Effortlessly Floating: Make the Effort

· October 6, 2017 Like
True REST Float Pod

 

Floating sounds great, it’s effortless, right? You strip down, step in, slide back, and BAM- peace. It’s a great idea but perhaps easier said than done. Your first float, maybe your first few, even regular floating, may not be effortless. It takes practice and it can be discouraging to think it should be effortless.

While floating itself can be effortless (the 1,000 pounds of salt helps do that), calming the mind is more challenging.

Effortless

Such thoughts as “Did I get everything I needed to make dinner?” or “Did I remind my partner about that thing we have next week that they don’t want to go to?” may creep into your mind if you’re not putting in the effort to stay present in the pod. On the other hand, there are also those thoughts that happen when you are focusing too much on your surroundings in the pod, “Has anyone actually used this button in here to call the front desk” or “If I start to stretch my leg way over here could I touch my toes for the first time in three years?”

Focusing your thoughts solely on how a float should be effortless can have the opposite effect- causing you to feel frustrated that your mind is racing while the benefit of floating rests in the relaxation aspect. If the goal is to feel effortlessly relaxed than it may seem like you are missing the mark but having racing thoughts doesn’t mean you’re meditating incorrectly – simply watch the thought, recognize you’ve lost focus, and return to counting your breath.

Effort is required for all remarkable things, so why not apply it to the greatest thing you can do for yourself- float.


Tips for relaxing:

  1. Soak in a warm bath (Look you are already doing something like that in the 93-degree pod! Now that you have one down you can certainly master the other tips).
  2. Focus on your breathing. This can help lower or stabilize blood pressure as well as slow down your heartbeat.
  3. Close your eyes. Resting your eyes gives you the opportunity to shut out external thoughts (like touching our toes) and focus inward with less distractions.

Some floats will feel more relaxing than others. Regardless of the variety of physical and emotional responses, one general rule of thumb stands out, the more you float, the better it gets!