Swim Book I: Breathing - Martin H. Mandel - Bog

The Ballad of Breath "On a cool spring day/A gal and a lad/Met to cast 'way/Myths for a ballad" Guided by one gal, "Part I: The Meeting" begins with one lad's journey of experiencing the meaning of breath in the context of water. Sensory signals widen the eyes, drum the heart, raise the hairs, and breeze the lungs "All while phalanges/Attached to our feet/Displace barely an inch/Of crystal-clear liquid." Entering "The Great Nose Versus Mouth Bubble Bout Debate," Part II introduces "the only unnatural thing... surrounded by water" - "to always exhale out nostrils meant normally to inhale." Part III practices "first breaths and steps," leaning in on the benefits (and necessity) of hum breathing. Deepening the habit building purpose of the hum, Part IV contrasts a change in body position from vertical to horizontal. And, before this lad meets the Brothers Bob, "A Buoyant Belly Breath" in Part V connects the depth of breath with the changing nature of balancing a body in water. Ultimately, in Part VI, the 4 Brothers aim "to birth a belief in buoyancy you can count on!" The final words end where our gal began, swaying an audience to develop an automatic habit -to "breathe above and hum below" - the foundation and counter balance to easing emotions with water.