There is a lot of Physics in it; a lot of fear; a fight for survival. There is depth and there is height.
Among all these, the most imperative yet the most ignored element in the depth of the oceans is the breath.
In an era of 'yogis' - one calling oneself or being called by others as one - I haven't left myself far behind in the race to the most challenging asana or to the most intricate breathing pattern.
Yet, when I was underwater the first thing I forgot is to breathe, the most sophisticated buoyancy device and the oxygen tank notwithstanding. All the sessions on land with the coach, about breathing in for 4 and out for 10 counts, got wiped out in a single wave, when I found myself a few metres down. All this despite knowing the art and science of free-style swimming.
Each dive into the water would start with a fight - the opponent being the mighty ocean! Needless to say, the ocean always won and by the time I gathered myself I would have consumed more than my share of Oxygen from the tank. The dives that could have been for 50 minutes were cut down to 40 or even 30. I wrestled with the ocean reaching a tally of 9 dives and a certification to go with that, but my fight with the water continued. I was trying to get all the techniques right, but the ocean just kept gobbling it all up.
It is in my next 12 dives that the transformation happened.
"My dear Chetan, in your struggle with water you are missing the beauty of the ocean. I want you to forget about techniques and enjoy the beauty of the garden under water", my coach said.
I had to try this out... The next dive, after the plunge I looked down at the bed that was faintly visible below and the magic started happening. The corals, the colourful fish that were always there started becoming apparent to me. For the first time, I had a 'walk' in the garden. From that dive on, it was indeed a a visit to a different garden with different lives in blossom each time. The fairy's tail doesn't end here, though.
My comfort in going beyond comfort started only at this point. I was exposed to dive sites that were more challenging with the intensity of currents. I became comfortable with the stillness at one site and the hustle at the other. The life under the sea seemed to be teaching me a lesson or two. The fish were moving in the same tranquility whether the sea was quiet or there was the hustle of currents. As I saw them, the quiet energy within them, despite the agitation in the medium out, seemed to connect with me.
Speaking about connections and energies, I cannot forget something profound my coach(there are two of them) said. We all start our lives in a medium of water when in the womb. We are so much at peace there. Yet when we get into water after resuming life on land, our first instinct is of survival. Of course, survival is important. But it is only after you go beyond this instinct of survival is when you connect with your roots. It is then you find peace within and without.
It is then that you are comfortable exploring more zones of discomfort - which is what life throws at you every now and then.
At the time of writing, I have reached 21 dives and it is, but, a drop in the ocean. There are many more zones of comfort to move out of, many more learnings as I resume the journey through this Element.
