Out of my comfort zone - floating, silence, and darkness.

When I was offered the gift of a session at The Floating Forest, I was excited and terrified.

A one hour float followed by a one hour massage. My body was already looking forward to skilled hands massaging my tired muscles. But the thought of getting naked in a small tank of warm water, enclosed and in darkness scared me. 

I don't think I can do this

I was not sure if I'd get there and change my mind and not go through with it! I was curious yet cautious. 

The anxiety mixed with the willingness to try something new and uncomfortable is how many of my clients feel about speaking in public. We all have our demons! And for many the thought of public speaking is terrifying - but if my clients can overcome their fear of standing on stages in front of an audience, then surely I could float in a tank alone? - after all, if I fail no one will know! 

Floatation - how it works.

The tank looks like a space pod. The water is approximately 34C. The water feels silky and soft due to the high level of salt. 

Our brains are active most of the time due to the effects of everyday environmental stimulation (gravity, temperature, touch, light, sound). There is the bombardment of external stimulus as well as the incessant background ‘noises’ & distractions. 

Even when sleeping we get signals from parts of our body that are touching the bed and covers, the temperature, sounds and gravity. 

The aim of floating in the tank is to allow your senses to release any distractions, with your body weightless, and your mind reaching deep levels of relaxation/meditation.

So, what happened next?

Upon arrival, I was asked: 'Are you looking forward to your session?' I replied, 'to be honest I am not a big fan of water and the dark, I find unsettling. And as for closed in spaces. I feel stressed even thinking about it'. 

The owner Dale spoke to me in a soft reassuring voice and told me that I would be able to control the floatation experience and there was nothing to worry about. While he was explaining the process, all I could think about was a box with a lid. Then when he started telling me about the button that closed the top, I stopped hearing anything else. 

Successful people like to be in control. You get to control the environment. 

Dale sure had me worked out, I do like to be in control and at this point, I was feeling far from it.

We entered the float room, and Dale then continued with the guidance. A pre float shower, then step into the tank lie down, then turn off the lights and close the lid. You have control over the buttons on the inside of the tank.

My brain didn't hear the last part I stopped listening when he mentioned 'lid and close' in the same sentence, I was thinking of a polite way to tell him this was a mistake and can we skip straight to the massage part. 

I am in control - let's compromise

I opted for a compromise; I decided that getting in the tank and laying down was do-able if the lights inside the pod remained on and the lid stayed open. Dale adjusted the ambient temperature (otherwise he explained I'd get cold). 

I stepped in and went for a half laying half sitting position and then slowly lay down. I chose a cactus position for my arms (perhaps this was a signal to my brain to surrender to the experience). I felt my shoulders up around my ears, and I was extremely tense. Next, I felt a sense of weightlessness and began bumping the sides, and I also started to feel a bit itchy. 

I reached for the light and turned it off and kept my hand on the switch just in case I couldn't find it again. Once my eyes adjusted and I stopped holding my breath, I realised that it wasn't complete darkness, but still dark enough for me to feel a sense of anxiety. I was told earlier there'd be gentle music to aid meditation for the first five minutes (this time was spent trying to get my shoulders to move away from my ears). 

Gratitude helped with perspective

Then it was time to try to quieten my mind and attempt to switch off and get into that state of merely 'being'. But my heart was pounding in my chest; my breath came in short bursts. It felt strange being entirely alone with my heart and my breath. I switched my thinking to try to quell the rising panic and began to think gratitude - how lucky I am to have a heart that pounds and air to breathe. The surroundings were not totally dark there were two tiny dots of green light, one from the smoke alarm another from the air conditioner, so that was good. 

I get to choose how I respond to every situation

The self-satisfaction of refraining from bolting out of the room became short lived when my thoughts turned to how a floatation is supposed to be. It should be in the pod, with the lid closed and in the dark to experience complete sensory deprivation. I then felt like I had not lived up to the occasion, and my inner voice began to mock me - 'you have failed! It's not supposed to be like this, there is a proper way, and you are cheating'. STOP I yelled to my monkey mind. This will be on my terms. I have some choices here.

Time to let go

My heart began to slow, and my breathing became regular and deeper, I was experiencing the silence. I tried to imagine the soothing voice of my yoga teacher when she guides our class through meditation as well as her teaching of the Yoga Sutra Aparigrapha -the art of letting go.

I could no longer determine if my body was in or out of the water as I felt present but not actively doing anything. I did start to feel cool quite quickly (which would not have happened if the lid were closed). Then before I knew it, the gentle music began again and I had completed one full hour in the pod - for me a massive achievement. 

Did I achieve pure sensory relaxation? No. However, I am proud that I successfully quietened my mind enough to experience on my terms, and that I was able to let go of how a float 'should be'.

For me, at that time the floatation experience was just what I needed, perfect for me and that is enough. 

There is no right or wrong way. Try something out of your comfort zone this week. It is probably not as scary as your mind is making it out to be. 

When I reflect on this experience, it reminds me of times when I have felt that unless I do something in a particular way, the way I think it 'should' be, then it is not good enough. This has also prevented me from doing things in the past. This time, I felt content that my way was good enough, and that if I can settle for good enough in other aspects of life I will do more and probably worry less. I'm not about to take up floating! although the massage (by Louise was divine).

I'd thoroughly recommend The Floating Forest. Dale created a wonderful safe space. I didn't get a chance to look around, but the cabins and the grounds of the property make for an ideal get away from it all location just 5 hours drive from Perth.

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Lisa Evans, MBA is a Certified World Class Speaking and Storytelling Coach, Keynote Speaker and TEDx Speaker Coach.

If you would like to chat about how I can help you create a compelling story for your business, brand or presentation then let's chat, you can contact me on 0438 902042 or [email protected].

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I offer one-to-one story coaching as well as workshops and group sessions.

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I am the founder and leader of Perth Story #Tribe and host of Stories From The Heart #SFTH - an evening of live storytelling where some of the best local storytellers come together to share real, raw and entertaining stories.

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