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    The Healing Power of Water

    Several years ago, I used to work in a high pressure sales job in corporate America.  After a long day of one appointment after the other, and an endless commute stuck in traffic during 100 degree temps, I would finally arrive home with a puddle of sweat saturating my bra, completely exhausted.

    I could hardly move as I plopped down on the couch.  Inevitably, my four-year-old daughter would skip over to me with excitement in her eyes and declare that she wanted to go to the pool!

    I never enjoyed being a Debbie downer.  So, feeling totally spent, I would drag my butt around the house gathering up all our necessary supplies and grudgingly make the short drive to our local pool.

    With the sun blazing on our backs, we would lube up from head to toe with stark white sun block, the bottom of our soles searing on the pavement, as we did the hot-foot dance to the water’s edge.

    And then it would happen…As soon as my big toe touched the cool water, all my cares and agitation would melt away.   The sensation of sinking into this liquid paradise would immediately calm my spirits, so noticeably that my little girl would say “Wow, you really needed that!”.

    What is it about water that can so easily change a raging lunatic into a serene Buddha?  Whether you dive into a pool,  play in the ocean waves, drench yourself under a waterfall or soak in a bathtub, the tranquil effects of submerging yourself in water are instantly apparent.

    While teaching a yoga retreat in Montezuma, Costa Rica last week, I had the honor of receiving an extremely spiritual Watsu water therapy by the deeply talented, Ana Laura Quesada. She is the only person possibly in the world that performs this therapy in the ocean tide pools.

    My ears were underwater and all I could hear was the rhythmic connection of my breath with the sound of the ocean waves.  As she lifted me up from the water and cradled me in her arms, I literally felt  like I was being reborn.

    Maybe that is why water has such a powerful effect on our state-of-being.  It takes us back to the womb, cleanses our spirit of all the tension and junk that blocks our life-force and allows us to start fresh with a new beginning.

    The next time you find yourself a little cranky, stressed out or feeling down, try a refreshing dip in the lake, invigorating swim in the ocean, or just a relaxing soak in the tub.  And notice the powerful effect connecting with water has on your mood and spirit!