floating

My youngest son, 4, learned how to float on his back this week. I know maybe that doesn't sound like much but I was impressed. We went to the pool at the new gym we joined and we saw a little girl floating. I asked if he wanted to try. I attempted to teach him but he wasn't relaxing & would sink over and over. So my oldest son asked me to step aside and in minutes oldest had taught youngest. My oldest realized that the key was relaxing the throat/neck & sticking out the chin...from there the softening of the middle happened & he was floating. At first he needed a hand beneath him as he was getting into position but after a few more minutes he was doing it all on his own, with a huge mellow grin.

I couldn't help but think about how I use the image of floating on top of water to help women through contractions. Suggesting that they make their body soft and open and take up more space, let the sensation lift them up and up and up... And I also thought it funny that the key for my son was relaxing his throat...also so helpful in labor! "What goes above, so goes below".