Life, It's All About the Journey
Part III
Swimming upon the worlds Oceans

A Meditative moment Of

Weightlessness & Deep Breathing – Long High Strokes Cat Naps

Calming Mind, Body & Soul –

A PRELUDE TO HEAVEN
A Way of Life

LESSONS FROM NATURE

Since the selling of my Eskimo Expedition kayak, the sea (my companion) now takes me back into my long swims upon its depths where the sea holds and protects me, upon a weightless environment, creating an atmosphere - free from thought, only the moment exists.

With long high strokes I reach to the skies. With a deep breath I
fill my lungs to near capacity upon a weightless environment, (the
SEA) which calms the mind, body and soul. Lessons I have observed by spending days and nights drifting between the Hawaiian Islands of Maui, Lanai and Molokai in my Expedition Sea Kayak while N. Pacific Humpback Whales take in more than 90% if their lung capacity, calming the mind, body & soul.

They raise their 12 to 15 foot Pectoral fins high in the air, aided by their deep breathing and singing which can be heard from miles distance. Meditative moments.

With a long high stroke and slow side-to-side twisting of my body, along with the use of swim fins, I swim with the ever-flowing movement of the sea upon a weightlessness environment. Fins allow me to keep my body parallel aided by long deep breathing. In the same manner in which the flukes of the whale create the long slow swooping movement up and down and also from side to side enabling them to ride the currents of the sea in complete rhythm.

My kick is slow – As my right arm reaches for the sky, my left foot moves in a horizontal manner off to the left side, and visa-versa.

Like whales – they are extremely flexible -- not only able to move their flukes up and down but with the flexibility of their trunk they are able to turn their bodies in a perfect U shape.

I too from my waist down twist my body with each stroke, allowing more flexibility through out my spine. LESSONS FROM NATURE.

The rhythm of my stroke depends on the current or surface movement.
When I reach out I push down and back using the density of the sea (which is 800 times as dense as the air in our atmosphere) to give me up-lift with each stroke, somewhat like marine mammals (dolphins) which arch their backs bringing the blow

hole above the surface for that all important breath of air. This allows me added time to exhale and inhale more deeply.

I wear soft gel earplugs; exhaling from both nose and mouth bubbles create an echoing sound, and then pop when hitting the surface.

When I make my turn to swim back towards the beach I’m looking up at the majestic West Maui Mountains of 5000 feet, -- just above -- the rising sun.

Breathing only on my right side, at times I close my eyes. All is dark with sparkles of light to fill my view. When I exhale, under water I look down into darkness.

Along with the slow rocking and twisting movement of my body I feel as though I’m being held in my Mother’s arms. With eyes closed, only the sound of my breathing, I find myself falling asleep into somewhat of a catnap, fully aware of my surroundings. Such as whales when swimming in the darkness of the abyss.

It is the most calming period. All I have to do is breathe, just as when we are sleeping, we must breathe.

With eyes open bubbles emerge in front of my finger tips as I reach out to into the abyss.

I look up midway on my left side and like whales I’m viewing two worlds at the same time above and below.

For the duration of my swim the only sound is of my breathing as I fill my lungs to their capacity.

Swimming is truly a form of exercise, however for myself a Way of Life, a meditative experience, of living truly in the Moment. A form of ZEN, in being a part of being captured within the rhythm of the sea.

Sailing the world’s oceans for many years, and on fairly calm days, thousands of miles from land, I’ll swim alongside the boat. With the slow moving huge open ocean ground swells, one realizes just how insignificant we as humans really are.

THE SEA:

(Joshua Slocum –The first to sail solo around the world – 1895-1898 writes “To cross the Pacific Ocean, on his 36 foot sloop, even under the most favorable circumstances, brings you close to nature, and you realize the vastness of the sea. I was in harmony now with my surroundings, and was carried on a vast stream where I felt the buoyancy of HIS HAND who made all the worlds, I sailed alone with God”.

