Water purifies and regenerates because it nullifies
the past, and restores—even if only for a moment—the
integrity of the dawn of things.1
Mircea Eliade, Patterns in Comparative Religion (1958)
PUDDLES TO OCEANS, SKIN TO BRAIN CHEMISTRY
People are drawn to the sea for respite and restoration, but we’re also dependent on water. Human beings can live for about three weeks without food (if we really must), but usually less than a week without water.2 Water performs most of our crucial physiological functions, including regulating our body temperature, building cells, metabolizing and digesting food, lubricating joints, carrying nutrients and oxygen to our cells, and flushing out toxins.3 We are about 60% water, and it makes up about 31% of our bones and about 73% of our heart and brains.4 The earliest life forms began in water, and, in some ways, because it’s such a major part of our physiology, we never left it.
Drinking water
Get the best water you can, and drink it! Even increasing your water consumption by 1% (one percent!) can lower your daily caloric intake as well as your consumption of fat, sugar, salt, and cholesterol.5 Those of us who have access to potable water have a remarkable healing elixir at our disposal, and we mustn’t take it for granted. When it comes to water, obviously the cleaner and purer the better, and if you’re doubtful about your water, boiling it for three minutes should kill most pathogens.6 I avoid water that comes in plastic bottles for a few reasons:
• According to many reports, unless the source is specified, much bottled water is just packaged tap water.
• I’m concerned about chemicals in the plastic that may leach into the water, particularly BPA (bisphenol A), an industrial chemical used to make many kinds of plastic. It has been linked to heart disease, asthma, and diabetes, among other ailments, and is especially risky for children. When bottled water is the only option seek out BPA-free plastics, metal, or glass.
• Bottled water has often been found to have a higher level of bacteria than tap water, and it seems to me those transparent plastic bottles work as efficient bacteria incubators when left out in the sun.7
• Those plastic bottles are wasteful and often irresponsible because they seldom recycle effectively, yet they must go somewhere—landfills or, worse, our oceans. Ultimately, the green cure relies on our planet being healthy.
Our need for water is about more than just staying hydrated. We’re endlessly fascinated by and connected to it. For example, some 270 million visits are made to English coastlines each year, which is remarkable for a country with a population of 66 million.8 As Wallace J. Nichols, founder of Ocean Revolution, wrote in his brilliant Blue Mind: The Surprising Science that Shows How Being Near, In, On, or Under Water Can Make You Happier, Healthier, More Connected, and Better at What You Do (2014), “water is changing all the time, but it’s also fundamentally familiar. It seems to entertain our brains nicely with novelty plus a soothing regular background.”9
Numerous scientific studies support the idea that just being near a body of water, like being near a green space, is good for body and mind. For example, analysis in 2012 by the University of Exeter found that the closer people lived to the coast, the healthier they tended to be. The researchers also learned that—as with green spaces—the positive impact was especially notable among less affluent socio-economic groups who have fewer opportunities to live near the sea or take holidays there, leading them to find a correlation between life near the shore, lowered stress, and increased exercise.10
Dr. Ulrich, whom we’ve come to know quite well by now, applied his research to views of greenery (see Chapter 1), but others have followed his lead and considered how seeing water scenes or “blue” environments can affect our health. Researchers at the universities of Exeter and Plymouth studied the physical and psychological effects of urban (gray), park and woodland (green), and river and coastline (blue) views on post-menopausal women as they rode stationary bikes for fifteen minutes.11 The affective results—mood and feelings—for the green scenes were similar to those found by our friend Ulrich, and generally low for the urban environments (no surprise there), but the cyclists who were looking at blue scenes reported that the time seemed to go faster and they were more willing to keep exercising.12
Fortunately for the 60% of us who don’t live near a coastline, even periodic visits can help us to flourish.13 Researchers from Kobe University in Japan affirm that we humans thrive in natural environments and that visits to them can reduce stress and provide a sense of restoration, healing the body as we heal the mind. They also found that merely living near the beach isn’t as helpful as stopping to take the time to appreciate the ocean view. Interestingly, there is a bigger impact on women than on men. Their experience of gazing at the sea induced feelings of grandeur, awe, peace of mind, and enchantment.
