Swim through the world
- effortlessly -
Don't crave speed;
Maximize the glide.
With each stroke,
Sail as far as the limbs
will send one.
Don't thrash. Don't splash.
Don't gasp.
Feel the catch. Feel the pull.
Don't let short, wild motions
exhaust one.
Breathe!
Be wary of drag.
Put less effort
into propulsion,
And more into streamlining --
Shoot through the void,
without struggle.
Never lose sight of the value
of a good glide.
That’s trickier than it seems. I quite enjoy reading and many forms of bodily movement activities (e.g. swimming, yoga, taiji, qigong, exercise, etc.,) but I’d count them more as personal development activities than leisure activities. (Even something as seemingly non-purposeful as juggling.) I sometimes watch TV / movies, but I don’t know that I’d say I enjoy that so much as find it an opportunity to zone out.
Swimming Made Easy: The Total Immersion Way for Any Swimmer to Achieve Fluency, Ease, and Speed in Any Stroke by Terry LaughlinI don’t collect favorites. I like reading, hiking, writing, swimming, playing, exercise, traveling, cooking… each in its due time for its due time.
Moving at a glide --
No strain, no effort,
Rolling side to side,
No lord or escort.
Things are going SWIMMINGLY.
For example: being punched in the face and swimming in open waters.
As for how, to my knowledge there’s only one way to overcome any fear and that’s exposure to the fearful stimulus. e.g. One loses (at least greatly reduces) fear of being hit by sparring.
a brave youth
plummets into the stepwell,
all the while
looking like she's on a stroll,
blowing her nose and waving.
a cormorant weaves
into and over water:
no trace but ripples.
I don’t have a favorite, but there are several that I could not maintain health and sanity without, including: hiking, yoga, calisthenics, taiji / qigong, free movement, and at least one cardio (I currently swim and run.) I’m currently struggling with juggling.
Tiger Riding for Beginners 