The Last of the Cape Horners – With the gale blown out, the ship was almost steering herself, gently swaying through the water, her sails a pattern of sun and shadow until the night came, and before long 55,000 Square feet of white canvas was gleaming in the bright moon light while the wind scarcely rustled overhead, and the whole silent machinery of the dialing ship passed slowly down the Baltic Sea” ----------------------------------------------------------
Four decades ago along with and escort boat I swam the 10-mile Auau channel, which flows between the Hawaiian Islands of Maui and Lanai. Deep breathing, in a weightless environment -- living in the Moment -- only feelings from within can describe this 8-9 hour experience of looking into the abyss of blue indigo - turquoise rays of sun light surrounding me. I feel as though I am truly in the arms of a higher entity. THE SEA, ALONE – NEVER ALONE

The Pacific Ocean: Green, blue, turquoise, ultramarine, saffron, stretching 9,600 miles from the Bering Sea, to the Antarctic. 64 million square miles – 25% larger than the entire landmass of planet Earth with an average depth of 2 miles.

Today at 75 years of age as of Nov. 2, 2020, I swim out a little less than 1⁄2 mile from shore over a sand bottom towards the island of Lanai.
Swimming 5 to 6 times a week – or 3-4 miles a week.

If I were to swim over a reef, my focus would then be on the reef and its life. My purpose is deep meditation, (deep breathing) freeing the mind from thought upon a weightless environment, and the further from shore the more at peace I feel from within.

HOWEVER: There is life within sand bottom. From time to time I view
tracks made by crabs that bury themselves within the sand. Groves of polyps which grow in abundance during the winter months, when sea temperatures are cooler. Cooler waters more oxygen more life and I believe bottom dwelling fish or crabs feed on these polyps.

SAND BOTTOM: The formation of the sand close to shore is formed like waves due to the back and forth movement of the shore break. As I move further into the depths the bottom flattens out reflecting soft light and shadows as clouds pass overhead. I can estimate how far into the channel I am by the formation of the sand. Aided by the different shadows created from the clouds.

Light penetrates to about 300 feet. Swimming upon a depth of about 100 feet turquoise rays of sunlight surround me, I reach out into the blue indigo -- absent from thought.

While swimming upon the depths I think of myself as the Southern Albatross with its 10 to 12 foot wing spans riding the thermals of the Southern Ocean. I too ride upon the thermals (currents of the sea. the depth of the sea floor becomes more distant, I too am gaining altitude, now 100 feet above the sea floor upon a weightless environment.

What I really enjoy are my midnight full moon swims. The moon high in the sky reflects a soft halo of light that surrounds me. It’s beautiful.

Once again with a high extended stroke, inhaling only on my
right side, I hear and see the water dripping off the end of my hand
as I bring my arm up and over. Water droplets from my hand; also create a soft reflection of light. During daytime swims the droplets reflect a sparkling image. “This must be heaven”.

Turquoise color of light rays surround me--along with the soft halo light of the Moon, and once again I feel as though I am not alone, being held by that higher entity (conscience) peaceful moments.

During my swims I may repeat different mantras (positive 2-3 word thoughts or a spiritual mantra. I listen to my breath, (SLOW inhale-SLOW exhale –
SLOW AND DEEP inhale-SLOW AND DEEP exhale) Deep breathing a
lesson from whales “Calms the mind, Calms the body”.

(I find that I am able to breathe a lot deeper than I can possibly breathe while on land. I feel it is due to weightlessness, free of gravity, and again, deep breathing – calms the mind and body).

Whether you weigh 40 pounds or 40 tons in the sea you are gravity free. A Gravity free environment creates a slower heart rate, less strain on the heart, and relaxed breathing. “Lessons from Nature”

Early morning swims, the sun rising over the 5000 foot high West Maui Mountains, a feeling of swimming next to an uninhabited island creates a feeling that I am unable to explain in words.

Depending on the species of Marine mammal their heartbeat ranges between 10-30 beats per minute, where as we ourselves about 60 beats per minute. This along with being weightless creates a very fragile existence – a true indication of all life on this planet.

Whales take in more than 90% of their lung capacity with each breath; we take in only a third of our capacity.

Now at 75 years old as of Nov.2, 2020, my long swims have developed an even closer bond with the SEA - MY COMPANION.