If you don’t have the opportunity to take a beach holiday, don’t worry: Scientists have linked this understanding to aquariums as well as to ocean views.14 Research was conducted at the National Marine Aquarium in Plymouth, southern England, to find out if looking at biota (plant and animal life) in water affected physical and psychological wellbeing. The heart rate and mood of visitors to the aquarium were monitored as they looked at tanks containing only seawater, at partially stocked tanks, and at fully stocked tanks of fish and marine vegetation. One of the researchers, Dr. Mathew P. White, pointed out: “The first thing to notice is that people relaxed, even watching an empty tank, and the benefits increased as we introduced more fish.”15 This response was especially positive when it came to lowering stress. So, even if you live far from the sea, consider making regular visits to your local aquarium or setting up an aquatic tank of your own. If you have a challenging time keeping fish alive (as my son and I did when we tried it), think about growing aquatic plants instead—varieties of water fern are said to be quite easy—and skipping the fish altogether.
Fun fact: seaweed is a kind of algae, not a plant. It is high in protein, and contains vitamin B12, iodine, potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, sodium, and calcium.16 Each of these is beneficial. Among other things, B12 encourages cell growth, iodine influences nerve and muscle function, potassium and sodium balance fluids in the body, phosphorus and calcium build bones and teeth, and magnesium regulates blood pressure. You can use seaweed for all sorts of things: It’s a nutritious mulch for plants, great for thickening soups and seasoning stocks and salads, and can be a natural source of MSG, that savory umami taste. I like to smash it into tiny flakes, not quite a powder, and use it in rice instead of salt.
Consider foraging for your own! Ocean seaweed is generally safe to consume—whereas most freshwater algae are toxic—but there are a few exceptions, such as lyngbya, featherweed, and acid kelp. There are more than 35,000 types of seaweed, so do some research and be absolutely certain what you’re putting in your mouth or on your skin. (If you’re in doubt, opt for another green cure!)
Three abundant, accessible, and easy options found in the Atlantic Ocean are laver, giant kelp, and sea lettuce.17 I tried harvesting laver—which is similar to nori that is used in sushi and Japanese snacks—because it seemed the least intimidating, and its dark green color made it easy to spot. It’s best to harvest seaweed in cooler weather, because by summer it’s at the end of its growing season and the heat can cause it to rot. Then:
• Make sure you’re gathering from water that is unpolluted.
• Harvest living plants, not the seaweed that has washed ashore and is on the beach.
• Cut about 3–5 in. (7.5–12.5 cm) from the base.
• Wash thoroughly and as soon as possible (to free up any little sea creatures).
• Hang on a clothesline or drying rack in the sun for a few hours. It solidifies quickly!
• When it’s thoroughly dry, store it in a humidity-proof container.
You can use nori as a face mask, as well as eating it, since it’s said to be detoxifying. I tried this with the packaged dried sheets you can get at most health food or Asian specialty stores, but you could use foraged if you’re feeling ambitious. Then:
• Moisten the seaweed in warm water.
• Apply to your face, close your eyes, and imagine you’re on a beach holiday.
• Leave on for about 15 minutes.
• Wash off. If your skin tends toward dryness, apply a little more moisturizer than normal.
If you’re feeling ambitious, add other components to your mask—like kelp, chlorella, aloe, or coconut oil—but be sure to experiment on a small patch of skin on your arm before putting it on your face.
Getting your feet wet
If you’re at the beach—whether you’re harvesting seaweed or not—think about taking off your shoes and socks and getting your feet wet. We all know that standing at the edge of the sea and feeling the cool waves lap at our feet is soothing, and so is the cooling sensation of walking through a cold mountain stream or a clear lake. Most of us have experienced the relief that comes from soaking our feet after a long day of standing or exercising.
