If you know me, being still is not my forte. I can’t even sit through a movie. That’s why a yoga practice is important to me. It helps me to be still and focus. But there’s a magical place where I was MOSTLY still for an hour, without twisting myself into a pretzel. I floated at Stillwater Float Center in Downtown Boise.
The experience forced me to slow down, stop, and change my thinking. You are in a pod of super-salted, warm water. No phone. No one talking to you. A little bit of relaxing music at the beginning along with low lights. Then darkness.
I’ve heard people refer to the float pods as sensory deprivation tanks. That’s not a good way to describe the experience. Your senses are heightened during the experience, not deprived.
You can’t NOT float because the water is loaded with Epsom salts. It takes some getting used to, but by the third float, your body figures it out.
It’s meditation without distraction. Time to sort through your thoughts. Or leave thoughts behind. I used my time to focus on things nagging at me and imagine them floating away from me.
The warm water encourages you to relax, and once you find that sweet spot of letting the water support you, your muscles appreciate leaving that job behind.
Housekeeping note: You take a shower before you get into the water.
My tips: bring a swimsuit and bag to put it in when finished. Use the provided ear plugs, not for shutting out sound, but for shutting out the salt. Use the petroleum jelly to seal any little cuts you might have, because the salt may sting. Shower off completely when it’s over, or you will be encrusted with salt. Make another appointment a week or two after your first. The second float gives you more time to find clarity because you already know the routine.
And this is the best part:
*Stillwater provided me with complimentary floats so I could share the experience with you ~Debbie