Many people practice meditation on land but did you know that meditation can be even easier when you’re floating? When people practice normal meditation techniques, they might get distracted by outside noises (what we call external stimuli) and have a hard time staying focused.
When you take the practice to the tank, you are deprived of sound, sight, and movement. The lights are off, the float room is soundproof, and you don’t need to use any added energy holding your body in position. Your mind stays activated on one thing: Your thoughts. Taking away your need to put energy into supporting yourself, as well as to listen to and see everything around you, leaves you no choice but to be comfortable in your own head.
For some, that could be scary, but we have the top five meditation techniques that will support your experience in the tank!
Breathing
Practicing breathwork is one of the fundamentals of meditation. Focusing on your breath is key to concentration and having emotional stability. You might notice when you get excited, happy, angry, or have anxiety, it is your breathing that changes. When you control your breath you can give your mind a starting focal point.
Focus on long, even deep breaths in and deep breaths out. Breathing exercise practices can help reduce stress and anxiety. It can teach you how to regain control when you reach an intense emotion.
When you focus on your breath, you can get in tune with your own energy and then start to get comfortable exploring the tank environment.
Body Awareness
When you are in the tank, it is unlike any environment you have ever been in because all outside distractions are stripped away. You are floating in a vessel that leaves you completely comfortable. Your spine lengthens, muscles relax and there’s no need to hold yourself upright.
We can use our minds to train how we feel when it comes to pain and muscle tension. Practicing a deep breath in and focusing that energy on different parts of your body can get your mind in touch with releasing that pain and tension.
Visualize
When your body is relaxed and your mind is focused on your breath, it’s a perfect time to practice visualization. Visualize what you want, visualize how you feel, visualize your next project outcome. These visuals will enhance your creativity and reveal concepts you couldn’t even imagine would happen.
The trick is to not judge your thoughts and just let them run wild. Lean into what you see and don’t shy away from it. This practice also allows you to learn how to “let go” and just be.
Feel Positive and Open-Minded
Feeling good about your experience in the tank will open up your mind to the potential of the float. You want to make sure you are not closed off to any kind of thought process or feeling that might occur. Come to the tank with a learning perspective and leave with a growth mindset.
Many people say they feel lighter and more excited when they leave the float tank. They have a clearer perspective and reduced stress and anxiety. Essentially, the tank will allow your mind, body, and soul to recharge and reset.
Journal
If you are working on a new project, going into a wrestling match, or simply just want more personal insight and answers, a good tip is to write it down. Journaling outside the tank can help you practice what you want to think about inside the tank.
Journal about how you see things. Journal some questions you might be seeking answers to. Journal the lifestyle you are hoping to achieve and the roadmap to how you will get there. Journal just how you currently feel in your life right at this moment.
Floating can open up new answers, a new perspective, a new way of thinking about how you are going to achieve the goals you’re hoping to achieve. It can show you different avenues and a different way of thinking about your relationships. When you have nothing distracting, you can activate parts of your brain that aren’t normally used because it is “too hard” to get to that place. Floating makes it easy.
After you float, it is important to write down every vision, feeling, emotion, and/or thought that came to you during the float. You can retain information this way and remember or share what you learned. Journaling can act as a good reference point just to spill out your thoughts on a page and clear your head.
Float8 does the best we can to make you feel as comfortable as possible inside the tanks. We want you to have the experience we know will benefit you. Join our wellness lounge community today for a float!
