FLOATATION THERAPY

Although first-time floaters might feel shy about entering the float room naked, floating in the nude is the most effective way to enjoy the benefits. However, bathing suits are certainly permitted, but the way they pull on your skin will likely detract from the experience. Floating naked allows you to experience complete sensory deprivation.

Your breath can be an amazing tool for calming the mind and relaxing the body. Try to breathe primarily from your nose. At first, you can consciously take deep breaths, but once you settle into your experience try less to manipulate the breath and more just observing the breath. Your body will always remember to breath, there is no need to control your breath.

There are only two real positions in the room: with your arms at your side, palms down; arms over-head with your palms up. Play around with the two to see which feels better for your body. Also, try to position your body in the middle of the room to avoid “ping-ponging” from side to side. To do this, brace your arms and legs against the sides of the room to position your torso in the middle. Once you feel the water to be calm, slowly and evenly retract your limbs back to the mid-line of your body.

Don’t “try” to do anything in the room, don’t force something to happen, don’t expect something to happen; this is the exact opposite direction from where you may want to go while in the room. You will not fall asleep necessarily, just be present. Repetition of a focus word such as “peace”, “relax”, or “let go” spoken in your mind in unison with your exhalation can help at first, but the message here is to just let go of conscious control.

Being physically still by finding a comfortable position and remaining there combined with stilling your mind either through breath awareness or a focus word (mantra) can lead you into a state of holistic stillness. This can generate the perception of timelessness, your state of being will be extremely relaxed and this is when the body is in a state of healing.

With external stimuli at a minimum, your nervous system will turn up the volume to try and sense anything. Since there is still “nothing” coming in there is a great opportunity to simply sense whatever is left to be felt within your internal body. Feel your arms, legs, torso, head, as intensely as possible. Cultivate as much sensitivity to these parts as possible. Feel the energetic uniformed consistency of these parts and observe them without judgment, without limits. Most importantly, you should observe your thoughts, emotions and sensations.