Diving gives you a real world, tangible experience of the breath as an animating force. Under the water the breath alone can control your position in space. As you inhale and become more buoyant you rise up through the water. As you exhale and reduce your buoyancy you sink down. The breath becomes a powerful force to move your body through the watery space around you.
On land, on your yoga mat, these effects are more subtle but they still exist. When we inhale we create a very, very subtle effect of lightness and buoyancy. This is why the inhale breath is paired with movements where we rise up or extend our limbs and spine. As we exhale we lose buoyancy and become heavier. We therefore work these effects in movements that fold us down or bring us closer to the ground. When we can experience the very obvious effects of the breath as a physical animator in the water, they become so much more tangible, real and easy to notice and use when we are on the land. Diving trains us to let the breath pulse through our body and support our flow of movement.
One of the wonderful things about visiting Gili Air is how you can play with the buoyancy of air above and below the sea. You learn to ride the breath inside an ocean matrix so that in your practice on land you can float and surrender to the ebb and flow of air moving through your lungs. In and out, up and down, gentle pulsing tides.
With amazing dive sites for experienced and beginner divers alike, Gili Air is a wonderful place to play and explore the breath and the sea.