Conquer your fear of the water

For those with a fear of the water, it is not irrational or something to be minimized, it is very real.

No matter how long you have lived with your fear of water, or to what degree your fear is, you can learn to overcome your fear and interact with the water in a positive way.

The Mind, Body Awareness Programme is the first of its kind, and is the simplest. It will guide you through a foundation of steps, which will help you to focus in a positive way, and you'll feel terrific.

Whatever brings you here, we have the solution to enhancing your enjoyment of the water.

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." Mark Twain

The Fear is Real

Whether your fear is rooted in childhood trauma or just a general apprehension about being in the water, the fear is very real. Many people live with their fear and either stay out of the water all together or swim and enter the water with some level of the fear present in them.

The fear unfortunately guides their movements and inhibits their ability to work in, and with the water.

The Mind, Body Awareness Programme is desinged to help you cultivate a relationship with the water, that is conducive to physical well-being as well as emotional relaxation.

Some common characteristics of fear of the water are:

• Panic at the thought of being in water.
• Tensing muscles and a feeling of insecurity.
• Loosing balance when in the water.
• Panic swimming focused only on getting to the
  other side of the pool.
• Holding your breath while swimming.
• Swimming with your head out of water.
• Becoming anxious if another swimmer is close by.

Relax not Tense

People who are nervous or anxious about the water tend to hold themselves in awkward positions that actually inhibit their ability to swim.

In a typical fearful approach, people often keep their body rigid and tense in an attempt to keep as much of the head and body above the water as they can. This reaction tends to restrict breathing and makes it actually more difficult to remain buoyant.

"Push Yourself to the Limits and Experience Wonders You Never Imagined."

The Mind, Body Awarenes Programme Can Help

Adults & children who have not had the opportunity to learn to enjoy the water, to relax in the water, or who have been traumatized by a bad experience in the water, find it difficult if not impossible to trust themselves in water.

With support, guidance, patience, and a real desire to learn, The Mind, Body Awareness Programme can teach you to overcome your fear and truly enjoy the water.

"Be not afraid of growing slowly, be afraid only of standing still." Chinese Proverb

Slowly but Surely

How do I overcome my fear of the water? The answer is simple ... SLOWLY.

Many traditional approaches to swimming are focused on getting across the pool where the water is a challenge or an obstacle that you are to overcome. The water is never presented as something you want to work with or understand. As a consequence, people have learned to view their relationship with the water as an adversarial one.

Those who were introduced to swimming from this standpoint were never taught the fundamentals of breathing, balance, and water confidence skills. Many feel that older traditional methods of swimming were based upon the premise that if you knew the strokes and could safely get to the other side, learning to relax would be an eventual consequence.

"Many People Have Gone Further Than They Could Because Somebody Else Thought They Could."

A Different Approach

The Mind, Body Awareness Programme works from the completely reverse philosophy, with the beginning focused on the small steps of learning and experiencing breathing, buoyancy, floating and gliding.

The teacher is in the water with you guiding the process of learning to relax. Only when a level of confidence in the water is established do students begin to work on stroke(s) and technique.

The Process

Initially, when you're working through your fear, lessons will be about feeling at home in the water, and gaining confidence. With support from your teacher you will feel what it's like to move safely through the water.

On subsequent lessons, you will be taught how to connect and be calm with your breathing above and under the water. You will learn how to gently drift into a floating position and learn how to calmly move from a horizontal float to a standing position.

How are lessons structured?

Most importantly, your teacher remains in the water with you and offers support where it is needed. Whether it is an individual or a group lesson, all clients are fully involved in the learning process and will understand the purpose of the practices they are asked to undertake.

Clients in a group lesson will be encouraged to move forward at their own pace. Lessons are informative and fun.

“Tell me and I'll forget; show me and I may remember; involve me and I'll understand.” Chinese Proverb

Moving slow in a fast world

"Working through your fear takes time and commitment. Understanding your feelings of anxiety or fear of the water is a process By seeing your lessons as a journey, it will enable you to take small steps towards making friends with the water, and learning to truly enjoy it." Stephanie Dutton

Surrounded by the right sounds, we all can be invigorated, energized, and balanced. Dr. John Diamond