Yoga x Diving: Benefits of Yoga for Divers
On the surface, it might seem like yoga and diving may not have a lot in common. However, looking a bit deeper I’ve discovered that integrating a consistent yoga practice with scuba diving can drive incredible improvements to both performance and well-being. Both tap into our autonomic nervous system and can be harnessed to regulate our response to stress. This parasympathetic response enables a relaxed and calm mind/body connection which helps us perform under pressure (both literally and figuratively).
Asanas, Meditation and Pranayama are key ways you can harness yoga to cultivate flexibilty, strength, and your parasympathic reponse. This article will provide some practical ways to uplevel our diving through yoga. I plan on diving deeper into this topic in future posts as well - stay tuned!
Note: The yoga techniques described here are meant to be performed on land in a safe environment…not while diving.
Movement with Asanas
What are Asanas? Asanas = postures
How do Asanas benefit diving?
Flexibility. There are many asanas that directly correlate to movements needed for efficiently moving through the water when diving. Movements to focus on include:
Hip openers (pigeon pose) help with propulsion/finning techniques, especially frog kicking and back fining.
Back bends (bow pose) help establish the back flexibility needed to hold trim position in any variation of setup from single tank to doubles and sidemount.
Twists and binds (eagle pose) help target areas of the body that don’t usually get stretched out. By using twists and binds will help increase mobility when moving through the water and especially when performing various tasks related to dive training.
Strength. Physical strength in diving is important for several reasons including holding trim position, stabilization, and the ability to manage gear and tanks. Focus on:
Plank and side plank which will help strengthen core muscles.
Balance poses (warrior 3 or half moon) which will increase stabilizer strength.
Sun Salutations provide a way to leverage body weight training while flowing through various asanas. These are particularly useful to build up physical stamina.
Restorative. More recently I’ve discovered the benefits of restorative yoga for diving. After a long day of training and diving, using these techniques help to me achieve a faster more effective recovery. A restorative practice involves longer slower flows and being one position longer. Using props such as blocks, blankets and bolsters help to get into deeper positions more comfortably. It helps to lower heart rates, regulate the nervous system, and reenergize the body to prepare for more diving!
Practice Meditation
What is meditation? Mediation = technique to calm the fluctuations of the mind
How does meditation benefit diving?
Strengthens the Parasympathetic Nervous system. A regular meditation practice helps divers cultivate a stronger parasympathetic nervous system response which drives greater relaxation benefits. Meditation strengthens our mind/body connection which dampens down the acute stress of the fight or flight response. In turn this creates a safer and more enjoyable diving experience.
Eustress = cultivating positive stress. Through meditation, we create positive stress which also helps to strengthen the parasympathetic nervous system. This is beneficial since it enables divers to respond calmly and effectively to any challenge that might arise.
Dhristi = focus. Using meditation as a tool to enhance dhristi is beneficial for being in the present moment. When in diving, whether in training or fun diving, this is especially beneficial to help increase situation awareness and task loading.
Harness Pranayama
What is Pranayama? Prana = the life force that runs through each of us. Yama = control. Pranayama is the practice of channeling breath (life force) to regulate our nervous system.
Breathwork: There are various techniques to harness prana. These techniques are vaulable tools to navigate any challenges that come up during day-to-day life. Here are some of the techniques I find to be the most beneficial. There are many variations of these depending on what makes sense for you. The best part of breathwork is that it can be done anywhere and doesn’t cost anything! Some suggested breathing techniques to learn more about are:
Box breathing.
Ujjayi breath or ocean breathing.
Nadi shodhana breathing or Alternate Nostril breathing.
*Note: These techniques are for surface/land practice only! Only do these in a safe place. Remember to breath normal continuous breaths underwater and to never hold your breath during diving.
How does Pranayama benefit diving?
Calm and focus
It activates the parasympathetic nervous system (relaxed and calm state). When diving it is important to be in the right frame of mind. Being able to establish calmness and focus prior to going on a dive will help a diver prepare for any situation that might arise. Having a strong and controlled mindset is critical to any diver.
Air Consumption Improvement
Anyone who has been diving for awhile knows that having good air consumption while underwater is key to being a proficient diver. The most tangible benefit of breathwork for diving is the ability to improve air consumption/SAC (Surface Air Consumption) rates. Having a consistent pranayama practice will strengthen your physiological breathing responses which will improve SAC rates. I will dive into this concept more in future articles.
Being a passionate advocate for incorporating a yoga practice with diving, I plan on exploring each of these topics in more depth in the future. I hope this was a helpful guide to get started. Let me know what your thoughts are!
