Just Float

I tried something new this week…I floated.

I’m talking about floatation therapy.  Great for stress management, pain management, sleep issues and much more.  If you haven’t heard of it, it is a wonderful experience of complete relaxation and meditation, mixed with a bit of a nap.  At least that was my experience.

It starts with a shower, then climbing into an enclosed pod that is approximately 8 feet long, 3 feet wide and 4 feet tall.  The pod contains 10 inches of very salty water…saltier than the dead sea.  Inside the pod it is quiet and dark.  The water is the same temperature as your skin, so you aren’t warm or cold (perfect for Goldilocks).  You lay back and float.  That’s all there is to it.  The water is so incredibly salty that you don’t have to think about floating…you just do. 

I found that I was so excited to just get in and start, that I barely even looked around the pod, I think I actually closed my eyes before I even laid back.   So what was it like?  Well, at first, I struggled to relax.  I became very mindful of my body, realizing every place I was still holding tension.  As I slowly relaxed, my back started to ache…as if it wasn’t used to the lack of muscle tension.  I felt every sensation in my body, until eventually I felt very little.  My body was in a state of complete relaxation...I barely felt the water, because the temperature was so similar to my body temp.  And because I was floating, there was no areas of pressure from laying on a surface…it was like being weightless…without gravity.  For a while I felt a connection to my body that I had never felt before…I enjoyed a sensation of relaxation beyond words.  Then very slowly I drifted away from my body.  I was still in a complete sense of relaxation, but with no sight (it was dark and my eyes were closed), no sound other than my heartbeat and no feeling, I lost that sense of connection to my body.  At that time I truly understood that we are spiritual beings, simply inhabiting a body for a time.

I spent 90 minutes floating in this tank.  I didn’t move a muscle…I just floated.  I had assumed my mind would be very busy, but it was quiet.  I floated in what I must say, was the deepest meditation I have ever experienced.  As my body continued to relax, I would occasionally notice a twitch…in an arm or a leg…but  it felt so different than the twitches I get when lying in bed at night.  I did eventually dose…slipping between meditation and sleep very easily…never moving, never opening my eyes. 

When my 90 minutes came to a close, music started to play…a subtle and relaxing way to bring my attention back to the here and now.  I slowly removed myself from the pod, showered again (I was covered in salt residue) and went back to the world, more relaxed and at peace than I have ever been.

If you live anywhere near the Rochester area, I highly recommend you check out The Rochester Bodymind Float Center (www.bodymindfloatcenter.com).  If you live elsewhere, go online and find something similar near you!   You won't be disappointed!

Namaste and happy floating -

Tracy