YOswim

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Water does not resist. Water flows. When you plunge your hand into it, all you feel is a caress. Water is not a solid wall, it will not stop you. But water always goes where it wants to go, and nothing in the end can stand against it. Water is patient. Dripping water wears away a stone. Remember that, my child. Remember you are half water. If you can’t go through an obstacle, go around it. Water does. ~Margaret Atwood

(Book: The Penelopiad https://amzn.to/4egebLT [ad])

Thank you to each and every single one of you that took the time to wish me, or sing me, a happy birthday yesterday...on here, on the phone, by video, text, voice note! I had a lovely time going through the Crinan canal, with four seasons in one day 🤣

🌬️⛅💦🌧️☀️😎🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿♥️

Up early today and had a wee half hr to myself to breathe and stretch before we leave the canal and set off on a 5hr sail up to Oban. Wind is high and it's going to be an adventure 😄

Here's newly 49yr old me in tree pose, onboard, surrounded by the rippling water in the canal basin, feeling the sway beneath me as I found some equilibrium. Having to concentrate and focus on balance, while embracing nature and defying gravity.

Keeping your balance on a boat, and in life, can be challenging at times, but I'm so grateful for being able to do what I love and call it work and having all of you in my life.

Great couple of days away! 🥰

Big love beautiful people, you are all a part of me 💛

Sad news that one of my sporting heroes, David Wilkie, has passed away. As a competitive swimmer whose best stroke was breaststroke, he was an inspiration, with his 200m Breaststroke Gold medal win and World Record of 2:15.11 in Montreal in 1976...which is still the best individual swim by a British swimmer in history.

One of Scotland's finest 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿♥️

Rest easy, legend 💛

David Wilkie: Olympic champion swimmer dies aged 70 British Olympic swimming champion David Wilkie dies at the age of 70.

How it finished!

Friday was ~ early morning loch client, a few hours of baby and toddler sessions at the pool, then back to loch for 2 more clients.

I love my job all year round, but on days like today...ye cannae whack it! 🌊🧜🏼‍♀️💛

Good morning! 🌞

Just sitting by the water post meditation and movement waiting for my first client❤️

Are you still looking to start your open water journey?

With the water temperature creeping up sessions are filling up fast! Now is a great time to start swimming outside to help build confidence, knowledge and skills over the summer months.

🌊 One to one sessions
🌊Small group sessions
🌊Fully guided (no technique work) or fully coached (technique based) sessions
🌊 Open to all levels
🌊 Develop open water safety knowledge while having fun

DM me for prices and a chat to help tailor your sessions just for you or your group.

💧New to it all and nervous? I am a fully qualified aquaphobia and open water swimming coach as well as a swimming teacher and yoga guide and incorporate all my skills and knowledge to work with you to build confidence.

💧Want to transition from pool to open water? I can help guide you and keep you safe.

💧Want to transition from breaststroke to front crawl? I can help you get there with stroke technique sessions.

💧Entered your first swimming event? I can give you race pointers and help you train.

💧Out of breath and want to get faster in the water? Let me help you become a more efficient, faster swimmer.

💧Training for a 10k? I can plan your training sessions for pool and open water.

💧Suffering from poor mental health and want to experience the benefits of cold water safely? I can facilitate that for you.

💧Want to practice waterside yoga and go for dip/swim? I can lead you through some movement and take you in to the water for one of the most beautiful combinations for a relaxing, exhilarating, soulful experience, reconnecting to your mind, body, breath and the nature all around you that we are a part of 💛

If finance is a barrier for you or someone you know but you/they would love to try, drop me a message and we can chat.

The weekend is here! Get outside. Adventure awaits 🥰

💛💛💛

Getting out for a walk with a dear friend gave us time to talk while we walked. With both of us super busy and dealing with our own challenges, we don't often get quality one to one time, so this 6k loop was the perfect way to spend time together! So lucky to live somewhere surrounded by beautiful walks...and the weather was on our side too 🌞🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

Walking is free and a great way to reconnect to your breath, body, nature, loved ones!🌳🐦🌸🩵

Beltane 🌞🌳🌸🐝🌊♥️

It represents the peak of Spring and the beginning of Summer. Honouring all life. Earth energies are very active, with all of life bursting with potent fertility. Abundant joy, passion, vitality. A brilliant time in the Wheel of the Year to bring ideas, hopes and dreams into action.

