Yoga and Swimming: A Perfect Partnership

Yoga and swimming are a perfect natural fit. Learn more about the mutual benefits of mixing these two favourite SwimTrekker activities.

In this blog, we’re going to take a quick look at those little details that make swimming and yoga a perfect match. And we'll start with our favourite - the fact they both go perfectly with time outdoors. A natural environment unlocks the potential of exactly what these activities should be do for your mind and body. The outdoors ease you into a mindful willingness to open yourself up to your surroundings.

When you're locked into either swimming or yoga your mind relaxes and surface thoughts start to scatter. You're left with simple rhythms and the repeated extension and relaxation of muscles, loosening your body and helping to relieve physical tension. In both yoga and swimming you learn to be more aware of your prana (which is the force of life within each breath you take). You also engage in pratyahara exercises, which incorporate a withdrawal of the senses and a deflection of exterior distractions, leading to deeper concentration.

'Surface thoughts start to scatter. You're left with simple rhythms and the repeated extension and relaxation of skeletal muscles, loosening your body and helping to relieve physical tension...'

We could go on, so let's get into it and list a few of those mutual benefits on offer:

Swimming and Yoga: Mutual Physical and Mental Benefits

• Muscle toning, improvement of flexibility and muscular strength
• Increased ability to effectively use oxygen
• Increased lung capacity
• Improves circulation : helps to lower blood sugar and pressure
• Alleviates physical strains and stress: headaches, interrupted sleeping, low focus levels
• Boost the immune system

Swimming: Additional Physical and Mental Benefits

• Improves the libido
• Lessens stress and anxiety and improves creative faculties
• Great prescribed exercise for back pain and prenatal health
• Increased cardiovascular health and endurance
• Helps to regulate levels of cholesterol
• Helps to reduce insomnia

There is evidence that swimming has a stronger effect on breathing capacity, improving the elasticity of your lungs. The activity focuses more on your thoracic and abdominal muscles and also helps to improve posture. In swimming, you spend most of your time horizontal, as opposed to the more common vertical ambulation of other sports. What this does is it centralises your training on a group of muscles and tendons known as the erector spinae. Focused exercise on these particular muscles leads in turn to better lung capacity.

Yoga: Additional Physical and Mental Benefits

• Increases bodily awareness, focus and provides mental clarity
• Improves stamina and balance
• Improves posture and activates spinal discs
• Drains lymph nodes to benefit lymphatic system

Both activities can be used to work almost every muscle in your body - they're relatively low impact on joints and also burn a good amount of calories. What's more, they serve up a stress-reducing burst of endorphins, helping to combat stress hormones.

If you're looking to explore the mutual benefits of these two pursuits further, why not check out our new yoga and swimming holidays coming up in 2021?

If you're looking to tread familiar ground, we also have our incredible original YogaSwim trips to Crete and Lithuania!

Our fresh selection of yoga and swimming holidays are specially laid out to expand and combine your interests in yoga and swimming outdoors.