a certain amount of mental discipline in order to achieve results. Even for a beginner level freediver, simple mental techniques can be used to overcome obstacles that may arise while learning the fundamentals of the sport. Not only can these tools be applied to the sport of freediving, but can also provide students and experts alike a chance to lengthen their patience, lower the effects of stress, increase the quality of sleep and maintain more meaningful and lasting relationships. Mastering relaxation techniques is an essential part of becoming a better freediver as well as becoming a more compassionate and tolerant human being. Read on to learn about some breathing and meditation techniques you can do at home during this time of isolation and uncertainty.

Ho'oponopono Healing Practice:

Don’t worry, it is not necessary to be able to spell this practice, and we are still having trouble pronouncing it. Ho'oponopono is an ancient Hawaiian practice and has been termed the “practice of forgiveness and freedom” by many who benefit from it. It is a simple and effective practice that is both time-efficient and relatable to freediving practices of all levels. 

For beginner level freedivers, one of the most challenging obstacles is learning to overcome their own self-doubt. It is easier to point blame at outside entities rather than take responsibility for our own shortcomings, but by doing so we wear down our self-confidence, a vital ingredient to progressing through freediving. Ho'oponopono is a practice that is particularly effective for students who are having difficulties in freediving and constantly asking themselves why they can’t achieve a certain result. An example of this practice goes as follows:

Sit softly in a comfortable position, with your back straight and your airways open for comfortable breathing. Relax the face and the jaw, from the shoulders and take a few deeps breaths to ground the body and set the spine. We like a 5 count in, a 3 count hold, a 5 count out, and a 3 count hold. Enjoy the holds on the in and the out-breath, these are vital for freedivers. Once you are settled in rooted, allow yourself to come to a natural breathing style, and begin repeating to yourself over and over- “I love you. I’m sorry. Please forgive me. Thank you.” Continue to repeat this phrase. Find the rhythm in it, make it a song, breathe with it and smile. Forgive yourself, your instructor, your fellow students, and understand the process is the most important part of the journey. 

Vipassana Meditation- focus on breathing:

Vipassana meditation is often synonymous with silent mediation retreats, deep physical connectivity, and advanced practices. We would argue that even at a beginner level, Vipassana meditation as a supplement to your relaxation techniques can help to solidify concepts that are particularly useful in freediving. Much like freediving, Vipassana meditation has a strong focus on the bodies understanding of physical processes, and how we observe them, feel them, and subside them if needed. It is intensely directed mindfulness in the body. Unlike other forms of mediation, Vipassana does not seek to keep the mind’s concentration on one item or thought in order to stave off distraction- instead, it aims to instil a sense of tranquillity with the thought only of “what is happening as it happens”. As freedivers we understand that our physical bodies will change as we achieve greater depth. The Mammalian Dive Reflex becomes stronger and more pronounced, prompting a physiological shift in the way the body uses, stores and consumes oxygen. The lungs compress, creating a feeling of pressure and suction in the chest. These physical changes happen in real-time, and through training and practice we learn to accept them as they come. Vipassana meditation is a relaxation practice focused on exactly this- acceptance as it comes. You can read a more in-depth look at this technique here but we will start with a very simple practice to get a feel for it:

Start by sitting comfortably and relaxed with your back straight and legs crossed. Maintaining posture is important in this practice as a curved spine or slouched shoulders can result in back pain or discomfort. Instead, sit strong in the pose, and feel your spine supporting you. After settling yourself into a strong and comfortable position, just look to find your comfortable breath, focusing only on the movement of the belly (the diaphragm) as it slowly fills and empties with every inhalation and exhalation. If it is easier, label the movements with a thought (i.e filling, filling, falling, falling). As the breathing continues, observe the belly, the chest, the neck, the head, and the shoulders with every inhale and exhale. We want to understand how the body responds to our breath. If your mind wanders away with thoughts, not only is this natural, but it’s an important part of the practice. Gently label this “thinking” and come back to the filling and falling. As we progress with this practice, we label sensations that arise- both physical and mental- and approach them with neutrality and acceptance, while always returning the filling and the falling. 

Mindfulness Meditation: Sound Layer Cake

It is important to remember that every technique mentioned in this article has a relationship in one way or another to the others. Mindfulness meditation is a term that is thrown around quite vaguely, and for good reason. The simple concept that we focus on in mindfulness is being in the present moment, observing things as they come. This can be done thousands of different ways and is certainly a great technique for beginners to experiment with. That being said, mindfulness can bring with is a feeling of frustration as students become intimately aware that it takes significant practice to achieve a level of mindfulness that is often sought after and talked about. This in itself is a lesson we can apply to freediving and relaxation techniques. While there are plenty of mindfulness techniques that can be tested out by beginners, we like to introduce our students to the “sound layer cake” technique, a practice focusing on mindfulness of sounds.

