ABOUT FLOATING

It was 1980 when the film Altered States floated into cinemas and catapulted William Hurt into the spotlight. The flick did more than make Hurt famous. It made people aware of flotation tanks. Even though flotation tanks are completely enclosed containers, today's tanks are much simpler and not intimidating at all. The door is very lightweight and has no latches of any kind. You get in and out on your own. Once inside, the 8 foot long 4 foot wide 4 foot high space seems roomy enough and not claustrophobic, you can sit up comfortably when ever you choose. The enclosure contains just 10 inches of water (no fear of drowning here) and an incredible 800 pounds of Epsom salt to keep you buoyant, so you rest without gravity impacting your body. You will float effortlessly in the high-density saline solution. With no light, sound or other distractions, the mind and body enjoy a uniquely rejuvenating experience. (Our tank does have a dim pool light you can turn on from inside the tank if you so choose. But once you are familiar with floating the ideal condition is in the dark.) The water is heated to 96.0 degrees Your body, the water and air all become the same temperature so you find you can't tell where one begins and one ends. Your mind does not have to deal with sight, sound or gravity so it can expand to other possibilities. Some of the beginning experiences have been compared to being back in the womb, floating through space, or visions of swirls of colors just to name a few.. Scientists estimate that our brain "wastes" about 90% of its energy every day on sifting and filtering out a barrage of "junk" information and external sensory input. So the fact that you're not able to see or hear anything in the tank is significant. In this environment a floater's mind will often enter a dreamlike state in which some recall vivid memories, have sudden insights or bursts of creativity, some people even work with lucid dreaming or out of body experiences. With the mind most receptive to suggestion in this state, many people listen to hypnotic or foreign-language tapes while floating. Floating isn't just about freeing the mind; for some, the tank frees the body from tension and offers relief from injuries. Floating can soothe the muscle damage by releasing lactic acid buildup, many athletes float after achieving the "burn" at the gym. People also float to seek relief from carpal tunnel syndrome, arthritis, fibromyalgia, and other pain says Lynette Anderson of the Floatation Center in San Francisco. "It allows the muscles to open up because lactic acid is removed; it allows blood to get circulated into areas that would otherwise be restricted. Blood carries oxygen, oxygen is healing." As you float, your organs are also resting. There's no tension anywhere, so your organs, including your heart, don't have to work as hard. Studies have shown that while floating in the float tank you can more easily reach the Theta brain wave zone...that semiconscious state that you experience in the process of falling asleep or waking up. This is the zone that Zen meditation masters are able to reach and stabilize in, only after many years of intense training. Even inexperienced floaters reach it without any training at all. This deep state of relaxation can be even more beneficial than sleep. In this relaxed state your body can attend to nurturing and repairing, by lowering your muscle tension, blood pressure, heart rate and oxygen consumption. It can strengthen your immune system, alleviate pain and speed healing. Stress hormones and chemicals such as adrenaline, and cortisol are removed from your blood stream and are replaced by endorphins. What is nice is that all of these biological and biochemical changes occur on their own as natural response to your super relaxed mind and body, with no training or prior knowledge required whatsoever. Benefits from multiple floats are cumulative because your mind and body learn how to relax even deeper with every float.