Releasing My Pain Through Floating.
The Physical Freedom I Found In a Pod
Have you ever experienced the feeling of a huge weight being lifted off of your shoulders? Or, even, the feeling of complete relaxation?
In today’s crazy world, the latter is hard to come by; Unless you get caught up in drugs.
Growing up I was diagnosed with Osgood Schlatter’s Disease (the inflammation of the ligament connecting the kneecap to the tibia). My mom was told to give me Ibuprofen and that I needed to wear a knee stabilizer in order to alleviate the pain. I cannot tell you how much Ibuprofen I took growing up.
In high school I fell in love with volleyball, and was forced to wear a large knee brace under my knee pads, just to be able play. By this time, I was now taking Naproxen, a stronger drug that only temporarily helped with the pain and inflammation.
It Got Worse.
When I started getting migraines, about two years ago, I was taking the pain pills almost every day, for even the smallest of headaches. The pills stopped helping after a while, and I was prescribed prescription medicine. One of the meds made me so sick, that I had to stop taking it after only two days. I had finally had enough.
I started researching float therapy, and from the stories I read and the people I talked to, it seemed like it could possibly help. I couldn’t wait to give it a try. When I finally did, I found it helped much more than I had expected- Naturally!
OMG.
I’ll be honest, I was skeptic at first, but I got in. The feeling of being completely weightless, to start, was incredible! And, I didn’t even have to try to float!
My knees, at first, felt stiff, and pain went through them. It was the same with my shoulder, which I had overextended during my senior year in volleyball. After a few minutes, though, my pain was completely gone!
I became very in tune with my body - hearing my heart beat, feeling my breath rushing in and out of my lungs, and even feeling and listening to the food I had eaten (much too recently) be digested. As disturbing as that might sound, I was at peace. I was free from the stresses that had haunted me for so long. My body was able to go through a healing process of it’s own and I started to feel great!
After my float, it was even better. My pain was gone, though it did return a little while later. The world was brighter, and I felt incredible.
When I started floating every week, I noticed that I stopped getting my migraines as often, if even at all. I wasn’t being bogged down by taking the pain pills, either; I rarely needed them.
I would, and do, definitely recommend this to anyone and everyone - whether you suffer from pain or not. I will say, of course, that everyone’s float is unique, so you may find different results. But, for sure, give it a shot! I highly doubt you will regret it.
The Float Tank: A Time Machine to the Present
Floating takes us back to the present. With little to no effort.
When are we most happy? Witnessing the birth of a child, falling in love, or perhaps the moment in which you have achieved a longterm goal. Chances are that if you take a moment to think about it, something wonderful stands out. No matter what it is, at that moment in time you did something that we often don’t do enough. You were living in the moment. Despite whatever else you had going on in the day, nothing kept you from savoring the joy that was taking place before your eyes.
Like a puppy dog running all over the yard in the morning. Our thoughts are almost always in a constant state of motion. But what are we actually thinking about? Most likely it has to do with something that already taken place, or an upcoming event in the future. And it only lasts for a moment, because all of a sudden the phone buzzes, or we are distracted by something else and our thoughts are shifted once again. Well then why do we rarely think about the present, when our most precious moments in life are experienced then?
“8.25 seconds. The average attention span in 2015.”
So the million dollar question is, how does floating fit in to all of this? It doesn’t. And that is exactly why a session inside a float tank can promote deep states of happiness. For an hour (or more) your mind has nothing to distract it. You are completely at peace with your thoughts. At first they come quickly, and it seems like the mind is traveling at 100 mph. But the beauty of a float tank is that when those random thoughts enter, you are actually able to explore them without losing focus. Slowly but surely those ideas begin to slow down, and we are left with ourselves. This is where the magic begins.
Once again we are transported to the present, where we can appreciate the beauty of, the now. The best part about floating, is over time, the ability to slow it down and be in the present becomes even easier. Almost effortless. That stock pile of thoughts that we rarely take the time to rationalize is no more. Floating is beautiful like that.
There are few things in life that I get more joy out of than seeing the look on a persons face after a float. And every time it happens, I am in the present.
Happy Floating,
The Float Master
No Two Floats Are Created Equal.
The beauty of floating is that every float is completely unique, but highly rewarding. See why no two floats are created equal.
Hosting well over 1,000 floats at Regenerate has been amazing! I have come to appreciate that every float is 100% unique, and directly relates to your frame of mind, at that moment in life. Simply put, no two floats are created equal.
Here is a great example. Lets say, Jonathan (or you) has a float scheduled at 6:00pm on a Friday evening after work. Jonathan can not wait to get some float time in after bumper to bumper traffic and a very long week at the office. What do you think Jonathan is seeking from his float? The answer is, one hundred percent uninterrupted "me time."
During his float, Jonathan thinks about his upcoming vacation in Cancun next month and slowly relaxes his body. Jonathan was so relaxed that he even got a chance to catch up on some much needed rest. He feels rejuvenated and is ready to enjoy his weekend off.
One month later, on a Saturday morning Jonathan is back for his next journey into inner space. However this time Jonathan is in a completely different frame of mind. He just proposed to his fiancee in Cancun and received a promotion at work. Life is great! After his float, Jonathan expressed that he was able to get deeper than ever, and actually experienced visualizations in the pod.
One person, two completely different experiences. You see, the beauty in floating is that no matter where you are in life, your mind will go where it needs to. So the next time you float, remember that whatever happens, was meant to be.
Happy Floating,
The Float Master