Some seated stretches to prepare the body, deep breathing to help clear any old stagnant energy, reset, recharge and a deeply restorative, insightful, illuminating, nature-inspired Yoga Nidra are wonderful ways to give yourself the pure treat of deep rest, nourishment. Sound Healing with an ancient mantra for connection and compassion, to help us feel bountiful and full of creativity. A refreshing dip in cool Scottish waters, an opportunity to further deepen that connection to your breath, your body, the nature all around you.

What do you do to find a sense of calm in the mind and body, that releases muscle tension, lowers blood pressure, slows down heart rate and regulates breathing? Alfresco yoga and open water swimming can both be rejuvenating and combined are a great way to re-charge your batteries.

If you'd like a tailor-made yoga and wild swimming morning/afternoon/evening/day for you and your friends/family/colleagues get in touch 💛

MAY💛

Pinch and a (playful) punch to you all 🥰

May your days be filled with laughter.
May your chores complete themselves.
May your mind have time to wander.
To a sandy beach of shells.

May your morning stretch be graceful.
May your lunch be full of taste.
May your inspiration find you.
May no moment go to waste.

May your lonely days be lacking.
May your friendships linger strong.
May your thoughts be full of wonder.
May your worries all be gone.

May your money flow like water.
May your problems float away.
May your needs be met and more so.
May you wake to sunny days.

May you find the strength inside you.
May you learn to look within.
May you see yourself more kindly.
May that journey now begin.

Donna Ashworth

Drill time for my Monday morning client 🌊

I hate to break it to you all though...

drills alone will not help your speed if that is your goal. Doing the same things over and over again, will not make you faster.

If you want to transform your swimming, so you can swim effortlessly and increase your speed, you NEED to work on your technique, which means breaking everything down, making changes where needed and building those changes into habits.

To transform your swimming technique so that you can swim efficiently and maintain faster paces for a lot longer, you need to work with a coach so we can identify the technique change needed for your individual style and technique in the water, use specific drills aimed towards those changes and then apply this technique change while you are swimming by thinking about it as much as you can during your swimming sessions 😅

After some time, this will help create a habit, which means it will then begin to happen without you having to think about it.

THIS TAKES TIME AND EFFORT.

If you really want to get better and faster, you have to be willing to slow down, unlearn, relearn and practice.

You are the only thing holding you back! DM me if you'd like to work together on increasing your speed in the water 🌊💛

Never too old to learn 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼❤️

After two hip replacements, Elsa Nystrom, 87, asked her oldest daughter to teach her how to swim. Now she swims twice a week and will compete in her first meet this summer with Grown-Up Swimming. You’re our inspiration, Elsa!

Taking advantage of the drier weather and getting my steps in while I can! 🦵🏼🦵🏼🌞🩵

I may stretch and move every morning doing my physical yoga practice, and I may be in the pool and the loch 5/6 days a week...but if I don't walk, I suffer.

Post spinal surgery, being sedentary really affects my mobility. Walking consistently for at least 5-10km every day is a must...yet, I don't always manage it. I lost my wee furry companion the week before Christmas and it's just not the same, after 17yrs walking with him...but I promised myself looking after my back is a life long priority and I'm trying!

*Today I was accompanied by Brenton Ford's Effortless Swimming podcast with The Natural Nutritionist Steph Lowe. Not the same as walking with Charlie B, but very, very good company 😘💛

https://open.spotify.com/episode/1C4OPCnkIeNa4ANnRZVP8M?si=zqxamz1vRzix2INJsUEBmg

Happy Earth Day ~ Get outside. Go for a swim. Go for a walk. Reconnect to the rhythm of nature. Embrace the beauty of the world around you, be inspired to love and protect our natural surroundings! All life is sacred. We are all connected...all humans, all plants, all animals.

We are so closely bonded to the land, the animals, the people around us. We are not living amongst nature. We are nature. Let's take care of all beings, our planet. Let's make each other count to contribute to a healthier world. Let's clean up the ground. Plant flowers and trees. Enjoy fresh air to breathe. Recycle. Reuse. Turn off lights to reduce.

Every single day we are alive is Earth Day 🌍💛

Work in progress 🩵

"I’m slowly learning that even if I react, it won’t change anything, it won’t make people suddenly love and respect me, it won’t magically change their minds. Sometimes it’s better to just let things be, let people go, don’t fight for closure, don’t ask for explanations, don’t chase answers and don’t expect people to understand where you’re coming from.

