A Deep Calm

  • Lipi Patel
  • India
  • Nov 30, 2012

 

 

 


It was a riot of colours down there; golden, silver, copper sulphate blue, tiger prints, zebra stripes and thousands of vibrant shades. I felt like touching them, but they were moving with such ease that I didn’t have the heart to spoil their rhythm.

Following my Aquarian sensibilities, I took the opportunity to fulfill one of my most cherished dreams – to experience and explore life under the sea. At Bali, Indonesia as a first time Scuba diver, I was extremely scared during the first two attempts. I had thought that I could easily do it, when I was asked to practice the breathing techniques in shallow water, using a mask. But when I was lowered into the Indian Ocean and there was water all around me, with never ending depths, the palpitation and panic overwhelmed me. In the third attempt my trainer, an expert at his job, asked me to just relax and to trust him.

Once I was a few meters down the ocean bed, the fright suddenly vanished. Everything was calm, and a blissful silence took any weight off my shoulder. I could hear my breath, and could feel the movement of the sea-life around me. As I dove a few more metres, the pressure increased, and I could feel it in my ears; but exploring the depth of the ocean I felt I was regaining my equilibrium.  The splendours of nature were so engulfing that it made me realise how miniscule the woes of our life truly are, in the grand scheme of life.

Of late I had been feeling a bit of stress; job related, and the growing pains of the approaching 30 year milestone. I was trapped between where I was and where I wanted to be. But when I stretched out underwater, floating and just hanging, absolutely motionless, in balance, with my breathing gently lifting me up and letting me fall, I felt streamlined, elegant and graceful – like the fish out there. That moment I felt completely in harmony with my surroundings; it is probably how they feel when they meditate. It is a whole new world down there.

I realised that nature’s beauty, especially under the ocean and on the hills, is ageless. The older a coral reef/mountain range is, the more fascinating it becomes. However, we humans are unfortunate not to be gifted with such timelessness.

There was so much beauty to grasp, that for a moment I felt short of breath in excitement. I had to talk my mind to stay calm, so as to continue floating; I couldn’t afford to go up so soon, after having dived so deep. Although I knew it was about to be over, my heart was craving for more. This was by far one of the most memorable experiences of my life. It was captivating, exciting – and yet calming and therapeutic. When I emerged I felt as if my soul had been refreshed. The feeling is extremely powerful, and I take along these beautiful memories from Bali with a hope that I will get to experience this magic some other time...some other place.

 

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