My restless mind has never been good at meditating. Sitting still, I can manage. Sitting still and switching my brain off? That’s a whole different story.
Meditating for even 15 minutes usually means running a monologue in my head — did I switch off the gas? Why are the cats meowing in the background? Is this done yet? Oh, shoot, I need to bring my awareness back to my breathing! Which rather defeats the purpose of the exercise. So I was thoroughly surprised when I tried underwater meditation in a pool and for the first time, actually managed to tune out and tune into silence.
Given how much meditation relies on breathwork, doing it underwater sounded almost paradoxical. How does one breathe if you’re underwater? The answer became clear as the session began: a five-foot-something pool, a mask, a weighted vest and an oxygen cylinder with a regulator (not quite the mystical underwater escape I imagined, but then again, snorkelling's the closest underwater activity I’ve experienced).
Under the guidance of Dr Arpit Bansal, a surgeon who developed an underwater meditation practice inspired by the concept of ‘blue mind’ (more on that later), I went in, the regulator held firmly between my teeth. I slowly sank to the bottom of the pool.
Within seconds, the sounds around me muffled and familiar distractions drowned away. No phone to check, conversation to follow or room to scan. Just my breathing, the water around me and Arpit’s voice through bone-conduction earphones. For the first time without trying, I was hyperaware of my breathing, floating between sitting and lying on my stomach on the pool floor, with nowhere to be and nowhere to go.
How underwater meditation works
According to Dr Bansal, the way the body responds to being underwater may be part of what makes the experience different from conventional meditation. “Most meditation practices ask the mind to calm the body. With underwater meditation, I find that the body often becomes calm first and the mind follows.”
On land, meditation often felt like an instruction for my brain to stop thinking. Underwater, my environment was doing the work for me instead.
There is also a physiological component. When the face comes in contact with cool water, it can activate the mammalian dive reflex, which can slow the heart rate. Combined with slow, controlled breathing, this may contribute to a sense of physical calm.
Professor Kanishka Sharma, cognitive neuroscientist at Rishihood University, classifies underwater meditation as ‘focused attention (FA) meditation’, which means attention is anchored to one specific target: the breath. “It basically trains your brain and mind so that you can hold your focus on a single target.” The brain is essentially learning what to focus on and what to ignore.
Sharma explains that the thalamus processes incoming sensory information, while the frontoparietal network helps direct the brain’s attention, almost like a spotlight. With repeated practice, these networks may become more efficient at filtering out distractions and staying focused. Alpha brain waves are also associated with certain states of attention, in relation to emotional regulation. Over time, neuroplasticity may help make this ability to regulate attention more efficient.
The benefits
Neurologist Dr Swetha Adatia explains that much of our everyday mental restlessness comes from the sheer volume of information our brains are constantly processing. “Underwater, much of that input disappears almost at once. Sound becomes muffled, light becomes soft and diffused and the body is supported by the water, so the muscles and balance systems that normally keep you upright have far less work to do. The brain has much less to predict and respond to and when the input drops, the chatter has less fuel.”
My mind wasn’t empty; it was just at ease. According to Dr Adatia, meditation itself has been associated with lower stress and anxiety, improved emotional regulation and better attention, while slow breathing can support the body’s relaxation response. Water immersion and sensory reduction may amplify some of these effects.
Psychologically, Archana Singhal, counsellor, family therapist and founder of Mindwell Counsel, describes the experience as a kind of temporary mental timeout. “The world around us can have a powerful impact on our minds, more than we think. Even when we sit down to meditate, familiar sounds, thoughts, phones, sounds of the home, conversations, work-related thoughts, and obligations surround us on land.”
It was only when I was nudged to resurface that I realised how unusual the experience had been. It was the first time I wasn’t waiting for the session to end. For those 15 minutes, I was just breathing. And somehow, that was enough to quiet my busy mind.
The ‘blue mind’ theory
I've always been a water baby, so perhaps it wasn't surprising that I found calm beneath the surface. But I wondered if there was more to it. Dr Bansal points to the ‘blue mind’ concept, popularised by marine biologist Wallace J. Nichols to describe the calm, mildly meditative state many people experience when they are near, in, on or under water.
While the experience may sound like scuba diving or freediving at first, the intention is quite different. “Firstly, open water is a completely different environment — currents, temperature, depth and visibility all introduce additional risks,” says Dr Bansal. “Scuba is usually about exploration. You’re looking around, moving and experiencing the underwater environment. Underwater meditation is deliberately different. There is nothing to achieve and nowhere to go. You settle comfortably, breathe and allow yourself to be still.”
Curious about what meditating in open water might feel like, I reached out to Alex Julie, a meditation teacher and founding director of UMI, a non-profit organisation that conducts underwater meditative immersions. “Our programs begin in the pool, learning the skills we will need to really let go while remaining safe and relaxed underwater,” he explains. Out in the open ocean, the experience becomes more dynamic.
“We return to the same spot beside the reef, watching the current move through the sea fans and sand, becoming more attuned to the ocean and our surroundings. Over time, this creates space to slow down, listen and reflect.”
For all its appeal, the science behind underwater meditation is still developing. “What I have seen personally is that people start recognising the feeling of calm more easily. They have a reference point. They know what it feels like when their body is not constantly switched on,” says Dr Bansal.
While there is established research around meditation, controlled breathing, water immersion and so-called blue spaces, underwater meditation itself remains a relatively new area of study. Dr Adatia also cautions against assuming water affects everyone equally. For someone anxious or uncomfortable in water, immersion could amplify stress rather than calm. Singhal also stresses that it shouldn't be considered a substitute for mental health treatment.
Coming up for air
I wouldn’t say underwater meditation has suddenly turned me into someone who can sit cross-legged for 20 minutes without thinking about whether I have left the gas on. But it did make me reconsider my wavering faith in meditation.
Singhal believes that the more useful takeaway may be learning what produced that feeling of quiet in the first place. The idea is to recognise the conditions that helped us find stillness, then recreate small moments of them in everyday life. Not necessarily underwater, but perhaps somewhere a little quieter, with fewer distractions and nothing demanding our attention.
Disclaimer: My session took place in a controlled pool environment under professional supervision and safety protocols. Underwater meditation or breath-holding exercises should not be attempted alone. Rapid or excessive breathing followed by breath-holding can be dangerous and can lead to loss of consciousness underwater.
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