FLOATING
relax
repair
restore
recover
FIRST TIME FLOATING?
It’s best to avoid stimulants like caffeine on the day – this will help you relax.
THERE IS NO WRONG WAY TO FLOAT
Explore, find a comfortable position. Let your mind wander, or leave it blank. No matter what you do, the float environment will help you and heal you.
IT TAKES TIME THE FIRST TIME
For many first time guests, it takes a few minutes to adjust to the float environment. And then when you least expect it, you’ll suddenly realize you’ve been… relaxed. For quite some time. It only gets better from there.
BREATHE
If you find yourself feeling impatient, focus on inhaling through the nose and exhaling through the mouth. Try counting backwards from 100 breaths. Before you know it, you’ll feel yourself let go and enjoy.
BENeFITS OF FLOATING
Relaxation
The deep state of relaxation which floating brings about is profound, lasting long after your session.
Stress & Anxiety Relief
Floating activates our resting and healing state and reduces anxiety and stress.
Physical Therapy & Injury Recovery
Floating relieves back pain, helps the body heal from exercise and injury, and decreases the perception of pain.
Sleep & Insomnia
Floating deactivates the systems which can keep us awake at night – giving us longer and more refreshing sleep.
Meditation & Mindfulness
Floating increases focus, making it easier to reach a meditative state both in the pod and elsewhere.
General Wellbeing
Conscious Exploration
Connecting with Yourself
Scientific trials show that floating improves people’s sense of wellbeing and overall happiness.
Floating can help us gain a different perspective, explore our minds, enhance creativity, and even lead to ‘Eureka’ moments.
In a connected and demanding world, people float to re-connect with themselves.
AFTER FLOATING
ENJOY AND LET IT SINK IN
Feel free to take a few moments in the lobby before you leave. Evaluate how you are feeling. Tell your Float Guides about your experience. Most importantly, congratulate yourself for doing something really good for you, and for making time for yourself.
TAKE THE BENEFITS WITH YOU
No matter how your first experience felt, floating automatically lowers your cortisol (stress), raises your seratonin (mood), soothes muscles and relaxes pressure on your joints. These benefits and more will be with you for hours and sometimes days after your float, leaving you relaxed, refreshed and restored.
The Science of Floating
There’s a wealth of scientific evidence on the benefits of floating on the body and mind.
Here are some key points from decades of research...
A recent meta-analysis of 27 scientific studies by scientists Dierendonck and Nijenhuis showed that floating:
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Reduces cortisol levels (when high, cortisol can lower our immunity and leads to prolonged stress)
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Lowers blood pressure (a symptom of stress that compromises our health. Lower blood pressure allows us to feel relaxed)
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Increases overall wellbeing
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Boosts cognitive performance
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Improves symptoms of chronic fatigue and burnout
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Improves sleep
Floating and The Brain
Justin Feinstein, head neurophysicist at Ohio’s Laureate Institute for Brain Research, the leading authority on floating and the brain, discovered that floating decreases activity in the brain’s salience network, which:
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Reduces anxiety
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Reduces negative emotions
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Reduces the perception of pain
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Reduces confusion
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Reduces the impact of many serious mental health issues
The Institute’s latest study on floating also found that:
“Participants reported significant reductions in stress, muscle tension, pain, depression and negative affect, accompanied by a significant improvement in mood characterised by increases in serenity, relaxation, happiness and overall well-being.”
Find Feinstein’s work in full on his website, and watch him speak about his findings at the 2016 Float Conference.
Floating For Stress & Pain Reduction
The Human Performance Laboratory at Sweden’s Karlstad University has been studying the effects of floating for three decades, finding that floating:
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Improves sleep
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Increases energy (not only through better sleep, but also by increasing production of the hormone prolactin)
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Increases optimism and mindfulness
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Decreases anxiety and stress
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Decreases depression
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Decreases the perception of pain
They also found that after floating, people were less likely to consume alcohol.
There is far more research into floating than we can fit here, but in a nutshell, floating is scientifically proven to have significant, positive, and lasting impacts on our minds and bodies.
As more studies are carried out, we’ll share them with you.
If you’re working on the science of floating, do get in touch – we’re already in contact with scientists in this field, and are keen to support and learn about new research.
CLEANLINESS
As our world moves into a period of heightened safety awareness concerning the spread of COVID-19 (coronavirus), we at FLOAT INDIGO want to directly address the importance of immune health, stress reduction, the highest-levels of cleanliness, and how floatation therapy is one of several crucial tools you can use to support yourself during this stressful time.
CDC Says Floatation Tanks are SAFE from Corona Virus Infection/Spread.
In light of current events, immune system strength is more important than ever.
Floating is a powerful ally in that battle.
Meditation based therapies like floating and a regular meditation/mindfulness practice have been scientifically shown to strengthen both immune systems and overall health.
The water itself is also safe and sanitary; between the high salinity, a physical filter, food grade hydrogen peroxide treatment, and irradiated with UV light, virtually nothing can survive in float tank water.
Throughout the day we also regularly disinfect all common areas of FLOAT INDIGO, including the reception area, door handles, tablets, countertops, bathroom areas, etc.