In addition to the well known “fight or flight” reaction to stressors, we have another autonomic response you may not have heard of, which is pretty much the polar opposite of fight or flight: the relaxation response.
Continue reading Fight or flight… or floatTag Archives: mind-body
Float Conference Highlights
If you regret missing the virtual Float Conference last month, specially priced Recap Tickets are now available. Beyond Dan Price and float research rock star Dr. Justin Feinstein, here’s a rundown of some sessions we think would be of particular interest to float enthusiasts.
Continue reading Float Conference HighlightsFloating and High Performing Athletes
What do high level athletes know about floating that you don’t?
Here’s a sports trivia question for all our athletically-inclined readers:
What do the Dallas Cowboys, the Golden State Warriors, the Chicago Cubs, The Manchester United Football Club, and Michael Phelps all have in common?
You might see this lineup and think “well, the ‘92 Dallas Cowboys won the Superbowl that year; the Golden State Warriors won the NBA Finals in ‘14; the Cubs made history when they won the 2016 World Series; Manchester United is one of the most hono(u)red Football Clubs in the world; and Michael Phelps has won more gold medals than any other Olympian in history! They’re all winners!”
But that’s not all they have in common: they also all used float tanks.
Floating, Meditation, and Mindfulness: Adding Tools to Your Mental Toolbelt
Floating removes you from the outside world and gives your mind the freedom to wander wherever it wants to go. When you float, you don’t have anything you need to do.
There’s nothing you need to work on.
You have a space where you can lie down, removed from the pressure of thinking, discussing, or participating in anything at all. It’s an environment that exists almost completely opposite our current plugged-in, sensory-driven way of life.
In a float tank, you have the opportunity to be more mindful than pretty much any other environment in the world.
Continue reading Floating, Meditation, and Mindfulness: Adding Tools to Your Mental ToolbeltIn floating, the mind follows the body
One of our guest floaters, Joshua, came out of the tank with an interesting comment that he had found the sense of relaxation he obtained to be quite different than his experience of massage or yoga. We asked him what he meant, and he wrote us a great discussion. With his permission, we’re sharing it here:
Many people compare floating to the relaxation available from meditation or yoga. In quick simple terms, I found floating to be the exact opposite of these two techniques. In floating, the mind follows the body. In yoga and meditation, the body follows the mind.
I also experienced a marked difference in the type of “quiet mind” that the other two techniques produce. Having said that, once familiar with the experience of floating, even when going back to meditation it became easier to “get there” and easier to “stay there”.