Does Yoga Actually Help Freediving?
The answer may suprise you. Stick with me here.
In the West, most have come to understand Yoga as a series of postures that require a high level of flexibility, and in some cases strength as well.
This is like having a Ferrari and only being aware of and using it for the cupholders.
“Citta vritti nirodha,” or “the cessation of the mindstuff is Yoga.” Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, 1.II
Yoga is the practice and art of bringing alignment to your being and stillness to your mind.
The deepest beneft of Yoga is only available if you know what Yoga actually is, and that it is availabe in ANY MOMENT. not just on your mat or in the presence of a well-trained, practiced and knowledgable teacher.
Yoga happens inside you.
If we have a flexible, fit body, but are riddled with emotional imbalance, and still running from our fears, and we are unable to manage our mind and emotions, then we are not practicing Yoga correctly. We are fit and flexible. Thats it.
The aim is stillness within, and harmony amongst the various systems of the body: Nervous, Digestive, Muscular, Respiratory, and Skeletal.
It has very little to do with your flexiblity.
In fact, the only reason asana (postures) were even a part of it was to rid the body of pain, stiffness, gas, and bloating so that higher practices of meditation and pranayama (breathwork) were not hindered by the body’s aches and pains.
If you’re dives are limited because your body is tight and you have pain, then yes. CERTAIN TYPES of Yoga and specific therapeutic practices will absolutely restore vitality, mobility, and resilience to the body, making it easier to move and breathe. This takes effort and discipline (tapas) to overcome.
If the issue is not a limitation of the body, then we need the Yogic techniques and understanding that produce inner stillness.
Those are:
Pranyama (Life Force(breath) control. The most effective way to settle the mind and emotions)
Svadhyaya (self-study, reading to gain higher perspective and understanding of the Bigger Picture. Larger perspective means seeing little shit for what it is: little shit. Scrape it off your shoe and walk on.)
Pratyahara (sense withdrawal. Turn your senses and attention inward to perceive your internal condition, not the external)
Now let’s ask again, does yoga actually help freediving? Yes, but now we understand Yoga as a means to produce stillness internally. That state of stillness is Yoga.
Your ability to, for example, touch your toes is not Yoga. The letting go along the way is. The presence along the way is. The alignment and recentering physically, emotionally, and mentally, is yoga. Those skills, you can take into the water, during your breathe-up, during the evolving stages of your descent and ascent.
When not bothered by obsessive mindstuff, you are more able to do the following:
conserve oxygen
produce less carbon dioxide
enjoy your dives more
dive from a place of calm presence rather than anxious, comparison-driven striving
you will equalize better because you are more aware of the reality of this present moment, feeling how the soft pallet, tongue, trachea, jaw, facial muscles, cervical spine, thorax, back, belly, groin, legs, etc. feeling everything and responding with softness and grace.
So sure, go to class. Learn some techniques but what is more helpful is developing the capactiy to use those skills in life, in what you actually do with your energy. My teacher said that at some point, you need to let go of even your practice as this can be its own form of bondage eventually.
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Do your dives suffer more from your body or your mind?
Have you ever considered working with a professional to develop specific strategies to handle stress?
I am currently taking clients and students who want to learn how to overcome the inner barriers to deep tranquility and access the serenity that is available to us through freediving. Reach out through the [Contact page] if interested.
