Our friend, yoga teacher and wellbeing coach Florence Gould from Bewaved tells us all about how yoga can make us better swimmers. Flo explains how we can improve flexibility and strength whilst also relieving pressure in the upper body and spine. Keep reading to find out which areas of the body are most affected by swimming and the best poses for taking care of them.

Words by Flo Gould

Yoga as a complimentary activity 

Yoga and Swimming share many similarities. I’ll explain this in greater detail throughout this blog post; however, I’d like to introduce myself first. My name is Flo, and I am a Yoga Teacher and wellness coach, @bewaved. I enjoy spending my days teaching yoga to all sorts of people, helping them in their quest for strength, flexibility and maybe some inner peace. It’s a beautiful thing, to guide others through the process of self-care; however, one thing a group class doesn’t offer, is the chance to fully customise a sequence to the needs of one individual or a specific group of people. Private lessons and workshops come in very handy here, and they are particularly beneficial for those who participate in other sporting activities, as yoga is complementary to pretty much everything. For example, many of my clients who are partial to a jog now and then (not me), also have very tight hamstrings. Those who choose to swim instead, (my kind of people), tend to store a lot more tension in the upper back and shoulders, mainly if they also spend their working days looking down at a computer screen. If this sounds a lot like you, I’m not trying to call you out, but chances are Yoga is precisely the kind of practice you need in your life. The wonderful thing about yoga is that it strikes a perfect balance between strength and flexibility, activity and rest, and ultimately it can provide you with whatever you need at any moment. It’s fully adaptable, and if you haven’t already noticed, I love it. 

In terms of Vinyasa yoga (flow yoga), developing a Sun Salutation practice in the mornings, incorporating one breath per movement, is the best way to integrate strength and mobility all at once. Once you’ve mastered these basics, maybe you can begin to incorporate a few backbends and inversions too if you’re feeling brave. Yoga is called a practice for a reason, and often certain poses will feel uncomfortable. With time and practice, however, yoga is a brilliant way of increasing overall strength and flexibility.

The Shoulder Girdle 

Swimming requires both flexibility and strength, particularly within the shoulder girdle. The shoulder girdle is a complex set of muscles, ligaments and tendons, and yoga is a straightforward and safe way of building strength in this region of the body. Swimming is, of course, a very shoulder dominant activity - hence those swimmers shoulders -  so taking the time to build integrity within this joint is paramount. An easy way to achieve this is, very simply, to spend time balancing on your hands; weight-bearing in this way, not only helps to increase bone density in the shoulder but also helps to build strength in the soft tissue and endurance too. Yoga is beneficial here as the sequences integrate multiple different planes of movement in the shoulder, such as the sagittal (back and forth), coronal (side to side) and transverse (up and down) motions. With the many different stroke patterns involved in swimming, having strength at your full range of motion is paramount to any swimmers success. Downward Facing Dog is an excellent place to start, and once comfortable weight-bearing on the hands and wrists, add a few high planks variations as detailed in the images below. 

Stability of the spine

Of course, the shoulder girdle isn’t the only pain point for regular swimmers. One aspect of sports physiology that is similar across the board is maintaining stability in the spine. This process requires immense core strength and control in the hips, and often these spaces can become tense, particularly after longer swims. This physical tension in the body relates directly to the nervous system. Often, nerves will get pinched here and there, particularly in the lower back (lumbar spine) and the neck (cervical spine), both hotspots for injuries. Staying mobile in the spinal column is very important; think of bamboo swaying in the wind, the flexibility of the material ensures that it doesn’t break or snap. When the spine is mobile and yet strong, we can move forwards and back and side to side with ease. If the spine is happy, the rest of your body tends to fall into place and most importantly, the nervous system is kept safe and comfortable. Cat-Cow pose is a lovely way of improving mobility and stimulating synovial fluid within the vertebra, before moving into gentle backbends such as Cobra Pose and core stabilisation exercises such as Static Beast. 

