My Unexpected Love Affair with Swimming

How a chance encounter at the pool and a simple breathing technique transformed swimming from a chore into a moving meditation, and took me from 2 laps to 101.

By Subash Adhikari · 20 March 2026 · 2 min read

• Personal

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Two months ago, my swimming peaked at two laps of a 50m pool. After that I'd be clinging to the wall, lungs burning, wondering why anyone does this voluntarily.

I've been learning meditation for about a year. I'm still a beginner, but I've gotten decent at finding that quiet headspace where everything slows down and you're just present. It's become important to me.

The swimming part happened by accident. A guy at the pool watched me flail around and casually mentioned I was holding my breath like a panicking toddler. Then he showed me the actual technique. Exhale slowly through your nose underwater, take a quick breath when you turn your head, and let it settle into a rhythm with your strokes.

So I tried it properly. Four laps of a 25m pool to start. Nothing impressive, but I noticed something straight away. When I focused on that breathing pattern, everything else faded. The burning lungs, the counting, the "when will this end" thoughts. It was just breath and movement.

Fast forward to this morning. 101 laps, non-stop.

Somewhere in the middle (maybe lap 30, maybe 60, I honestly lost track) I realized I wasn't swimming toward anything. I wasn't grinding through a workout. I was just there. It was the same weightless, thoughtless calm I get in my best meditation sessions. My body knew what to do, and the breathing had become automatic, almost hypnotic.

That's when it clicked. Swimming and meditation are completely different activities. One is stillness and the other is constant motion. But they arrive at the same place in your head, that effortless, floating state where you're not trying anymore. You're just experiencing it.

I wish I'd found this doorway sooner. Not just the technique, but what happens when you stop fighting the water and let the rhythm carry you.

If you "know how to swim" but have never really swum, try this. Pick a pace so easy it feels silly. Focus entirely on breathing out slowly through your nose underwater, and sync it with your strokes. Forget the lap count and just stay with your breath.

The rest happens on its own.

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