Floating (sensory deprivation therapy) is a practice that engages your mind and body by depriving it of the stimulus. It is a practice focused on finding relaxation, stillness, and a renewal of your sensory processors. Floatation therapy relies on 800+lbs of epsom salts to create an environment with very little gravity and extreme buoyancy. Keeping that in mind, here are 8 tips to optimize your float.

1 – In order to provide a float friendly environment, the water requires extremely high levels of epsom salt to facilitate the desired buoyancy, and freshly shaved skin can have a mild reaction and/or sensitivity to the prevalence of salt. So, pro tip! Don’t shave the day of your scheduled float.

2 – Floating works best when you are able to achieve stillness, and caffeine delivers energy and a sense of alertness to our minds and bodies, thus acting against all that sensory deprivation tries to achieve. Avoid caffeine 4-6 hours prior to your float. (But hey! you know your body best, so if you know that you are sensitive to caffeine, please avoid caffeine altogether!)

3 – Floatation therapy encourages silence, and nothing is more distracting than the sounds of your body digesting a full meal. Try to eat 2-4 hours before your float, but aim for it to be a small meal or some snacks.

4 – Floating sessions achieve the desired results easier when they are uninterrupted, so even though we encourage proper, healthy hydration, we do advise you to limit your fluid intake prior to a scheduled float. Be sure to not over hydrate!

5 – One of the many benefits to floating, is the magnesium in the water helps move lactic acid, and it acts as a natural anti-inflammatory. So, to optimize your time spent floating, scheduling a float for after a gym session, a yoga class, or a long bike ride, you will be feeling the benefits of floating immediately. The temperature of the water and air will help ease your muscles into a state of relaxation, and you will be able to feel your muscle tension, literally, float away.

6 – Entering into your float, you should aim to be as centered and relaxed as possible, that way you won’t be spending large amounts of time trying to unwind and slow your mind down.  Booking a Neurospa session before you float can help you achieve a state of chill prior to getting in the float room. Whats a NeuroSpa you ask? Take a moment to click over to https://purefloat.ca/benefits/ to find the answers you are looking for. The only beans we will spill is that the Neurospa acts as a hyperlink to a calm, neutral state, that is void of obsessive thinking patterns. The NeuroSpa helps facilitate a smoother, quicker transition to the theta brain state when you start to float.

7 – If you cant get in for a NeuroSpa session before your scheduled float, you can do some simple breathing techniques in the lounge while you wait for your float room to be ready for you. This is simple breathing excursive that you can use to help ground and center yourself before heading into your float. Breathe in for four counts, hold your breath for four counts, exhale for four counts. Repeat, repeat, repeat.

8 – Last but definitely not least, the most important thing that you bring with you is an open mind. That is all that we ask of you, to allow yourself the space to occupy the present moment, without judgement of preconceived notions. Give up on trying to control your experience and just be in the now. Maybe you will fall asleep, maybe you will slip into a meditative state, maybe you will find relief from chronic muscle and joint pain, or maybe you just spend time enjoying the feeling of being weightless. Revel in the relief, soak up the silence, turn your attention inward, and let go.

Happy Floating!

Stacey Coplin