Skin like water

When I’m swimming, especially in the lake or pond, I sometimes imagine that my body is a part of the lake’s ecosystem. And my body, skin, and everything else starts to dissolve and becomes another living organisms in the lake, just floating. It gives me a tremendous release to imagine this way. All the weight that my “body” was carrying is gone including ego, sometimes. I’m literally spread thin but go far in the water, stretching, interacting, dissolving and connecting with other living organisms. My skin no longer exists to hold any of my “inside.” My skin becomes water.

“Skin like water”

My yoga teacher has been saying this many times in the class. I’m curious. I know what she means, but where did she get this phrase?

Move body with a flow, like water, on the skin level instead of muscle, and not forcing or trying too hard. Surrender is important in yoga. When you surrender, all of the sudden, hard moves become easier. Letting go and surrender.

When I am swimming, I think I do both; working hard and surrender. I’m not a really strong swimmer, like my friend Henri who is a natural fish in the water. I work too hard at first, and I think I do that in almost everything else in my life. In the water, working too hard exhausts you and you won’t last too long. I try to relax my muscle as much as possible and try to let go of my habit of working too hard. My body becomes lighter as soon as I do that, and I can breathe easier. And I can swim longer.

The same goes for just about anything, I think. Not just for swimming, yoga or art, but for all aspects of life. But surrender is sometimes extremely difficult.

You don’t tell your brain to make a command to “surrender.” It’s not the same, and it doesn't work.

Water helps me to get a bit closer to the place of surrender.

Skin like water.