Breathing Like Sperm Whales
Like this one to describe our mind when we're out of the water for too long.
With the WaterBrain, we want to provide beautiful water people with;
Interesting and obscure facts, news, or research.
New exercises and tools related in some ways to mental health (breath holds, meditations, etc.)
Perspectives and thoughts from our crew that might help you ease more fluidly through life. Or maybe just some goofy GIFS or memes to keep it light but real.
So getting right into it, let's talk a bit about sperm whales. For those who have done a freediving course with us in Indonesia, you may have been privy to one of our instructors' passionate rants about these animals. But we decided to include it again as a reminder.
It's not only a reminder of how awesome nature is but how we (as humans) have capabilities akin to sperm whales. In fact, freedivers spend their lives training to be sperm whales.
Sperm whales are some of the deepest diving animals on the planet. In fact, according to the NOAA and other sources, they routinely dive below 1000 meters with a maximum depth of 3000+ meters.
Why the heck do they dive this deep?
To hunt giant squid! Yeah, you heard that right. Not only do they dive to insane depths, but they do so looking for a fight. Sperm whales have often been cataloged sporting suction scars on their bodies from Kraken-like tentacles or war wounds from a giant squid piercing the whale skin with its razor-sharp beak.
Needless to say, it seems as though sperm whales need to be alert and mobile at these depths to successfully take down their terrifyingly formidable prey.
Let's get even nerdier and look at what is happening physiologically. Have you ever done a scuba dive to 40m? Or even a freedive to 15m? If so, you might remember feeling the compression on your body. Your lungs feel tighter, your body feels squeezed together.
Imagine this feeling between 1000 and 3000 meters.
The pressure is so immense that the main organs of these incredible whales are actually at risk of damage if they are overworked. To mitigate this risk, the Mammalian Dive Reflex (MDR) of deep diving whales triggers bradycardia, or the slowing of the heart rate, to as little as 1-2 bpm at these depths.¹
A heart that size, beating at 1-2 beats per minute, is unfathomable (pun intended).
Now it’s easy to play this down and just say, “whales are whales''- crazy alien-like water species that do things humans could never dream of.
But you would be wrong. Whales are mammals that have adapted and evolved over 1000s of years to be physiologically more adept to their environment. According to evolutionists, they are doing this by actually rediscovering and building on a reflex all mammals have. A vestigial reflex. And humans have it too.
Freedivers diving below 100m have demonstrated heart rates as low as 11 bpm.² Believe it or not, we are entering into the realm of rediscovering our inner marine mammal. And it begs the question, “Do we belong in the water?”
We will leave you with that question to ponder, as well as a…
Daily exercise
We are avid believers in integration through stillness. It’s sort of why we like being underwater. It gives us space to formulate our thoughts and attain clarity.
The depth, compression, and silence provide a portal to mental clarity.
But we can’t be in the water every day, so it’s important to weed the mental garden on land as well.
Here’s an exercise to do today, right now, on the toilet, in the shower, or on your way to work. It’s simple, grounding, and themed for water people like yourself.
We call it fluid breath.
Take a moment to find a full and connected breath into your belly. If you need help with this, place a hand over the top of your belly button and breathe into your stomach, feeling it expand as the air goes in. Take a few deep breaths feeling the space form in your lower stomach and abdomen.
Continue breathing into your belly, counting every inhale and exhale, and visualizing the numbers. Close your eyes, and count to 20.
Once you’ve hit 20, smile at yourself gently, drop your shoulders, and slowly move your head from side to side, releasing any tension in the neck and face.
Imagine what it feels like to be in the water. The softness of the water on your skin, or the gentle bob of floating on the surface. Take yourself back to a time when you felt at peace in the water. Maybe it’s a relaxing bath or a comforting jacuzzi session. Deeply feel the sensations that arise when you relive this experience.
Sit in that experience for as long as you wish, letting your body move as it wants to move, sinking deeper into the weightlessness of your thoughts.
If you liked this meditation and want future meditations delivered in audio format as well, let us know, and we will find a voice that isn’t too annoying to use.
Fluid Focus is a community of water explorers who use the ocean as a means of connecting back with themselves. Whether you are a freediver, surfer, or part-time ocean lover, we share a passion for the ocean. Fluid Focus Retreats are all immersive ocean therapy retreats that incorporate freediving, yoga, meditation, and mindset practices to help people connect with the ocean, connect with themselves, and connect with others.
References:
1. Goldbogen G.A et al. Extreme bradycardia and tachycardia in the world’s largest animal.Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 2019; 116: 25329-25332Goldbogen J.A,et al.