I didn’t give myself a lot of time to overthink making the appointment. Sensory deprivation tanks have been on my radar for years and the time was ripe to seize this opportunity. I jumped with my eyes open and my fingers crossed. I made the appointment mid-morning for 3 pm the same day.
I think I am like most people in that I have expectations about new experiences especially when it comes to “into the unknown or mystical.” These experiences are usually built up by hype and maybe even more so by my own mind. My Facebook friends told me to go without expectations and that was one of the first things Ryan Chaffe, co-owner, told me. I think it is unrealistic not to have expectations because the first thing on my mind was a bit of fear since this was my first time. I have experienced a lot of “first time” fear in my life. I remember feeling the unknown or the fear of the first time I rode in an airplane, the first time I gave birth or the first time I went under anesthesia . . . scary stuff for most. Beyond the fear, there is still expectation.
Now, imagine floating on the surface of the water, in a dark tank and hearing only your heart beat. As I write those words it feels more like the beginning to a dream sequence rather that what I actually experienced. Ryan did an excellent job of telling me what I needed to know in order for me to have a positive overall experience.
I got into the tank, closed the door, closed my eyes, slipped back into the water and prayed. To my utter amazement, I floated and my head remained above the water. I flailed my arms and legs around to find a comfortable position, very similar to when I start to meditate; every chair has a sometimes elusive sweet spot and every time it is different. I quickly trusted, settled down and felt safe. Little bubbles tickled my skin as they danced around my back and up my sides to burst on the surface. I found peace with my hands clasped behind my head and I touched nothing else. It felt like I was defying gravity as I have always known it.
As a person whose mind is constantly working, my first question was how I was going to quiet my mind so I could meditate or be calm and relax for 90 minutes? My next thought was how was I going to endure the quiet? Then my meditation and yoga experiences stepped in. I decided to focus on my heart and breath.
I calmed my thoughts and let my imagination take me where I wanted to go, my expectation. Suddenly I was transported into the weightlessness of space. I now have a personal experience I can relate to when I see astronauts floating in space and space walking. The absence of gravity is mind boggling. The quiet can be unsettling. The key to it all may be in our minds and hearts and what we allow. Perhaps that is my lesson about fear and expectations . . . be calm and just allow whatever happens to happen without harsh judgement.
Next I was transported back as a baby in my Mother’s womb. This is what it felt like before I was born! I am safe and love enveloped me in the darkness. I heard belly gurgling sounds, I stretched a bit, and I floated on and on until the music roused me back to consciousness.
Since I am a person always seeking the quintessential “out of body” experience, I had expectations that this sensory deprivation tank would catapult me into the bliss of the unknown. When I imagine taking an “out of body” trip, I immediately think of outer space, and Captain Kirk always said, “Space: the final frontier”, or in my case my “Ultimate Astral Traveling Experience”. But that’s not what I found. My float trip took an unexpected turn. Unexpectedly, what I found was an inner body experience, one of finding myself, alone with me and nothing else. I felt a little like Dorothy in ”Wizard of Oz”. I found the bliss of remembering what I had known all along, “There’s no place like home.” This experience took me home to a place of quiet solitude and a feeling of unconditional love, of bliss.
I understand that “floating” experiences can be different each time and different for each person. I want to go back and move to the next experience level now that the first time is behind me. I would like to experiment floating next with crystal bowls, with frequencies in solfeggio music, and then with guided meditation and then . . . I think the list can be as infinite as your expectations.
http://enlighteningup.com/
I think I am like most people in that I have expectations about new experiences especially when it comes to “into the unknown or mystical.” These experiences are usually built up by hype and maybe even more so by my own mind. My Facebook friends told me to go without expectations and that was one of the first things Ryan Chaffe, co-owner, told me. I think it is unrealistic not to have expectations because the first thing on my mind was a bit of fear since this was my first time. I have experienced a lot of “first time” fear in my life. I remember feeling the unknown or the fear of the first time I rode in an airplane, the first time I gave birth or the first time I went under anesthesia . . . scary stuff for most. Beyond the fear, there is still expectation.
Now, imagine floating on the surface of the water, in a dark tank and hearing only your heart beat. As I write those words it feels more like the beginning to a dream sequence rather that what I actually experienced. Ryan did an excellent job of telling me what I needed to know in order for me to have a positive overall experience.
I got into the tank, closed the door, closed my eyes, slipped back into the water and prayed. To my utter amazement, I floated and my head remained above the water. I flailed my arms and legs around to find a comfortable position, very similar to when I start to meditate; every chair has a sometimes elusive sweet spot and every time it is different. I quickly trusted, settled down and felt safe. Little bubbles tickled my skin as they danced around my back and up my sides to burst on the surface. I found peace with my hands clasped behind my head and I touched nothing else. It felt like I was defying gravity as I have always known it.
As a person whose mind is constantly working, my first question was how I was going to quiet my mind so I could meditate or be calm and relax for 90 minutes? My next thought was how was I going to endure the quiet? Then my meditation and yoga experiences stepped in. I decided to focus on my heart and breath.
I calmed my thoughts and let my imagination take me where I wanted to go, my expectation. Suddenly I was transported into the weightlessness of space. I now have a personal experience I can relate to when I see astronauts floating in space and space walking. The absence of gravity is mind boggling. The quiet can be unsettling. The key to it all may be in our minds and hearts and what we allow. Perhaps that is my lesson about fear and expectations . . . be calm and just allow whatever happens to happen without harsh judgement.
Next I was transported back as a baby in my Mother’s womb. This is what it felt like before I was born! I am safe and love enveloped me in the darkness. I heard belly gurgling sounds, I stretched a bit, and I floated on and on until the music roused me back to consciousness.
Since I am a person always seeking the quintessential “out of body” experience, I had expectations that this sensory deprivation tank would catapult me into the bliss of the unknown. When I imagine taking an “out of body” trip, I immediately think of outer space, and Captain Kirk always said, “Space: the final frontier”, or in my case my “Ultimate Astral Traveling Experience”. But that’s not what I found. My float trip took an unexpected turn. Unexpectedly, what I found was an inner body experience, one of finding myself, alone with me and nothing else. I felt a little like Dorothy in ”Wizard of Oz”. I found the bliss of remembering what I had known all along, “There’s no place like home.” This experience took me home to a place of quiet solitude and a feeling of unconditional love, of bliss.
I understand that “floating” experiences can be different each time and different for each person. I want to go back and move to the next experience level now that the first time is behind me. I would like to experiment floating next with crystal bowls, with frequencies in solfeggio music, and then with guided meditation and then . . . I think the list can be as infinite as your expectations.