I’m slowly learning that life is better lived when you don’t center it on what’s happening around you and center it on what’s happening inside you instead. Work on yourself and your inner peace and you’ll come to realise that not reacting to every little thing that bothers you is the first ingredient to living a happy and healthy life."

✍️🏻Author|Rania Naim

🎨Artist|Dmitry O Via,

Would you like to swim more outside, but you've never really learnt to swim?

If you're based in or the surrounding areas of Glasgow, why not invest in some lessons with me and do both.

Outdoor lessons for adult beginners available. You don't have to learn in a pool! In just a few sessions I can help you build confidence, work through any fears, teach you to float, swim breaststroke, front crawl, build your knowledge on water safety, in and out of the open water (what happens before and after your swim is important too)

I am a fully qualified swimming teacher, open water swimming and aquaphobics coach. Swimming is an important life skill, that can also be a lot of fun with amazing physical, mental and emotional health benefits and you're never too old to learn.

DM me for more information. Happy to chat 💛

Spring ~ a reminder of just how beautiful change can be 🌸

Tonight
645pm Spring Yin
The Moon Rooms
Newton Mearns

According to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) the season of Spring is associated with the Liver and Gallbladder organ pair, and we will focus on these meridians tonight. With the change in seasons our emotions can run high as we shift from the Yin of Winter to the more Yang energy of Spring, so it is important that we align our wellness routines to support healthy qi flow.

Tonight's session aims to leave you feeling refreshed, rejuvenated, and relaxed.

Yin is a floor based, prop heavy, meditative practice accessible to all.

DM to book in

Spring forward with Yin
The Moon Rooms, Newton Mearns
Monday 8th April, 2024
645pm

Spring is a time of fresh starts and de-cluttering.

The human Body/Mind, just like everything else in nature, has it’s own seasons and cycles. Sometimes we are full of energy and creativity; at other times we need to withdraw and rest. Yin yoga, informed by Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) helps us to pay attention to these natural cycles and to support the bodily processes in their ebb and flow with practices and methods created, inspired and informed by nature.

If you’re not already familiar with Yin yoga, it is a floor based yoga practice that involves long holds of up to five minutes, supporting the body with props. These long holds target the connective tissue in the body (rather than just the muscles) to improve and maintain healthy ranges of motion. Yin yoga is also very meditative in style, with the long holds offering an opportunity to practice keeping the mind steady and observing the thoughts and sensations. Yin also draws on Meridian theory (part of TCM) which is concerned with the movement of chi (energy, or prana in yogic terms) around the body via the Meridians (energetic channels, or nadis). When the energy isn’t flowing freely through these channels it can affect our mental and physical wellbeing, so Yin is about maintaining a healthy flow of chi through the meridians to keep us balanced and healthy.

Come practice with me, spring clean the mind and body and feel rejuvenated for the days ahead.

All levels welcome. DM me to book.
£12 per session
£60 for 6

Spring and summer slots for bespoke sunrise and sunset yoga and swimming sessions 🧘🏼‍♀️🌊🙏🏼💛

Would you, or you and some of your friends like to wake up with some lochside yoga and breathwork, followed by a heart starting, life affirming, cold water dip? Or, practice as the sun goes down, watching the sun set between the hills, over Arran in the distance?

One to one and small (4 people max) group sessions available. Every session is tailored to you and your group. Want to just dip, or looking for some technique tips...we can happily dip, float and look at the sky, or work on your technique!

Reconnect to your breath, your body, your friends and to the nature all around you 🥰

One off session, or block booking, get in touch for more information.

All yoga levels welcome, groups must be similar swimming level.

These sessions are weather dependent (light drizzle is acceptable for our mat work 😁)

Happy International Women's Day 💜💜💜

This is a day to celebrate yourself, all the amazing women in your life and those all around the world who support, inspire and help shape you.

As a woman who has faced a few challenges in recent years I know we can be very hard on ourselves. Often the ways in which we view ourselves is far, far from the truth. We are our harshest critics. Whether it's our faces, our age, our bodies, our efforts at work, or home not being good enough, we often don't see what everyone around us sees.

It's so easy to dismiss compliments about our looks, our personalities, our strengths, or how well we've done, but what happens if we really sit with those words? What happens if we embrace them, store them? If we start to repeat them to ourselves? If we begin to look at ourselves through their eyes? If we were to wake up and take the time to think about what we've achieved, what we've got through, what we've done for ourselves and for others?

Would we love ourselves a little more?