Breathwork

Another aspect of yoga that can help us to tap into the nervous system is through utilising breathing techniques, derived from the yogic practice of Pranayama. This practice is the fourth limb of Patanjali’s Eight Limbs of Yoga; the eight-fold yoga path referred to as Ashtanga. Prana is the ‘life force’, and Yama is ‘control’ and we can control the Prana, through harnessing the breath. Yoga breathing techniques can also be optimised for swimming, particularly if you are swimming in an icy cold lake or somewhere equally as chilly. There are many variables to contend with, such as turbulence in the water, and sighting. One thing is for sure; open water swimmers are great at multitasking! For these reasons, swimming is excellent for building the lungs’ strength and integrity, making those breaths as efficient as possible. This type of breathing is also essential in yoga, and often those who regularly practice breathing exercises (Pranayama) also experience the same strength and efficiency of the lungs as swimmers. The muscle groups involved in these deep breaths are the intercostal muscles that sit between each rib, and the diaphragm that sits directly below the lungs, creating a vacuum. If breathing is something that you tend to struggle with while swimming, integrating some straightforward pranayama techniques into your routine can help cultivate efficient and healthy lungs. The best breathing technique for beginners is 4/4 breathing; inhaling through the nose for four seconds, holding the breath for a moment, before exhaling through the nose for four seconds and holding the breath for a moment, before repeating. The key is to breathe deeply into the belly, and it helps to place a hand over your tummy for guidance. Another addition here is to gently constrict the back (this technique is called Ujjayi) of the throat as if you’re trying to fog up a mirror, which will help control the breath’s speed. 4/4 balanced breathing is a balancing practice and helps find a place between the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems. It is one of many different ways of practising Pranayama, however, and I would suggest experimenting and finding what works for you at varying points in time.

Pre-swim 

Before swimming, mainly if the water is cold, it’s essential to take the time to warm up appropriately, due to the potential risk of injury. Gently moving your arms around in a circular motion, backwards and forwards and around and around, will stimulate synovial fluid inside the joint and hyaluronic acid; a hydrophilic molecule that attracts water, ensuring the inside of the shoulder joint is hydrated and prepared for activity. You can apply this same principle to any other joint in the body; the premise is to get things moving while keeping the breath nice and steady, oxygenating the blood and calming the nervous system.  

Post-swim

Post swim, it’s essential to let the body rest and warm up first before attempting any stretches. Yin yoga is ideal for rest and recovery and best done before bed; giving you a chance to get home and dry. These Yin postures are held for anywhere between 3-5 minutes, helping to access both the connective tissue and muscles, stimulating blood flow and releasing more hyaluronic acid. Although this sounds on balance more relaxing than a power yoga class, even experienced yogis sometimes find Yin classes challenging. Keeping the body and mind still throughout the process is essential, and you’ll be surprised how difficult this is; it’s not often we practice sitting still, apart from in meditation. It’s perfectly normal to feel like you’re 90 years old when you slowly make your way out of a pose, so please do not be alarmed by that either. Once you invite movement into the body again, the joints quickly begin to open up. Ultimately, Yin yoga helps to release tension in the immediate future and improve range of motion at a joint, over time. 

Like swimming, yoga is an overwhelmingly visceral experience, and thus there’s only so much information a person can grasp from a single blog post. Imagine your swimming coach giving a lecture on how to swim, rather than getting you into the sea for a paddle and letting you feel it out. Yoga is much the same; there is only so much anatomical detail I can provide here without the reader getting overwhelmed. The best way to learn about yoga is to try it for yourself, with an expert’s help. 

To that end, I am very excited to announce the Wild Swimming Cornwall X Bewaved, ‘Yoga for Swimmers’ beginner-friendly workshop on Saturday 6th March held via Zoom. 

In the workshop, I’ll be guiding you through a class designed specifically to tackle the pain points that swimmers experience, incorporating both Yin and Vinyasa yoga and of course, breathing exercises. The workshop’s goal is to ensure you leave with practical knowledge about how to keep your body strong and mobile, happy and healthy to support you in your swimming ventures for the rest of your life. The workshop will be donation-based, all proceeds going to the Invictus Trust. The Invictus Trust raises awareness of adolescent mental health in Cornwall, providing signposting to those struggling, and lobby for better mental health services and facilities for young people in Cornwall.

It will be an absolute pleasure to help facilitate this event, and I’m so excited to see you all there. Keep an eye out for further details on the Wild Swimming Cornwall Instagram and Facebook pages. 

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