During the winter months after my swim, I lie on my back and listen to the mating songs of N. Pacific Humpback whales echoing through the world’s largest echo chamber THE SEA. (The icing on the cake after a long swim).

A North Pacific Humpback whale-mother with her calf, appear just a few feet below. The mother turns and looks at me, as her calf frolics by my side.

Spinner dolphins. I look up to my right and see several dorsal fins. The next moment I have a blanket of spinner dolphins surrounding me, moving with the grace of angels. Several times a dolphin directly beneath faces me in a vertical position and will echolocate. I feel the sound wave enter within my body. Sound is used by marine mammals as we use X-ray, by reading heart beat, muscle tension, in locating food, mates and migration routes.

This picture of Spinner dolphins was taken from my Sea Kayak

March 3, 2:30 AM I wake from a sound sleep feeling as though I was in the presence of whales.

March 4th--My early morning swim – I’m far offshore -- As I look down to exhale a few arms length away a yearling North Pacific Humpback whale appears.

I again come up to breathe; then exhale, and “No Whale”. As I continue through my swim, I think? Was this a dream/illusion??? From last night?

Minutes later, the yearling appears again only a few feet from my right side, and I know I am not dreaming. Together we swim to the rhythm/movement of the sea, in a weightless environment. A moment perhaps as close to being in heaven while here on earth.

The yearling and I swim for sometime together. Then only a few feet in front of me a mother and her calf swim by, and are suddenly gone. However the yearling and I continue on for quite sometime. When the yearling begins to head out to sea, “I”, feel as though my time has come and I begin to follow?

Is it a higher conscience that continually speaks to us? I am a true believer -- thoughts just do not pop into our minds – but are built on a foundation. However my inner conscience repeats and repeats -- saying to me “No No, No not yet, turn around, turn around -- Reluctantly I slowly turn for the shoreline. However perhaps through this moment I discover a portion of my Soul.

I don’t often think of when I reach out to pull back om my stroke I’m
reaching out into the blue abyss – or the infinite, as there is nothing their to grab onto, as it comes to mind that this is all of an Illusion – Think about it - You cannot grasp water and hold onto it.

Also early morning after my meditation, I may play quiet meditation music from my lap top while scene’s of nature, open space, rivers, mountains show on my desk top. (and I think) at age 75 for some reason I feel the need to get into my truck and drive for those open spaces of peace and serenity. Of course I live on an island. I thought this morning during my long morning swims upon the largest body of water in the world, there is nothing but open space and lots of it. There are no boundaries, just 64 million square miles of open space. For now, - THIS IS MY OPEN SPACE.

Some time ago a lady that had been watching me, compliments me by saying, “You flow through life as you flow with the sea”.

“If you have always had a special feeling for the mountains, or the sea, you may be certain you brought that attachment from another life.” Paramahansa Yogananda – Man’s Eternal Quest

It’s a Magic Carpet Ride

There are many lessons of life that we can learn from nature “If only we would listen, we would see”

I am continually reminded of -- no matter what the day brings, the blessing of each breath of life -- each and every day is a blessing. LIFE - a Wake Up

Call of which each and every one of us, each and every day should be grateful.

To treat each moment as if it’s the most important thing in the universe, while also knowing it’s no more important than the moment that comes next.

ZEN – Becoming a part of the sea – lost within its realm of a Thousand and one dreams

Is truly a spiritual moment

Thousands of miles from land, open ocean ground swells move silently, without interruption – without destination – with virtually no boundaries, they circle the globe of planet Earth on and infinite journey.

The Sea’s constant movement, unending energy, strength, calmness, spaciousness and secrets of the abyss are mystifying – A time in which the mind wonders, allowing peace, silence and stillness within.

Gazing upon the horizon, sea and heavens come together on a never-ending journey. My thoughts go far beyond, and I too, long for that feeling of infinite, as the universe – there is no end.

I am never alone on my long swims far from land. Just God, myself and a small pouch of Mom’s ashes that I carry in my trunks as I swim upon the worlds largest body of water in a weightless environment, I feel as close to heaven as possible while here on earth.

All things – Earth and the heavens – are connected – we cannot live alone.

Richard Roshon www.hawaiiwhalesrus.com