Ian Fends off New Year Sluggishness…

‘The first sixty years are the worst,’ Patrick MacDonald used to say about learning the Alexander Technique.  A change of your inner direction as a constant in life is a long and difficult process. ‘Don’t hold your breath’, my own teacher often advised, and this had a double meaning.

This morning (January 5th 2015), getting back to a routine after Christmas, I was walking my dog Ned along the Ceredigion Coast path from one village to another, struggling against a slippy, muddy path. I gave up and turned round for a brisk stroll along the whole of Penbryn beach, which looked magnificent from above.

There’s something special about Penbryn, about 10 miles north of Cardigan.  The sand is soft and clean and the waves often seem to sit up and beg before foaming gently at the shore.

Today we had it all to ourselves. But as I strode along, aware of the arm/ leg cross patterns at work, even with the energising sound of the sea, I couldn’t find an upward direction. I needed to wake myself up and get myself going and it wasn’t happening.

So I stripped down to my underpants and dived in. No gear, no swimming technique. Just a plunge and a glide, total immersion. 5 metres out and 5 metres back.

Cold, life affirming, stimulating and fun. 10 seconds is all you need.