The Mindful Art of Wild Swimming: Reflections for Zen Seekers

Tiempo de Mirar

by Tessa Wardley

"Tessa Wardley is a keen and knowledgeable guide” - Times Literary Supplement

The Mindful Art of Wild Swimming explores how swimming in rivers, lakes, and seas is the very epitome of conscious living. Zen-seeker Tessa Wardley reconnects the physical and spiritual cycles of life to the changing seasons and flow of wild waters worldwide and leads the reader on to a mindful journey through the natural world. With expert insight and personal anecdote, she shares a sparkling clarity on why our relationship with open water is so fundamental to pure wellbeing, and reveals how wild swimming can be the ultimate Zen meditation.

Genres: Nonfiction, Nature, Sports

144 pages, Hardcover

Published September 15, 2017

About the author

Tessa Wardley is an environmental professional and serial mini-adventurer.

With an academic background in Marine and Freshwater Biology Tessa has worked for the UK’s Environment Agency, in global water environmental consultancy and is currently employed by the UK’s Department of the Environment (Defra).

Getting into the outdoors for adventures to feed the soul has always been a major driver in Tessa’s life. Tessa lives in the belief that every new day and every new place is an opportunity to lace up and run or jump in and swim; to explore places through new paths and trails - she would never consider packing a bag without including running shoes and swimming costume. Tessa gets into the outdoors whenever and wherever she can and regularly competes in adventure races and open water swimming events reaching deep into the wilderness areas of the UK.

Tessa lives with her husband, four children and large, hairy, daft dog who accompany her and add to the mini-adventures of life; happily they also subscribe to the importance of nature to their health and wellbeing.

When not actively involved in outdoor adventures, working or hanging out with her family, Tessa is writing books inspiring others to engage with the natural world for their health and wellbeing and the wellbeing of our planet. Her books include: The River Book, The Woodland Book, The Countryside Book, The Mindful Art of Wild Swimming and Mindful Thoughts for Runners.

Reviews

[Kim Miller]

This sweet little book has given my new wild swimming obsession a mindful twist. It would have been 5 ⭐️ except the format distracted me. (I wanted the boxed content to come at the start or end of sections.)

[Rachel G]

This was pretty boring, I didn’t get the references to seasons and badly written. Referring to water as HO2 was a low point to me, why didn’t an editor pick up on that?

It did inspire me to do a sea swim today though so it wasn’t all bad.

[Debs Erwin]

A beautiful book in terms of content and the cover/binding. A lovely companion piece for reflecting on the significance of taking to open waters for our bodies, minds and souls.

[Kate]

It is a beautifully illustrated and laid out but I found it quite boring to read. It didn't really add much to my current experiences of wild swimming. It also quite worryingly doesn't pay much attention to the safety considerations needed when swimming in cold water.

[Sandy]

Excellent little easy to read book for those of you who recognize the meditative qualities of swimming in the real world, not in some concrete box in the back yard or the sports complex.

A gem.

[Sally Grice]

Did enjoy the lovely descriptions of wild swimming and it certainly made me want to go for an icy dip soon! Felt a little samey by the end.

[Jennifer]

A beautiful little book. Serves as an introduction to both wild swimming and mindfulness, as well as combining the two. A bit like torture reading this now, as I don't live anywhere near any swim spots (although the 1 foot deep stream nearby is looking more appealing by the day...). Dreaming of the hazy summer swim days to come when all this is over!

[Papallona Lila]

I couldn't get involved with this book. I liked the content but the structure took me out of the book. There is no compelling story linking to the content.

No pude involucrarme con este libro. Me gustó el contenido pero la estructura me sacó del libro. No hay una historia atractiva que enlace el contenido.

[Suz Archibald]

An excellent book, written in a really fluid and engaging style. As someone who’s very new to wild open water swimming I found the tips and mindfulness techniques absolutely amazing. Love this book and the ‘further reading’ book recommendations at the end that Tessa makes look great too!

[Shane Skelcy]

In many ways this book is a manual on how to live a mindful life with its main focus on doing so through the art of swimming. I felt that I needed a more personal connection with the author, but distance may have been the point of the writing.

[Danny Smith]

Nice little read.

[Lisa White]

Lovely book to revisit and dip into

[Gretchen Heckel]

I love swimming and this was an accurate description as to why with tips on making it a more therapeutic experience

[Andrea]

Anyone who loves swimming will enjoy this book. It highlights the physical and mental benefits of swimming. I loved the mindfulness exercise on page 52 to "swim like an otter"!