MARCH 2018 I BOROMAG.COM 17
“breathing my heart rate down,” and so
that was my first approach to settling
myself in the environment. My mind was
racing, and I had to repeatedly remind
myself to focus on my breath. As soon as
I adjusted to breathing in the humidity, I
decided to touch the buttons on the side
of the tank, turning the music and the
lights off.
Instantly, all I could hear was my breathing
in my ear-plugged ears and the sound
of the blood coursing though my body.
My heart rate quickened, my body jerked,
and I went back to the business of trying
to calm myself.
As I brought myself back to deep, relaxed
breathing, I slowly started to realize
that I couldn’t feel the chronic pains that
I have lived with for years. As a matter of
fact, I just kept getting lighter and lighter.
Shortly after, I couldn’t feel my extremities,
my spine, neck or head. And then, as
I was told would happen (but didn’t initially
believe), I could not feel the water
that I was floating in. For lack of any words
to describe it, I felt suspended in nothing
— no gravity, no light, no feeling — nothing
but the sound of my breath. There is
no telling how long I was in this state; the
world had been erased.
Eventually, the tinkling of music
brought me back to full awareness when
the float experience was concluded. The
literal details of the post float involve another
shower, a walk across a grounding
moss mat and warm tea in a comforting
nook. As this can be different for everyone,
I will only suggest that you take your
time and listen to what your body is tell