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SEA SALUTATION
SCUBA DIVING AND YOGA AREN’T OFTEN MENTIONED IN THE SAME BREATH, BUT AS CHRIS MITCHELL DISCOVERS ON KOH PHI PHI, TOGETHER THEY CAN PROVIDE A NEW FORM OF ENLIGHTENMENT. PHOTOGRAPHY BY KATIE ACKERMAN
IT SOUNDS LIKE A COMPLETE CONTRADICTION IN TERMS: SCUBA IS USUALLY seen as a high-risk adrenaline sport that involves close encounters with sharks. While yoga, on the other hand, is considered a serene, mystical experience practised by impossibly flexible devotees. Yet there is a growing recognition that scuba and yoga complement and reflect one another – and that practising both together can be beneficial for your physical and mental health.
Thailand’s world-famous island of Koh Phi Phi is home to a progressive practitioner of scuba diving and yoga, Keira White. Originally from Ireland, after discovering scuba diving on Phi Phi, Keira abandoned a burgeoning career in New York in 2001 and commenced a regular love aff air with the island. Already a yoga convert before becoming a certified scuba instructor, Keira travelled to India in 2006 to study at The Yoga Institute in Mumbai and became a yoga teacher. Wanting to teach both yoga and scuba diving, Koh Phi Phi was an obvious choice for Keira to make her home.
Despite its breathtaking natural beauty, Phi Phi can be quite a shock for those expecting a quiet place. The island’s inhabited area is a maze of tiny streets thronging with Thais and tourists 24 hours a day. “It’s like a tropical Manhattan,” Keira laughs. “The lack of space available for development and the high cost of living seem to contribute to the intense atmosphere of the island. Th at actually makes diving and practising yoga all the more important.”
Keira regularly conducts yoga classes at sunset on the roof of one of Phi Phi’s beachside bars. From here, her class can savour a spectacular view of Ton Sai bay and the towering limestone karsts that surround it. The bustle of the street below is forgotten as she takes beginners through a class that is at once calming and invigorating, outlining the basics of yoga positions and the concepts of meditation and breathing that help bring peace to the mind.
Keira says she is keen to demythologise yoga to make it more accessible, but also stresses that “it’s a philosophy or a way of life, not just a means to physical training and fitness.” She teaches Ashtanga Yoga, which emphasises moral principles and personal discipline as the foundations on which the postures and meditational practices of yoga must be built.
So how is scuba diving, with all its heavy tanks and bulky gear, similar to yoga? “The link between yoga and diving is quite significant, on a meditative level more than a physical level,” Keira explains. “Meditation has many different levels, and most people have a form of personal meditation, be it walking, running, reading, singing, playing a musical instrument or, as is the case here on Phi Phi, diving.
“Meditation, in simple terms, is being so immersed in an action or contemplative state that all else is blocked out, and one has an overwhelming sense of peace and connectedness to the life energy of the earth and universe. Personally, I feel closest to this interconnected energy when I am diving. One hour underwater can feel like five minutes because I am totally absorbed by what I am seeing – the amazing movement of the hundreds of diff erent fish and the sheer beauty of living corals never gets old.
“Like yoga, scuba is all about breathing. The focus on long and slow, deep breaths, the weightlessness of the body and the silence that’s imposed by being submerged underwater all provide an ideal environment for being at peace with yourself.”
In this way, says Keira, a regime of scuba and yoga while on holiday can work wonders for quieting the mind. It can allow holidaymakers to focus on themselves and on what’s really important within their lives, away from the endless distractions of work.
Despite the benefits of practicing scuba and yoga together, for some, the thought of being submerged underwater is enough to induce a panic attack – especially if they’ve watched Jaws one too many times. But diving is actually misnamed as an adrenaline sport – most dives are usually peaceful affairs, with little physical eff ort besides the odd kick of your fins. The sensation of hovering in mid-water is immensely liberating and the closest most people, other than astronauts, will get to near-zero-gravity.
Thailand’s warm waters provide the perfect place to beat the fear and try scuba diving – the sensation of breathing underwater feels very strange at first but soon dissipates. As Keira points out, “Diving can be relatively stressful when you’re working out the basics, but once you’re through the learning curve, there’s not only a great sense of achievement but a whole new underwater world to explore.” Th e payoff for making the effort to learn scuba diving is huge, both in terms of enjoyment and the escape from the everyday world.
What seem like complete opposite activities, yoga and scuba can be perfectly complementary– and Thailand is the ideal place to practise both. Phi Phi’s combination of spectacular scenery above and below its waters allows people to explore the inner space of the oceans and their own minds.
DIVE THAILAND
PHI PHI DIVE SCHOOLS
Hippo Divers http://hippodivers.com Visa Diving www.visadiving.com Blue View Divers www.blueviewdivers.com
RECOMMENDED DIVE SITES
Koh Haa Lagoon
Great for beginners and experienced divers, the lagoon is formed by a collection of huge limestone karsts in the middle of the ocean that protect a thriving ecosystem. Shallow depths, good visibility and a sandy bottom make this a fun, safe place to build scuba confidence.
Palong Bay
A Phi Phi Don site, the sheltered confines of Palong Bay reveal a wealth of creatures, including hawksbill turtles, nudibranches and cuttlefish.
Meditating with Manta Rays
The twin pinnacles of Hin Daeng and Hin Muang can have strong currents, so are only suitable for advanced divers, but those who can control their breathing and buoyancy can hover effortlessly in the blue with majestic manta rays swirling around them.
YOGA THAILAND
Keiritas Yoga, Keira’s yoga and diving school. www.keiritasyoga.com There are scores of yoga schools throughout Thailand; Yoga Centers Directory provides a useful list and info. www.yoga-centers-directory.net/thailand.htm
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