Beginner Archives - Orca Swim School

Expert Swimmer Myths

Cori Myka — Wed, 26 Feb 2020 15:34:41 +0000

Saturday morning when teaching one of my favorite classes (Stroke 102), Elaine told me something that stood out for her from our new online snorkeling course.

“I didn’t know that lifeguards always take flotation equipment with them into the water.”

Did you know this? It is true.

She thought an expert swimmer like a lifeguard didn’t need flotation equipment. For years she felt there was something wrong with her if she used a life jacket. She did not view it as a decision of strength that ensured her safety.

The Foundations of Change 3 x 5 Process is what we use to breakdown our old ways of thinking that limit your experiences in life.

Today’s episode is full of things you may not have known about expert swimmers. It can help you learn about negative thoughts that can hold you back versus facts that are neutral and do not limit you.

Would you like to expand your life experiences? Keep opening to new understanding and simple steps to action in the online Snorkeling 101 Course. It is everything you need to know to be ready for participating in life and enjoying your vacation.

Watch the Episode Below:

Healing Fear in Warm Water

If you’re like many adults, you’ve been frustrated or embarrassed that you weren’t free to swim “like everybody else.” Half of adults can’t swim, like you! We meet them all the time. They’ve tried every system, including the traditional programs, with no success.

Since 1999, we’ve helped hundreds of adults overcome their fear and discomfort in water with our proven system built on the Foundations of Change. Our Foundations of Change program uses the nuts and bolts of mindfulness to address the root of the problem and will transform the way you feel and think about water for the rest of your life.

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Episode 17: Maria’s Swim Journey

Cori Myka — Wed, 29 Jan 2020 16:46:14 +0000

What would you think and feel if someone said, “You are an ultra beginner?”

For Maria, it was a relief to be called this. It meant she didn’t have to show up to class acting like she knew something. That title gave her the badge of courage to say: please tell me every tiny bit of information because I do not know anything about it.

She also learned that Orca was actually listening. We were not going to ask her to be anything except exactly who she was: an ultra beginner.

An ultra beginner is a great place to be and to start! One could call it a clean slate. It is completely neutral to be an ultra beginner. Well, it is neutral at least until we have thoughts about it.

Perhaps you had one of these thoughts:

I should know more
It is embarrassing to be my age and not know
It is too hard to learn as an adult especially if you have no experience at all
This is a huge hill to climb.
At least I can swim enough to ‘save myself’*

*FYI when someone says this, it is a red flag that they are not safe IN the water. The underlying thought here is that you must know how to get out of the pool. With this mindset, you will never be safe in the water.

Notice these thoughts are all optional. You could also have thoughts like:

I am so glad to be an ultra beginner; I have a new and wonderful thing to discover in my adulthood.
It will be so neat to learn something that kids learn; perhaps I will get to feel like a kid again!
Great, everyone knows I am an ultra beginner, so I won’t have to act like I have some skills.

Different thoughts create different feelings. Then those feelings influence the actions we take. That is why it is especially important to be aware of our thoughts.

If the feeling you experience is helpful and moves you toward your goal, that is great! You’ve experienced a thought-feel-action-result cycle.

If the feeling you get is not helpful, this is a good time to really open up to your thoughts. Simply noticing what you’re thinking can start you on a path to change or soften that unhelpful feeling.

Maria used her thought work to help her show up at the initial class. Later she managed her thoughts again as she taught herself to tread water (she started in the shallow water).

Listen to our conversation to hear about how she first went by herself to the pool. She went from being one of our most fearful students to looking forward to the deep water. All of this was possible in just one year.

Standing ovation Maria!

Watch Episode 17 Below:

Healing Fear in Warm Water

Since 1999, we’ve helped hundreds of adults overcome their fear and discomfort in water with our proven system built on the 5 Circles Teaching Method. The Miracle Swimming system uses the nuts and bolts of mindfulness to address the root of the problem and will transform the way you feel and think about water for the rest of your life.

The post Episode 17: Maria’s Swim Journey appeared first on Orca Swim School.

Episode 14: 10 Tips for Basic Swimming Skills

Joseph Scicchitano — Wed, 01 Jan 2020 06:57:11 +0000

Happy New Year! It’s time to start outright. We have got you covered in the pool.

This is your year to master swimming.

Here are 10 tips of what it takes to really understand how the water works and to be a swimmer:

Presence of mind: If you swim but don’t feel calm, then you won’t call yourself a swimmer
Feeling: From arms and legs to the internal rhythm of calm, cool and collected
Fun/curiosity: If it’s not fun don’t do it. Life is too short. Find a fun way for you.
Face: Being able to take care of eyes, nose, mouth, ears, and the emotional experience of being without air
Being underwater: How does the water hold you in the 3 main positions and everything in between?
Movement: Not just forward but upside down, backward, and turning. If you just focus on one movement you will not have the full experience of how the waterworks.
Changing positions: This means going from front to back, back to front and vertical. Make them all your friends with only a change in head position.
Breathing: How many different ways can you EASILY get air? Here’s an insider tip: side breathing is the last way.
Being off-center: Do you know how to be worry free falling over or upside down? This is owning the space to be in any crazy position and then easily find your way back.
Love the deep: Here’s the top one. If you do not love the deep than you do not understand how the waterworks…yet. Loving the deep comes before learning front crawl or treading water.

Check out today’s Episode, 10 Tips for Basic Swimming Skills to dive into these a bit more.

Only after you have mastered these 10 steps are you looking to add things like

Crawl stroke
Side breathing
Breathing patterns that are outside of what feels right (breathing every 3 strokes or some other pattern)
Fitness training

Swimming is about understanding the water and yourself. Getting your thoughts and feelings in order so your actions produce the results you want. The result of fun, freedom with you being the master of your safety.

This is your year!

Watch Episode 14 Below:

Healing Fear in Warm Water

The post Episode 14: 10 Tips for Basic Swimming Skills appeared first on Orca Swim School.