Absofrikinlutely.

The best investment I have ever made is in finding ways to love myself (for me ~ yoga. Self practice, practicing with others, retreats, training courses) I'm not talking about being self obsessed. It's not big headed, egotistical love. It's self acceptance. It's kindness to myself. It's allowing the beauty within me to come out from the inside. It's seeing myself, through my very own eyes, in a more positive way. Of course I still want to do better, be better, look good...but more importantly I want to feel good...

and I want everyone around me to feel good too!!

I love supporting and being supported by all the women in my life. Family, friends, colleagues, clients, random people I meet in the street, at festivals, in the loo of a bar. I frequently stand side by side and am inspired by amazing women.

Some i work with, some i laugh with, some i cry with, some i dance with, some i chill with, some i swim with, some i practice yoga with, some I guide, some have guided me. All have knowingly, or unknowingly, taught me.

To you all...I am grateful to have you in my life, supporting me on my journey. Your strength, your tenderness, your kindness, your motivation, your patience, your softness, your ambition, your humour, your love. You all motivate me daily.

There is still so much inequality and disrespect to women all around the world, it makes me sad to think of all the countries where it is a misfortune to birth a daughter, where being a woman is seen as a punishment instead of a gift, a strength. Let's love and support each other.

Today I send Metta (loving kindness) to all women everywhere in the world, all continents, all countries, all situations. Those that can, do something for yourself today, something that makes you feel good and celebrate your uniqueness, then look around you and celebrate everyone else's and do something for them too 💜

Couple of spaces left in tonight's yin session at the beautiful Moon Rooms studio in Newton Mearns.

645pm

£12 drop in, 6 for £60

Message me to book in

Yin ~

☆Reduces stress and anxiety

☆Helps to promote mindfulness

☆Improves joint mobility

☆Improves flexibility

☆Elongates and stretches tight muscles

☆Can promote feelings of deep calm

Yin is a floor based practice using props to support our bodies as we hold the poses for 3-5mins.

All levels welcome 🌸💛

Belly laughs on the beach 🥰

I swim for connection -

Connection to the water. The waterbed. The sand and the stones. The plants, the fish. The birds and the sky above me. All of nature. Connection to all the elements. The wind, the rain, the sun, the clouds. Connection to myself. My breath, my body. Connection to other likeminded water babies, that brave the cold and laugh and cry and bare their souls while the water supports them...

why do you swim?

The sun is out, birds are tweeting, daffis are sprouting and someone's cutting their grass!! Spring, I FEEL YOU!

YUS! 💛

Badge day! 🙌

Some of the little swimmers that graduated this week!

Well done all, see you next block 💫💛

Building water based knowledge, skills and confidence in children of all ages is so important for their safety!

Swimming lessons are an investment!

Swimming is a life skill.

Chakra Yin session
Monday, 645pm, The Moon Rooms

I've got a lovely chakra yin session planned for this coming Monday's practice. DM to book in!

We will be focussing on all seven chakras. These seven chakras are thought of as the main energy points in our bodies, which run down the spine. They correspond to bundles of nerves, major organs, and areas of our energetic body that affect our emotional and physical well-being. Each of the main chakras has a corresponding number, name, colour, specific area of the spine from the sacrum to the crown of the head, and health focus. They work together to create life force energy, which, when balanced, can be beneficial for the mind, body, and spirit. In our fast paced, stressful, modern lifestyles, they are more often than not, blocked, but there are ways to work on this, yin being one.

Whether you believe in the chakras or not, come try this class with an open mind. The power of our imagination and the practice of visualisation together can be so strong they can help us break through emotional and mental blocks. So even if chakras aren’t really your thing, you can still benefit!

This session is for all levels, new to yin or regular practitioner and will call on us all to dive a little bit deeper, helping us to make meaningful positive changes in our daily lives.

'It is a universal mistruth that you must be in a relationship to be loved. My friend, you are loved, every day, in many different ways. So many in fact, perhaps you could not count...

you are loved by friends, by family, by pets. You are loved supernova-style, by those passed over, and the ones who loved them too. You are quietly and diligently loved by colleagues, by random people you shine light on, as you make your way through this world. You are loved by the sun, the earth and the moon. You are loved, little one, so loved. Start counting the ways and celebrate them...

today, on Valentine's Day and every single day'

Donna Ashworth

Love comes in many forms, not just the coupled up kind. Embrace it all. Love fearlessly and spread it far and wide 💛