Jallcock

Its a combination of the two. We actually do mindful meditation for 30-40 minutes before entering the water. There is a program which starts with concentration techniques, mindfulness breathing, and also visualization. We teach students to recognize and let go of fear, self-doubt and other thought patterns which are not helpful. We then use the breath in the same way in the water--so for example when starting a swim at night, you release the inevitable feelings of fear by focusing on the breath. We believe the combination of mindfulness meditation on land, and then using mindfulness practices in the water is synergistic.

Here are some thoughts. At Sea Change we start with the basics--getting students to get into a comfortable posture, and then guided meditation paying attention to the breath. We start with a very short session--10 minutes of instruction as to why it is worthwhile, and then 5-10 minutes of guided meditation (instructing students to notice various distractions but to return their attention to the breath). Then we discuss very briefly what happened to the students' attention during the session, emphasizing that there is no failure, and that every time you notice your attention has wandered and you bring it back it is a success (no matter how often it wanders). We have a program that is progressive and varies but this is where we start.

Thanks for the note. Sea Change is a small "microschool"--on the order of 25 students with a 4 or 5 to one student teacher ratio. Its three pillars are a top quality, individualized academic program delivered by high quality instructors in a collaborative environment, ocean swimming for all the students, and a mindfulness program for social and emotional learning. So the school does not revolve around swimming, but swimming is one component of it, which is synergistic with the other two components. The ocean is not a metaphor, but the challenge of open ocean swimming allows students to succeed in ways which some could not in more traditional schools. For example, our students have been recognized by President Obama for swimming the English channel. Swimming is the only sport at the school, but there are other physical fitness activities offered around the sport.

My wife swam at Ohio State, and has for years (before I met her) run a school which focused on high quality academics and open ocean swimming. I introduced her to mindfulness and things progressed from there.

Not a big fan--but you do have to keep hydrated even in the water!