The future is blue: how blue mind science can deepen your teaching
‘We are nature, and everything we need is within us’ Professor Leanne Hepburn
Why the future is blue
The term ‘Blue Mind’ was coined by marine biologist Wallace J. Nichols to describe the mildly meditative state we enter when we are in, on or near water; a state of calm, clarity and creativity. Research shows that simply being near water can lower heart rate, reduce cortisol (stress hormone) and increase dopamine, serotonin and oxytocin (our “feel-good” neurochemicals). The effects of being near water and the Ocean can harmonize the nervous system – it can switch it from activated and over stimulated to a state of calm. So cool, right? but why is this? Our connection to water runs deep in our evolutionary story..humans evoloved around coastlines, river valleys, where ever there was water, it offered food and fertile ground for early civilisations. The sight, sound and scent of water still signal security to the nervous system, maybe like a primal sense. Some scientists describe this as aquatic inheritance, a vestige of our species’ long relationship with water, from the amniotic fluid, or even that life itself began in the Ocean over 3.5 billion years ago, do our cells still carry that memory? is it ancestral?
Only last night, I was talking to one of my yogis after class and she commented how since her move away from the view of the river, where she was aware of the tides each day, she feels viscerally different. This was not a recent move, but the feeling is always there, what is this? I am a scientist, and we go on evidence. I don’t believe there is enough evidence to support claims that because the moon moves the tides, we are affected too, as we are mostly water. The science shows a human does not have enough volume of water in their body to have any real effect. Of course, that is not to say we are not affected the cycles of the moon – just that the fact because we are mostly water, does not justify this effect. Anyway, I digress, the point I am making is that blue mind states can really affect your psychology, your mood, your energy, and when it comes to yoga and teaching, being near water can deepen your practice, teaching and the experience of your students.
What the Ocean teaches us as yoga teachers
There are many, but here are four…
1. The only constant in life is change so learn to flow with grace…
The Ocean is constantly changing, yet always holds form. Waves rise and fall, they can be strong and crashing or gently lapping, tides move in and out and currents circulate, moving water across the globe and up from the depths. Earth is a blue planet, a small spherical rock, in a dance with the sun, a cosmic equilibrium of mostly Ocean. The Ocean shapes our weather, climate and sustains life, but it also reminds us that, in the grand rhythm of the cosmos, everything is fluid, interdependent, and in motion. As teachers, we hold the structure (the sequences, the stillness) and invite flow, we aim to keep students present, and we respond to guide them there. We hope that by facilitating more presence in our students, they are more easily adaptable to change, more connected to themselves and therefore all things, and more able to flow through life’s ups and down with grace.
2. There are depths beyond surface..
This is what made me want to be a marine biologist. I would look out at the vast expanse of Ocean, completely fascinated by what could be below. On the surface we see only water and waves; below the surface, there are currents, amazing and sometimes alien-like marine life, thermoclines, reefs and extraordinary biodiversity. In our classes, we often focus on asana and breath, but the deeper layers of practice, embodiment, presence, oneness, peace and belonging; they go far deeper. Not just mind, body, breath, but the understanding that there are deeper layers to access within your students and how to get there through the connection, not just to ourselves, but to nature and our planet.
3. Oneness
There is actually One Ocean, many seas, perhaps, but just One Ocean. In yoga, we teach about oneness and the roots of this teaching are as far back as the Vedas (c.1500-500 BCE), we then have the Upanishads and the teaching that the individual self (Atman) is inseparable from the universal essence (Brahman). This teaching permeates all classical yoga philosophy - we are not separate from each other, or from nature, everything is one interconnected whole, just like the Ocean. Many yoga classes still focus on ‘me, my body, my stretch’, which of course, is valuable, but also, I think, feeds into the modern narrative of separateness. Yoga is oneness, just like the Ocean and everything else…
4. Silence gives voice
When you sit by the sea and hear the waves, you may immediately feel a sense of calm, a sense of the Ocean and the waves drawing your attention, that is because, the Ocean invites a different kind of attention, what Nichols calls ‘involuntary attention’: the mind relaxes, the nervous system shifts from Red Mind (stress, scramble) to Blue Mind (rest, creativity). Alpha wave activity increases, linked to relaxed alertness and creativity. Psychologists call this soft fascination, a state in which attention is effortlessly held, allowing the prefrontal cortex (responsible for planning and worry) to rest and restore. As yoga teachers, when we create a space for deep listening, whether through pranayama, asana, or meditation and when that space is held near water, we tap into this powerful shift. The Ocean, combined with embodied yoga practice, opens the door to deeper flow states for our students. This state relaxes the mind and body, making it easier to access dharana (focused attention). And if meditation is offered at the end of class, this pathway can more readily lead to dhyana (meditative absorption), the deeper layers of awareness and being.
Why This Matters Now
We live in times of ecological urgency but we are endlessly digitally distracted and pulled away from what really matters. The great transformation (sorry I know transformation is overused, but that is what it is!), that is needed to move us towards a regenerative future must happen within us first - we must stop taking the Ocean and nature for granted and pay attention. Yoga helps us pay attention. We are no longer distracted during asana and we are able to find stillness through meditation and pranayama. Through this space that we can layer more depth to our practice and teaching: ecological awareness, regenerative embodiment, connection with water, nature, planet…imagine where this could lead…
For yoga teachers who embody this, your offering becomes distinctive. You cut through the noise. It becomes not just another yoga class or teacher training, you are facilitating a new narrative for society. This is a bold statement, I know, but truly, what will it take for society to change in the deep, meaningful ways that are necessary to prevent more excessive extraction and separateness? I truly believe starting with ourselves and our students, we can create change that ripples out into society, first through awareness, which leads to behaviour change, which in turn leads to opportunities for connection, and therefore less separateness. This, along with the knowledge and confidence to act, has great power to loosen the strings that keep us attached to distraction and separateness. Imagine a world where you are able to teach this – blue wellbeing, and in doing so, grow your business and do even more good in the world…if you are a yoga teacher who loves nature and the Ocean, I mean, why wouldn’t you not?!
If this interests you, please check out The OceanFlow Method, a 50 hour CPD training for yoga teachers starting in February..https://www.bluealchemyacademy.com/oceanflowmethod