Flow Like Water: the Power of Water-Based Wellbeing

Water has always been my anchor. As a former elite swimmer, surf school founder, and well-being researcher, I’ve spent a lifetime exploring how being in, on, and around the ocean transforms the way we feel, think, and live. Over the years, through personal experience, academic study, and thousands of hours working with individuals in the water, I’ve discovered something powerful: water doesn’t just refresh us; it recalibrates us.

It restores the nervous system, supports emotional regulation, and reconnects us to a sense of presence that many of us have lost in the noise of modern life.

Why Water Enhances Wellbeing

An increasing amount of research indicates that environments with water can lower stress levels, promote emotional stability, and foster a more tranquil mind. Environmental psychology experts refer to water settings as “restorative environments” because they help us recover from mental overload and regain clarity and mindfulness (Kaplan, 1995; Capaldi et al., 2015).

Research in “Blue Mind” science (Nichols, 2014) emphasises how water's sensory features, such as movement, sound, rhythm, and temperature, aid in calming the nervous system.

In my own published studies with midlife women learning to surf, participants frequently reported feeling more grounded, present, and connected to themselves after time in the ocean. Their experiences align with these broader insights: water draws us into a different mental state, one that is clearer, calmer, and more spacious.

What Happens When We Enter the Water

When we step into water, whether the ocean, a pool, or a peaceful natural setting, our sensory experience shifts instantly. The body becomes buoyant, sounds soften, and our attention narrows to what is immediately in front of us. Researchers describe this as a transition into “embodied attention,” a state where the mind is anchored in the present through movement and sensation.

This embodied shift is vital for wellbeing. Positive psychology and neuroscience indicate that engaging the body in rhythmic, immersive activities creates opportunities for emotional regulation, clarity, and flow (Csikszentmihalyi, 2002; Ryan & Deci, 2017).

In my work with women of different ages and backgrounds, I have observed how even gentle water immersion helps them reconnect with parts of themselves they haven't sensed in years, courage, calmness, curiosity, and sometimes even joy.

Water doesn’t demand performance. It invites presence.

And it’s within this presence that many individuals begin to feel a softening, a return to their true selves.

Why Water Has Been Central in My Life

My connection with water began before I could walk. By nine months old, I was swimming across a pool’s width, with my mum lifting my head for each breath because my neck muscles weren’t yet developed. Water was simply where I felt most at home. It calmed me, made me feel settled, and gave me a sense of belonging I couldn’t find elsewhere.

As a young child, if I couldn’t access a pool or the ocean, I would ask my mum to fill a bucket with water so I could sit in it. I still remember the feeling, the calmness, the silence, the sensation of entering an entirely different world. Even now, when I slip beneath the surface, there’s a moment when everything softens. The noise of the land disappears, sounds become muffled, and all you can hear is your own breath’s rhythm.

It’s a sensory experience that grounds, expands, and deeply regulates.

Over time, water became a constant in my life, as a swimmer, as an adult recreational swim coach, and later as a co-owner of a surf school that has supported thousands of people over more than 25 years. While I didn’t do the technical surf coaching myself, I shaped the philosophy behind how our coaches worked with people. My focus has always been on teaching individuals to feel safe, comfortable, and connected in water, because real learning occurs when we feel grounded in the environment, not overwhelmed by it.

I’ve seen remarkable shifts: people walk into the water carrying stress, overwhelm, or self-doubt, and walk out calmer, clearer, and often lighter.

It wasn’t until I completed my Master of Applied Positive Psychology — including a full year of qualitative research exploring midlife women learning to surf and its impact on their wellbeing — that I truly understood the science behind what I had observed for decades. The findings from this work later became my published, peer-reviewed research paper, “Connecting by Water: An Exploration of Midlife Women’s Participation in Surfing Lessons.” The emotional shifts I witnessed over many years, the calmness, confidence, and clarity, resonated with well-established theories in nature-based restoration, embodied practice, and positive psychology.

For me, water is more than just an environment. It’s a teacher, a regulator, and a reminder of who we are beneath the noise.

This lived experience, combined with my academic understanding, forms the heart of Flow Like Water Academy.

Bringing This Into Flow Like Water Academy

Flow Like Water Academy is the integration of all the threads that have shaped my life, my lived experience in water, my well-being work, and my academic research into how embodied, nature-based practices support psychological health.

The programs I deliver aren’t just about being in the ocean or learning a skill. They are about creating spaces where people can reconnect with themselves through movement, presence, and gentle exploration. Whether we use water, nature, or simple embodied practices, the intention is always the same:

to help people feel grounded, supported, and more connected to who they are.

Water is one pathway into this work, a powerful one, but the principles of flow, courage, restoration, and inner clarity can be cultivated in many environments.

If you’re feeling drawn to reconnect with yourself, explore a new chapter, or simply find a moment of calm in the noise of everyday life, you’re welcome here. You don’t need to be a surfer, an athlete, or even someone who feels confident in the water. You just need a willingness to explore your own flow, at your own pace, in your own way.

Flow Like Water Academy offers approaches grounded in evidence, guided by lived experience, and shaped by a deep belief in each person’s capacity for growth.

If you’d like to learn more or explore upcoming offerings, you’re welcome to reach out or visit the contact page.

References

• Capaldi, C., Passmore, H.-A., & Nisbet, E. K. (2015). Research exploring the connection between nature and human wellbeing. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 12(6), 6268-6283.

• Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2002). Work on flow, attention, and optimal experience. In C. R. Snyder & J. L. Sullivan (Eds.), Coherence in the study of human behavior (pp. 1-20). New York, NY: Academic Press.

• Haslam, S. A., Jetten, J., Postmes, T., & Haslam, C. (2018). Social identity, belonging, and wellbeing. Psychological Review, 125(1), 1-26.

• Kaplan, S. (1995). Attention restoration and the role of restorative environments. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 15(2), 169-182.

• Nichols, W. (2014). Blue Mind: The neuroscience and psychology of water-based environments. New York, NY: Little, Brown and Company.

• Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2017). Self-Determination Theory and the foundations of human motivation. Psychological Inquiry, 11(4), 319-338.

• Barry, K. (2024). Connecting by Water: An Exploration of Midlife Women’s Participation in Surfing Lessons. Annals of Leisure Research, 27(1), 1-20.