As Albert Einstein said: “We can not solve our problems with the same level of thinking that created them”.

If this is true, what the world really needs right now is people who have stepped into their creative power. Although there are many ways to activate our greatest gifts and genius, I personally believe float tanks are a brilliant technology that can aid us in achieving this along with physiological benefits noted by doctors and psychologists around the world.

In this article, I will overview a small slice of what the floating world has to offer. In looking at the opening of float tank centers internationally, you may have heard of experiences from friends, family, or colleagues excited about their time “in the tank”. In case you are still wondering what this salty womb of stillness is like, let this be some inspiration for you to try floating for yourself!

Stepping Into The Void

The tank is around 4 feet wide and 8 feet long. A little less than a foot of water that has roughly 800-900 pounds of epsom salts dissolved in the water provides the buoyancy and some of the healing properties. The tank is completely covered and depending on the model, has a swinging door that allows to you choose if you float in the dark or with some light.

It’s hard to imagine being without external stimulation. Our body is always taking cues from our environment. Smells, lighting, shapes, sounds, temperature, and a large chunk of our brain is constantly dealing with balance and coordination.

Once inside, it is one of the closest things to being in the womb or a zero gravity environment. There is no sound, no light, and your skin isn’t stimulated by varying temperatures or movement. When you float, your body and mind can reach a state of complete relaxation likened to several hours of sleep in only an hour or so of tank time.

To Rest Is To Digest

Experiences need to be digested. As a byproduct of the fast paced lives we live, we tend to accumulate sensory stimulation and not get the time to digest or process it. Floating is like de-fragmenting your computer. Afterwards information is more organized and our brain moves towards a more optimized and streamlined state.

Seemingly forgotten knowledge and memories emerge for integration. No matter how much knowledge or how many experiences we have, it can remain unavailable until we are relaxed enough to draw it up into our conscious mind, similar to how we can see the bottom of a river or lake when the water is calm.

I have had several times in the tank when I wished I had a pen to write down the amazing insights that were bubbling up during the last portion of a float session. Luckily for me there was my journal waiting for me after the float!

Super Healing & Super Learning Now At Your Fingertips!

Each person experiences a float differently and each person floats for different reasons. Whatever you are trying to achieve through floating, you will undoubtedly benefit in more ways than one.

With all the resources and energy that are freed up for your mind and body to utilize, it can focus on things that were normally “less” of a priority in the hierarchy of demands we have been placing on our bodies day to day.

Healing can accelerate because there is close to zero gravity on our joints, bones, muscles and nerves. Another added benefit of being in the low stimulation environment is that our blood pressure is reduced, cortisol and adrenaline are reduced and endorphins are increased. It is hard to find one single modality that would cover all of those things!

Any who are interested in higher order learning and attaining greater states of mind should take note: Theta brainwaves, which are associated with creativity, deep relaxation, and free association visuals (also known as hypnagogic imagery), can be attained fairly quickly with floating. Generally, theta brainwaves are attained more frequently by monks through meditation after many years of practice. Increasing your potential to learn even more, brain hemispheres are also more coherent during R.E.S.T. (Restricted Environmental Stimulation Therapy – which is another term used for floating).

The Many Wonders Of Magnesium

One of the most notable effects of the epsom salt solution, is it’s high content of magnesium in the form of magnesium sulfate. The body can not only use the sulfate part of the compound to help release waste products, but also utilizes the magnesium to help relax the muscles, nerves, and benefits a whole array of other body processes. If you have heard people talking about the benefits of an epsom salt bath, well, times that by a hundred!

Most people in the modern world are deficient in magnesium. When you are in a float tank, magnesium is absorbed through your skin, and your body won’t take more than it needs.

So Where Can I Float?

If you would like to experience floating and you live in the Tri-Cities or the Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows area a great place

to check out would be Cloud 9 Float Spa in Coquitlam.  There website is http://cloud9floatspa.com/ and you can visit their Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/cloud9floatspa

For those of you in the Vancouver area, you can head over to Float House here: http://floathouse.ca and visit them on Facebook here: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Float-House/301292479985009

There is a great international list of float tanks and centers here, but by no means is this a complete listing of tanks in the world. Have a look around and there just might be a center opening near you! http://floatationlocations.com/where-to-float/

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