I did something for the first time in my life today.
I floated in water.
Doesn't sound like a big deal, but I have never been able to manage it unaided, but this time, I just couldn't sink. It was like I was a messiah, walking on water, though I didn't have any wine.
Last Christmas, I got a gift card to a floating center, which seems to be some kind of trendy thing to do now. I was skeptical that firstly I would float and secondly, I would enjoy it, but I was actually pleasantly surprised by the experience and it is a decent start to the weekend :)
After all the necessary safety instruction list of conditions you can't have - I was taken to the room where there was an egg-like tub filled with about a foot of water. After the instructions on what I should do there and that due to the very high salt content I was definitely going to float, I showered and got into the tub.
There were options to have the top open or closed, as well as to have the lights on or off. I chose to close the lid and turned the lights off, and with the ear plugs in place, it was a little like a deprivation chamber. There was also a foam ring pillow that kept the head a little higher, which I used.
It was weird.
At first.
But, after a few minutes and especially after the music stopped and there was silence, it was quite a calming process. At first I was trying to pay attention to all the different sensation, and the best I can describe the feeling is that it is like floating suspended in jelly. It took force to push the arms or feet down below the water, so not fighting it was relaxing. I can imagine that heavier people would quite enjoy this.
The other thing that was interesting was that once the pressure was off the body, my body kind of disappeared, like the lines of it were blurred and harder to distinguish from other parts. It wasn't an out of body experience, more of a consolidation of the body process, where the different parts were less important than the whole.
While I was thinking, I also tried to scour for other thoughts that might arise, but this was an active process and I soon decided to just let it be for a while. As you might remember, I can also stop myself from thinking if I choose, so after a while, I just relaxed into the darkness.
I fell asleep several times.
It was a one hour session and it flew by, or it felt like the time didn't pass in a straight line or something. I think this is because with sight and sound brought to zero, nothing to smell or taste, there was very little to track time at all.
What was interesting to note though was that my sense of touch seemed better and more pronounced, where I could feel even slight movements in my body, or if I moved a little, the water shift with me.
I could have stayed in there much longer.
Because, while I could feel more, the pressure off the body also meant that I couldn't feel as much of the pain that is ever present. It was like being on a strong painkiller for a short time, numb, but aware - just drifting along, thoughtless, but not uncomfortably so.
The session ended with the music starting again for a few minutes and after another shower to wash off the salt, I went to a waiting room to sip at some nice tea and have some cashews, dried mulberries and candied ginger. All good for me!
This place was in a shopping center, but once I was sitting down afterward, the décor was calming and I was surprisingly relaxed. It was different to being in a massage and I felt and still feel calmer, looser and my skin is still a bit blurry, like it doesn't know if it is still in the water or not. It is a strange feeling for sure.
I think I will go again.
And for those who have some aches and pains from modern living, if you have the chance, try it. I would also say that for those who like me spend a lot of time in front of a screen, the stretching out and being held suspended in the water, is a welcome relief.
A decent gift idea!
Taraz
[ Gen1: Hive ]