Footbaths can soothe muscles and joints, but it turns out they may also ease our minds. Three times a week for four weeks, Japanese researchers gave footbaths and leg massages to psychiatric patients with schizophrenia, and measured the effects. The patients became more physically relaxed, which probably won’t be a shock to most people. But what’s fascinating is that the treatment was also successful in ameliorating their psychiatric symptoms.18
In a study of young women who were students at a nursing college in Nagano, Japan, a test was done to see what the effect of adding essential oil of lavender to footbath water had on the autonomic nervous system, the network responsible for our unconscious bodily functions, such as heartbeat, digestion, and breathing.19 The women soaked their feet for ten minutes both with and without the lavender oil. The parasympathetic—calmer, “rest and digest”—nerve activity increased, regardless of whether the water had oil in it or not, even without the benefit of leg massage.
Take the plunge
If you’re near a body of water, try taking a dip or a glide. It’s common knowledge that swimming is great exercise, and so are boating or paddleboarding.
When we’re on a board or in a kayak, not only are we moving our muscles and strengthening our lungs, we’re also applying mental focus to stay upright—improving balance and concentration—and we’re directly connected to the psychological healing of being with water.
If you don’t have a boat or a wetsuit, or the time to gather the equipment, try walking in water: It’s better exercise than walking on land, because we’re working against the water’s resistance. This form of exercise is especially recommended for people with arthritis or limited abilities, for whom swimming laps is not a possibility. Plus, your feet get a nice massage as a bonus!
Since time began, humans have been taking baths. The Romans built elaborate thermae, the ancient equivalent of the modern gym, with exercise rooms, massages, and heated water for cleaning and soaking. Many of these structures—the Baths of Caracalla in Rome, the eponymous Bath in England, and Varna in Bulgaria—still exist. Other cultures have followed suit, and the Japanese, Turks, and Swedes historically all had, and still have, elaborate bathing systems.
To bathe in nature, consider visiting a hot spring if you can. From Yellowstone National Park in the United States to the healing waters of Safaga, Egypt, Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia, or Antsirabe, Madagascar, immersion in warm, mineral-laden water has been shown to heal or ease muscle and joint pain, including arthritis, and to alleviate eczema and other skin conditions, and digestive disorders, especially when it’s rich in sulfur.
Sometimes baths are used to heal the spirit, and pilgrims trek to water sources across the globe. Devotees of the Virgin Mary journey to partake of spring water in Lourdes, France, which they believe will heal their ills; millions of Muslims stop at the Well of Zamzam in Saudi Arabia while performing the hajj to Mecca; and Hindus seek out the Ganges River in India for spiritual purification. The ability of some these waters to heal us physically may come from their beneficial mineral content or soothing temperature, but no matter the pilgrim’s destination or aspiration, there’s something to be said for shared belief in a cure and a community directed toward a common effort.
Even if you can’t travel, there are plenty of good things about taking a bath in the comfort of your own home. Immersing yourself in water can be relaxing—think a warm soak after a long day, or a cooling dip in a lake on a summer’s afternoon. It’s commonly used after working out to prevent muscle stiffness, but it may also be an effective method of pain relief.20 Tom B. Mole of the University of Cambridge and his colleagues have found that a quick swim in icy water may ease persistent pain after surgery almost as well as analgesics or physiotherapy. Although more research is needed, it’s possible that the shock of diving into cold water stimulates the sympathetic (“fight or flight”) nervous system, causing the body to respond to the sensation of cold instead of to that of pain, thus providing relief. Perhaps by overshadowing the pain with this frigid blast, the cycle is broken. This could be especially helpful for nerve pain, which is notoriously difficult to treat.
It even turns out that hot baths may be a way to receive some of the positive benefits of exercise. Scientists at Loughborough University compared the impact of an hour-long soak in a hot bath (104°F/40°C) on metabolic fitness and calories burned with that of an hour of cycling.21 It turns out that although cycling burns more calories than bathing, the hot baths still resulted in the equivalent caloric output of a half-hour walk—about 140 calories! Hot baths also lowered blood sugar after eating and, more importantly, seemed to lower chronic inflammation, the body’s response to infection, wounds, and diabetes.
