Summary of Art Of Manliness Podcast Episode: The Art of Manliness: Exploring Why We Swim with Bonnie Tsui
Podcast: Art Of Manliness
4 min. read
— Description —
Discover the fascinating history and benefits of swimming, from ancient cave drawings to the sensory experience of swimming in cold water Learn how humans differ from animals in their ability to swim and how water affects our brains and bodies Dive into the world of swimming, from sea-nomad cultures to samurai techniques, and find out why its the most-watched sport at the Summer Olympics.
The Art of Manliness: Exploring Why We Swim with Bonnie Tsui
Table of contents
Key Takeaways
Books
Intro
When and When Did Humans Start Swimming?
Adaptive changes and the Culture of Swimming
Why are Humans Drawn to Water?
Why is Water So Restorative?
Cold Water Immersion
The Community Aspect of Swimming
Swimming as a Martial Skill
Swimming at the Olympics
Famous Swimmers
The Flow State
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