You all know by now my self-professed obsession with water, more specifically – salt water. . . So you can imagine my surprise and delight when I landed myself in a floatation tank on the weekend! #jackpot
Yes that’s right – a tank you float in.
Just myself, naked, floating in a private pod surrounded by darkness. It was pure Heaven.
Every time I swim at the beach I end my session with a little float sesh – I lay on my back and stare up at the sky and clouds, I feel the support of the sea carry me. I am reminded of the endless guidance and support that this universe offers. I am so grateful for that feeling in that moment (there’s usually a huge smile is plastered across my face too).
Why are we humans so drawn to the ocean?
Because our subconscious mind instinctively wants to return to the specific vibrational state of the ocean from which we once emerged. This is where we can return to recharge our batteries and regenerate.
This is actually the second time I’ve tried a float tank – the first was in Queenstown while travelling through the South Island of New Zealand a few years back. It was the strangest, and yet most blissful thing I have ever experienced. I truly floated away to another world. So I was so excited to hear of one opening up here so I could finally return to that world again.
Here’s what the experts have to say about this strange and wonderful technique:
Floatation therapy is a luxurious escape from the constant stress of life’s daily pressures and a natural way to heal the body and mind. 350 kgs of Epsom salt is dissolved into the spa bath of skin temperature water to create a buoyancy twice that of the Dead Sea. The water is heated to 34.5 celsius (the same as your skin) which means your body can’t tell where the water starts and the body ends.
Both lightproof and soundproof, this peaceful space frees you of gravity, noise, and other distractions. So with no sensation of touch, sight, sound, taste and a very small sense of smell you are left with your mind.
As if in deep meditation, your body and mind achieve calmness, entering into a theta brain wave state resulting in a profound state of relaxation. When combined with the zero-gravity environment, the floatation allows your body and mind to enter into its deepest state of relaxation – not found anywhere else on earth.
The benefits on the body and mind are endless; reduces pain and inflammation, increases blood flow, deep relaxation, de-stress, increased muscle recovery, lowers cortisol and adrenal levels, increases well being AND fights gravity. . . but all that aside, in short – it makes you feel damn GOOD!
I floated for an hour, and it was pure bliss. You can actually feel and witness your body slowly starting to relax; the first ten minutes my body still tried to actively float, then I gently started melting into it, my neck relaxed allowing my head to roll back into the water – and I felt completely and utterly supported, as if floating in space.
As my body relaxed, my breathing slowed, and my mind stilled. The outside world melted away along with my to-do list, worries and concerns. I was able to feel completely connected to myself, all I could hear was the sound of my own breath. I witnessed my breathing, meditated, said affirmations, focused on different chakras, and at one point even played – pushing myself off the edge like a ping pong ball and then waiting to feel the other side, enjoying the sensations of feeling completely weightless. This is the closest to space travel I think I’ll ever get!
I left the tank feeling so much lighter than when I entered. My muscles felt free – rid of all the lactic acid that had been building up, my skin and hair felt so soft, and my mind felt as clear and still as a pond. I felt super relaxed yet energised.
What a beautiful way for us to truly be with our selves.
Don’t have a floatation tank handy? No worries – jump into the nearest ocean, or pour some epsom salts into a hot bath at home. If you’re not keen on the water then a salt lamp will do nicely.
Do something to pamper yourself – remember, this body is the only place you have to live.
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