“Alright class, next week we’re meeting in the pool.  Please bring your swimsuits, bathrobes, and thinking caps!”

Imagine if your English teacher told you that in school.  How would you react?

No longer just for fitness! photo credit: ci.poway.ca.us

Personally, I think I would have been thrilled.  I love water and I am a good swimmer, so it’d be fun to have class in a pool.  However, I think I would wonder why the teacher would choose such a location and activity for us to engage in.  After all, shouldn’t we be analyzing sonnets and writing essays?  But hey, there’s a certain bit of wisdom in this decision – I was inspired by a line I heard from Larry in Numb3rs:

“You know, since water is so conducive to thinking, it’s a wonder we don’t have classes in swimming pools.”

He likes to sit around in tubs pondering the universe until he gets eureka moments (and apparently this strategy works quite well for him).  I’m sure we’ve all heard the story of Archimedes and his eureka moment that is often used as an example of how stepping away from a problem after thinking about it help you come up with a solution.  So, why shouldn’t we lounge around in tubs or showers when we’re musing over things?  Why not go for a swim?  There’s something therapeutic about not having to support your weight as much and being caressed by the silky water around you, or being massaged by the drops beating down on you.

My very own set. Works beautifully.

I think there’s something about water that relaxes us.  It makes us feel cleaner and fresher.  It “washes” away our worries and pains.  Perhaps it’s just good to get out of the elements we’re normally standing on and be in a different environment.  Whatever the case, I’m sure everyone knows a few people who sing in the shower and take baths to relax.  It may also be that we tend to be bare when we’re washing ourselves, and being exposed, we let our thoughts out more easily.  Inhibitions are relinquished and guards let down as the warmth of the water envelopes you.  It could just be the case that you are alone and there’s room to disregard everything around you without offending someone.  Whatever the case, there’s something magical about a hot shower or a warm bath.

I think a session in the pool could be great for brainstorming.  Just think of something you need to work on and then paddle around, splash a bit, even blow some bubbles!  Letting go of yourself can help, then playing with mindfulness could create even more connections.  Then, as your ideas come, jot them down on Aquanotes and continue to let your mind wander.  Aquanotes truly are a great invention!  They allow you to write down whatever you want in the shower or even underwater.  That way you don’t have to worry about pens and pencils that won’t write on soggy paper.  Their special pencil and paper is waterproof, so all you have to worry about is not using them up too quickly!  Brilliant, isn’t it?

So next time you’re straining your brain, take a break, take a bath.