Or you can try both. Alternating hot and cold baths is the foundation of a technique called contrast bathing, which is especially popular in Iceland and Scandinavia. The effect of immersing oneself in hot water and then cold, like having a cold dip after a sauna, is similar in principle to alternating hot and cold packs after an injury. The hot water increases blood flow throughout the body, while the cold constricts blood vessels, increasing local blood circulation in individual muscles.22 Alternating hot and cold may also increase lymphatic flow and even improve the function of the immune system.23
Some of this positive effect isn’t from the temperature at all, but from the gentle pressure of being under water, so choose whichever method works best for you.24
Chasing waterfalls
Remember negative ions, the oxygen molecules we read about in Chapter 7 that make us feel so good after rain? According to researchers from Paracelsus Medical University in Salzburg, Austria, a wonderful way to get a generous dose of those positive vibes is by visiting a waterfall, especially one at high altitude.25 The falling water amps up the ionization, creating an aerosol effect that has positive psychological effects, lowering stress, and boosts the immune system. So, if you’re fortunate enough to live near Iguaçu, Vitoria, Niagara, or Angel Falls, or even if you come across a mountain stream with a small descent while you are out forest bathing, make sure to spend some time nearby and experience the benefits!
Even thinking about that wonderful sound of rushing water is relaxing. I’ve heard people hypothesize that it’s because it replicates the sound we hear in the womb. It may also be because our brains interpret sounds as threats (think thunder or alarm clocks) or comforts (think summer rain or waves lapping at the shore), according to Orfeu Buxton, an associate professor of biobehavioral health at Pennsylvania State University. Repeated soothing sounds create a sense of ease, he explains: “It’s like they’re saying: ‘Don’t worry, don’t worry, don’t worry.’”26
You don’t need to live near the ocean or even know how to swim to find healing through water. Consider adding a water meditation to your selfcare practice.
My Zen teacher and friend Bonnie Myotai Treace of Hermitage Heart in Asheville, North Carolina, teaches a simple and beautiful water-bowl meditation. She describes it as “a way of shaping mind and heart, recognizing our intimacy with life.”
• Fill a small bowl with water.
• Put it in a place that is meaningful to you—an altar if you have one, or on the sill of a window with a favorite view, or even on your desk.
• Top up the bowl whenever it gets low, or every day if you’re not in a situation where water is scarce. Some people use snow in winter.
• Every time you fill the bowl, think about these words: I offer this fresh water in recognition that my body and the body of all things are water. We are one thing even as we are different expressions. I vow to live this day in this wisdom, with kindness and generosity.
If you’d like to experiment with something more elaborate, try a water-bowl offering based on a traditional Tibetan technique, taught by a Buddhist teacher trained in a Tibetan lineage and whom I work with and admire, Dr. Miles Neale.
• Gather seven small bowls or containers.
• Arrange them on an altar or in a place that has meaning for you, in a line, separated one from the other by the length of a grain of rice.
• Hold one of the bowls, fill it with water, and present it as an offering.
• Pour water from the first bowl into the second, from the second into the third, and so on. As you do, imagine you’re transforming the liquid step-by-step into sacred materials:
1. Water to refresh
2. Water to bathe
3. Flowers to delight
4. Incense to perfume
5. Light to illuminate
6. Scented oil to ease
7. Food to nourish.
If you wish, you can incorporate sounds—music, affirmation, prayers, or mantra—or a candle to symbolize bringing light into the world.
Neale explains that the idea behind this practice “is based on the science of karmic causality—cause and effect—not dogma or rote. The power of creative imagination to influence our neurobiology is well documented, and so an ordinary act of offering water can be transformed into an extraordinary act of offering sacred substances. The brain registers the potency whether the action is real or imagined. The ritual then becomes a sacred skill training of openheartedness that optimally changes your mind and affects future perception.”
Or, simply sit by your favorite body of water or even look at a glass of tap water, and meditate on these words, often attributed to the Lebanese-American poet Kahlil Gibran: “In one drop of water are found all the secrets of the oceans.”
