Yoga is totally hip. More and more people in Germany are practicing the stretching exercises and relaxation exercises alone or in group courses in order to achieve more inner balance and physical well-being. More recently, the humid version of underwater yoga has become increasingly popular, a greatly enhanced form of aqua-yoga. We tried out at the diving school nicedive4u Timmendorfer beach "inner buoyancy in perfection". How does yoga differ under water from the traditional version? A small review. 

So far I have avoided yoga exercises. Because my association with the mental and physical practices that originated in India were painful stretching exercises in classes in which participants twisted themselves like a pretzel. In my mind's eye I could see people laughing at my clumsy attempts while I suffered painful injuries. But far from it. I could never have imagined that underwater yoga would inspire me so much.

Because as I was recently able to discover, my prejudices weren't even half the truth: Yoga is much more than stretching and is an incredibly relaxing activity that I can only recommend to anyone who wants to really relax and improve their physical well-being. To put it simply, the practices, of which there are different types and combinations, consist, in addition to the physical aspect, primarily of relaxation and concentration exercises.

Because yoga means something like “tensioning” and “union”. The latter probably refers to the interaction between body and mind. For me, giving up yoga was a big mistake, because whether in everyday life or on a wellness vacation, the exercises provide immense support in all attempts to relax DetoxEfforts. Now you might say: Yoga exercises are all well and good, but does it have to be underwater yoga right away?

And yoga simply complements perfectly with the Diving: “One of the most important positive effects of underwater yoga is certainly relaxation under water. This not only has a temporary effect, it is also stored by the subconscious and is therefore also helpful for future dives. “It also influences mobility and creates a good feeling for buoyancy,” yoga and diving instructor Michaela Günther tells me. Sounds exciting, I'll have to try it out - and start a little underwater yoga class with her.

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Underwater yoga has positive influences on body and mind

The dive center nicedive4u in Timmendorfer Strand is one of the first dive centers in Germanythat even offer underwater yoga. Michaela, who runs the business together with her husband, designed the course entirely herself. There are no guidelines from the major diving organizations yet; the participants learn directly from the inventor. In the tropically warm swimming pool in Sierksdorf (near Scharbeutz) on the Baltic Sea coast we start with the practices without much of an intro.

The difference in underwater yoga is, on the one hand, that our body, which represents an energy cycle, is completely enclosed by water. This makes you less sensitive to external stimuli.

Michaela Gunther

True to the motto "learning by doing" we start directly with a breathing exercise, which should provide neat relaxation and precede the actual underwater yoga. I'm doing a mat on the water while Michaela is meditating and correcting my breathing. When I wake up after several minutes, I am thrilled. My stress level has eased in no time at 70 percent.

This is followed by apnea exercises freediving are borrowed and I have to hold my breath. “In the apnea phase of underwater yoga, the diving reflex helps us to reach a meditative state very quickly. “It’s kind of a shortcut to meditation,” explains Michaela. Thanks to the relaxation, I can go almost two minutes without breathing - and I'm usually really bad at holding my breath.

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The asanas are performed in underwater yoga with diving equipment

Then we get down to business with underwater yoga: We perform the asanas, i.e. the physical exercises. The devices float on top of the water. We are supplied with air through a regulator with an extra-long hose while we can move freely in the pool. Michaela demonstrates the exercises and I do them. It's not that easy at first because I have to close my eyes. This is very unusual at first, but particularly important! “The underwater yoga class always takes place in the swimming pool. Mainly because of the water temperatures, but also so that participants can close their eyes without worrying about getting “lost,” says the diving instructor.

As we do various underwater yoga exercises that stretch the muscles, I notice how I become incredibly relaxed, mindful and focused. Occasionally a little water runs into my mask, but it's not too bad. The exercises are really fun, I particularly like hovering cross-legged and a handstand exercise. You feel really free and detached!

Underwater yoga experience report – more than just a short-term trend

The UW version of the Far Eastern exercises are not without reason currently in the trend among many divers. "The difference with underwater yoga is firstly that our body, which represents an energy cycle, is completely enclosed by the water. This makes you less sensitive to external stimuli, "explains the instructor. I can confirm that. As soon as we had gone down, I was completely absent during the exercises with my eyes closed. "It's easy to concentrate on the breath underwater, to calm down and indulge in weightlessness with the ups and downs of the breath," says yoga professional Michaela.

It is not without reason that the practices of underwater yoga are so popular. After the course, which lasts approximately one and a half hours, you will feel light as a feather and relaxed. The groups are also kept very small: Michaela Günther gives underwater yoga seminars from one to a maximum of four participants at a time. The demand is great and it is only a matter of time before there are more such offers across Germany. Underwater yoga has so many positive effects on relaxation and concentration that I will probably try the version on land. I'm no longer afraid of making a fool of myself: the participants have to close their eyes during the exercises.

Underwater yoga classes are now taking place in Crete

Meanwhile, the diving instructors Michael and Thomas Günther run one Branch of their diving school nicedive4u on the Greek island of Crete. The diving school in Timmendorfer Strand is still running as usual. If you want to take your underwater yoga course with Michaela Günther, you can have this breathtaking experience in the truest sense of the word with a vacation (or Diving Holidays) in Crete and learn there these groundbreaking techniques for more physical and mental serenity.

Contact to diving school nicedive4u Timmendorfer beach

Michaela and Thomas Günther, Oeverdieker Weg 9, 23669 Timmendorfer Strand

Tel. 04503 / 89 82 48, www.nicedive4u.de, info@nicedive4u.de

Have you tried underwater yoga before? Are there already courses in your region? Share your experiences in the comments.