Why I float
A couple years ago I thought I’d give meditation a try to manage stress. I had noticed that I would experience periods of hyper-productivity followed by a crash that would sap my energy and motivation. It was frustrating and it happened pretty regularly. At some point I had come to the realization that any unhappiness I was experiencing was being generated by my own mind. That realization was key, because if I had a better understanding of my own mind, I would have more control over its state.
So, meditation right? Just sit there and try to think of nothing. How hard could that be?
Pretty hard as it turns out. I had completely underestimated how many thoughts I was having per second. “What’s for dinner? Is my project going to ship on time? Do I still have that girl’s number?” My mind seemed to race even faster when there were fewer inputs.
It took several sessions of staring at the blank walls of my apartment to finally feel what it was like to be thoughtless for even a few seconds. But when you get there, it’s awesome. It feels good, mentally and physically.
Though it was a rocky start, I can tell you that it’s the single most effective tool I’ve used to manage stress. After years, I still wouldn’t say I’ve mastered the technique, but I still reap the benefits by trying.
It wasn’t long before I came across sensory deprivation tanks from listening to the Joe Rogan podcast.
Sounds awesome, right? I was determined to give this a shot. As it turns out, there aren’t many commercially operated tanks on the east coast. There were some people who had tanks in their homes in Jersey, but I thought I’d need a considerable amount of trust in an operator before I got into a tank in their basement.
After some googling, I found one in NYC. So, I decided to head up to New York one weekend to Float Science, a tank run out of Reflections yoga studio on West 49th st. It was, surprisingly, not sketchy. In fact, it was one of the biggest and nicest yoga studios I’ve seen. At $85 for 60 minutes, I guess they can afford midtown rent.
Their tank looked kind of like this:
What is it like?
It’s warm…and slippery. The water is filled with Epsom salt and heated to skin temperature. When you get in, it feels like you’re stepping into the world’s smallest hot tub and sauna, and you struggle not to slip on the rubber bottom that’s been made slick from the salt. Eventually, I eased myself in, laid down, and got comfortable. It’s definitely a weird sensation to float with no effort. Your body naturally thinks you’re going to fall, and involuntarily braces for impact. After a minute it felt fine.
Then you just lay there, and try to think of nothing. To do that, I tried using what I’d learned from meditation by breathing slowly and focussing only on my breath. It’s difficult, and if you’re doing it right, you’ll start to notice your mind entering a dream like state. It’s the same feeling you get when you sleep in on a Saturday. You enter a state where you’re not quite asleep and not quite awake, and it feels awesome. I’m fascinated by this state because I believe it’s where most of my cognitive work gets done. I honestly don’t know what my brain is doing, but I come out of it with answers. So, being in that state is not only relaxing for me, it’s productive.
After a few minutes, all I could think was, “I need to tell everyone about this!” It only took me a year to sit down and write this post.
If you’re considering trying this out, please do. It’s not scary, and even if you’re claustrophobic, you can always get out. If you’re in Philly, try out Halcyon Floats on 2nd and Girard.