Note: We like to teach our students this method outside on the beach, but even in an enclosed space, in your bedroom or in the bath, you might be surprised just how many sounds you can pick up if you concentrate. If you are sitting in your room and you have a window to the outside world, give it a crack open to allow some more stimulation. 

Sit comfortably with your back and spine straight, your airways open and able to breathe normally. Close your eyes gently to allow other sensations to take precedence. Ground yourself with a breath in of a 5 count, a hold for 3, a breath out for 5 and a hold for 3. Do this as many times as you desire, smiling at yourself as you settle in. When you are ready, let your normal breathing pattern take over and draw your attention slowly to the sounds around you that are farthest away. 

Continue now to focus on the most distant sound, and when you are ready, or after a count of 30, move your attention calmly to a layer of sound closer to you. Distinguish these layers, and feel the depth between each. Notice how the closer layer gets stronger and more dominant. Continue to move inwards with the sound layers until you are focusing on the sounds immediately around you. Let them build heavily in your awareness, overcoming you like a heavy blanket. Enjoy the heightened senses. When you are ready, or when you feel curious, begin to move outwards again back towards the distant sound, one layer at at a time. Repeat this exercise as many times as you desire, and notice how much more effective you become at identifying these layers while breathing into them. 

Visualization Technique: Visualizing your Freedive Technique

When I was 20 years old, my older brother signed me up for my first Marathon without my knowledge and told me about it 3 weeks before it was to start. He was a successful runner and figured I was in shape enough to complete the race with less than a month of training, regardless of my personal doubts. As we began the training, he realized very quickly that while I was in decent shape, it was not the physical obstacle that was going to hinder me the most; it was my mental expectation that 3 weeks was not enough time and that I was rushed and uncomfortable. So one night during a training run he led me to an empty park and told me to sit down in the grass and look around. I observed the trees, the grass, the lampposts, even the direction the sun was shining in and hitting my face. He then told me to close my eyes firmly and imagine the finish line in the middle of the park- the people cheering and applauding as I crossed, and the warm invitation of the recovery tent as I received my medal, some orange juice and a big bottle of cold water. The park was the location the marathon was to finish, and he encouraged me to focus on the place, and visualize the moment I would soon be experiencing. The marathon was incredibly difficult, but in the seconds and the minutes when I struggled the most, I brought myself to that field, sitting in front of the finish line, imagining the taste of the cold water on my chapped lips, and it seemed to help. 

Visualization is a powerful technique used by elite athletes, visionaries, and CEOs all over the world. It comes in many forms and is applied to many different fields, but its effectiveness is tried and tested. For use as a freediving technique, we can apply visualization to specific skills (i.e our duck dive, our fin kicks or our body positioning along the line). We can also use it as a form of focused relaxation combined with mindful breathing to calm the mind. I often encourage students to find a “happy place” in their beginner-level course. I myself spent much of my beginner course visualizing a very special dog - my dog Maddie - and imagining her guiding me through the difficult parts of each dive. Practice positive visualizations, and they will become easier to embrace in times when they are needed the most. 

Mantra Meditation- repeat, repeat:

Mantras have been used for thousands of years as a way to calm the mind, and create focus in the face of chaos. For the purpose of beginner-level practice, we always suggest to students to come up with a personal mantra and not to feel the need to share it with anyone. It is their word or their phrase, and nobody can take it away from them. When choosing a Mantra be sure to find a word or phrase that is significant to the intention of the practice. For example, if somebody is using mantra meditation to work on their fear of deep water while freediving, maybe a phrase “I love deep water” or “don’t fear the deep” could work well to combat the normal anxieties triggered. Use the following practice to try and gain experience in mantra mediation:

Sit quietly with a straight back and a comfortable spine. Take those grounding breaths; 5 count in, 3 count hold, 5 count out, 3 count hold. Do this 5-10 times, or more should it feel comfortable. When you are ready, close your eyes and introduce your mantra (phrase or word that is applicable) and imagine it vividly while keeping your eyes closed. Imagine the word or phrase coming towards you, or admire it covered light or exuding an aesthetic color. Continue to practice this and notice as the mantra becomes clearer and clearer in your mind. Experience the physical feelings that come with the mantra every time you breathe in and out, and learn to condition these positive feelings with the mantra itself. Smile and surrender to the visualization. 

Don’t be frustrated if some of these techniques don’t change your mental state overnight. Like anything else, freediving technique, mindful breathing and relaxation and grow from disciplined training. The good news is that these breathing and visualization techniques don’t require huge commitments of time and can be easily added to a daily routine to ensure progress. If you are lucky like us and have the opportunity to use them in real freediving practice daily, it will certainly aid in the pursuit of a healthy lifestyle. 

Interested in another secret technique that is sure to work? Check out our Triple Awareness Relaxation.

Blue Corner Freedive now offers Fluid Focus Freediving Retreats, the aim of which is to teach guests varied forms of breathing techniques, meditation practices and mindfulness exercises that are not only effective at making them better freedivers, but can also help to manage day to day stress, increase sleep, and promote a creative and motivated lifestyle.