Mindfulness means being consciously, deliberately aware of each moment as it passes. To me swimming and mindfulness go together. To swim well you need to use your whole body and to feel at one with the water. A good swimmer listens to the water, judging the water’s response to each movement. Swimming is a solitary activity; although you may be in the pool, lake, river or sea with many others, essentially you are alone when you swim. You are in your own private world, alone with your thoughts and feelings; your body is as close to weightless as it is possible for most of us to experience. (NASA astronauts train in deep water to simulate the experience of weightlessness) To swim well you need to regulate your breathing so that your breath is in time with your stroke; you can become aware of the breath entering and leaving your lungs. Swimming is a rhythmic activity, a kind of dance with the water and it can be a meditative experience. I have take many troubles to the water and without consciously searching for a solution, have found new ways of coping with problems that seemed insurmountable.