August 3, 2020
Why We Swim with Bonnie Tsui on the Art of Manliness with Brett McKay
Check out the Episode Page and Show Notes
Key Takeaways
- The earliest evidence of human swimming is 10,000 years ago, from cave drawings in the Sahara
- Most animals can swim from birth – however, humans have to be taught
- In sea-nomad cultures, children learn how to swim before they walk
- Human brains respond to water – the sound boosts alpha activity associated with calmness
- Human bodies respond to water – blood circulation increases, dopamine levels go up and metabolism increases
- Cold-water immersion increases circulation and oxygen levels
- Swimming in cold water is highly sensory and can offer a sense of euphoria
- Samurai swimming started in feudal Japan when coastal clans had to specialize in martial water techniques – like swimming without ripples
- Swimming is the most-watched sport at the Summer Olympics
Books
Why We Swim by Bonnie Tsui – a kind of love letter to being in the water
American Chinatown by Bonnie Tsui
Be Water, My Friend by Bruce Lee – The teachings of Bruce Lee
Intro
Guest: Bonnie Tsui (t:@bonnietsui) is a longtime contributor to The New York Times and California Sunday Magazine. She is the author of American Chinatown, winner of the 2009-2010 Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature, and author of Why We Swim
Host: Brett McKay (@brettmckay)
When and When Did Humans Start Swimming?
- The earliest evidence of human swimming is about 10,000 years ago, from cave drawings in the Sahara of swimmers
- Water is a source of food – shellfish, fish
- Water is enjoyable recreationally
- Humans don’t have an instinctive ability to swim- most other land animals do, even bats!
- Most animals can swim from birth – however, humans have to be taught
Adaptive changes and the Culture of Swimming
- Swimming is a cultural knowledge that is passed on each generation
- In Southeast Asia, there are sea-nomad populations that have lived on the water for years
- Adaptive changes
- In sea-nomad cultures, children learn to swim before they walk
- Free swimmers learn to hold their breath for a long time
- Some sea-nomad people have great underwater vision through practice
- Evolutionary changes
- Baja people -their spleens are 50% larger than inland people in Thailand due to increased swimming
- Their bodies evolved – spleens expel red blood cells so the body has more oxygen
Why are Humans Drawn to Water?
- Human brains respond to water
- The sound of water boosts the brain’s alpha activity that’s associated with calmness
- Human bodies respond to water
- When you’re immersed in water blood circulation increases, dopamine levels go up and metabolism goes up
- People feel great when they’re near it – water is a mood lifter
- People respond to water – humans go to beaches like animals to a watering hole
Why is Water So Restorative?
- For some athletes, water therapy changes their life- they start swimming after an injury and get hooked
- Swimming is a low impact sport you can do your whole life
- Swimming is a whole-body exercise
- It takes you out of your normal state of being
- Rhythm is huge in swimming– you pair breathing with your movement
- Regular swim sessions can lower blood pressure
Cold Water Immersion
- Cold water immersion stimulates and increases circulation and oxygen levels reaching nerves that lack circulation
- There are cold water immersion rituals around the world, including Siberia
- Swimming in cold water is highly sensory and can offer a sense of euphoria
The Community Aspect of Swimming
- In 2008, after the fall of Saddam Hussein’s regime, people were allowed to use the swimming pools in his many palaces
- One man started to teach swimming to soldiers, locals, contractors, and interpreters
- They called themselves the Baghdad Swim team which grew to 250 members over two years
- They got together a few times a week
- In the water, they found a sense of calm and buoyancy
- Some started out just treading water and became accomplished swimmers
- The participants stayed connected to the sport—and each other—even after they left Baghdad
Swimming as a Martial Skill
- Romans and Ancient Egyptians saw swimming as a martial art
- Archeologists have found old drawings of warriors battling in water – even in mythology
- Samurai swimming – during the feudal period in Japan, coastal clans had to specialize in martial arts water techniques – ex) Swimming without ripples
- These techniques are foundational traditions that continue today – and were supposed to be demonstrated at Olympics this summer in Tokyo
Swimming at the Olympics
- Swimming is the most-watched sport at the Summer Olympics
- There is a community aspect to the sport
Famous Swimmers
- Henry David Thoreau swam every morning at Walden Pond – he said it was one of best things he did
- Oliver Sacks – neurologist and naturalist
- Zadie Smith – writer
- YoYo Ma – musician
The Flow State
- Swimming can help you lose track of time
- Swimming allows you time with your thoughts, even meditation
- The flow state is described in Bruce Lee’s Be Water, My Friend
