An essential insight for mastering any challenging skill is that every brief, but thrilling, spurt forward will be followed by a much longer plateau slightly higher than the previous one. True Masters learn to “love the plateau,” continuing to practice enthusiastically even as they seem, on the surface, to be stagnating. While you may mistake those occasional upward surges as the only time progress is occurring, on a deep cellular level, learning and adaptation are constant, whenever you’re challenging your body with tasks that require intense concentration.
And true Masters keep practicing primarily for the rewards of practice itself. Rather than becoming frustrated by your seeming lack of progress, learn to appreciate your daily routine, just as much as you are thrilled by the occasional breakthrough. Just as Zen practice does, your swimming practice can bring peace and serenity by filling the space usually occupied by the problems and distractions of your external life.
Every time I enter a pool, I enjoy a blissful sense of well-being, because I can always do exactly what I want. I may get an electrifying moment of new insight once or twice a year, but the “routine” between those moments is still satisfying because I feel I am never more fully myself than when working on Mastery. The pleasure I have gained from Total Immersion swimming has drawn me to other activities— rowing, yoga, cross-country skiing—that offer similar opportunities for incremental improvement through mindful practice. Together they provide an encouraging sense that, even in my fifties, I’m improving steadily as an athlete.
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