Taking a Nap With Your Eyes Open

Dustin and I have started having little dates with each other recently. We trade off on who decides what we're going to do. We will be celebrating 14 years together later this month and we thought it would be nice to put in that little extra effort to help keep our relationship strong. When you've been together forever you can fall into routines that become mundane and it's been so nice to have each other plan an event for the other and experience it together.

This time it was Dustin's turn to pick and he wanted to take me floating which people do just for the hell of it but it's also been known to help anxiety, stress, athletic recovery, better sleep, hangover recovery, PTSD, detoxification, increased focus, etc. Dustin heard Joe Rogen talk about it on his podcast which peaked his interest. He and Pat have gone together several times over the past year and rave about it each time. I've of course asked them a bunch of questions about their experiences but you really have to experience it for yourself. Dustin described it as "taking a nape with your eyes open".

I was always scared to go. I have anxiety about a lot of shit and being in a pod filled with water in the dark seemed kind of scary. I know thats kind of dumb but it's true. All these thoughts filled my brain "What if I fall asleep and drown?", "What if I have a panic attack?", "What if...". What ifs alone are going to be the end of me. So when he suggested it I agreed. Nothing like stepping out of your comfort zone, right?! He made the appointment with East Coast Floats in Baldwin Park for Saturday morning. All week I was hyping myself up. I was feeling mostly excited but also a little nervous which is just how I am about the unknown. I don't like surprises so I needed to know exactly what to expect. Dustin of course knows this about me and found this video that walks you through the entire process and honestly it put me right at ease.

 

I made sure to remember to bring a brush, deodorant, and some lotion with me for afterwards. They provide body wash, shampoo, and conditioner in the shower. 

Once we got there the guy greeted us and lead Dustin to his room/pod since he already knew the drill. Then I followed the guy to the next room where he gave me full on instructions on what to do (like where all the buttons are located and to rinse your body off before going into the pod) and not do (like wiping your eyes once your hands have been in the salt water). 

You can wear a bathing suit or just bottoms but it's recommended to float nude - which is how I did it. Once I rinsed my body off I slowly got into the pod which was filled with body temperature water and 1,000 lbs of salt. I made sure my ear plugs were secure and slowly leaned back into the water making sure my head was in the halo. My legs automatically floated to the top of the water. I had to tell myself to relax my upper body.  I'm not sure if it was my anxiety or what but my upper body was a little more hesitant to fully let go. I had to really force myself to relax my neck and let my ears become partially submerged. Once I did I felt this overwhelming elation. I was just so proud of myself for being there, for doing it.

I kept the music and light on for the first 5 minutes but then I got so comfortable I ended up turning them both off because I wanted to get the full effect. I did not, however, close the door on the pod because that kind of freaks me out. Maybe next time? But it was still really dark without it being closed. 

For awhile I thought of how proud of myself I was. Then my mind kind of just turned off for awhile which for someone like me was such a freeing feeling. I didn't think about dumb bullshit like when I'll have time to do the next load of laundry and I didn't think of heavier things either. I just was there floating. 

Because of the amount of salt your body floats without any effort at all so it feels like you're completely weightless. Like you're in outer space. Weightless. Free. 

I would try and put my legs together but my legs would naturally float out about hips length apart. I tried putting my arms by my side like Dustin said he did but it wasn't the most comfortable and instead I decided to put my arms over my head (think walking through that TSA machine in the airport). The skin that was in the water felt almost slimy but the skin that was sticking out of the water was grainy like when you go to the beach and have sand stuck to you. I'd lay there for awhile completely still and it felt almost like I didn't even have a body. It was like it was just my consciousness which is such truly an indescribable feeling. 

When my hour was up the lights and music came back on. I got out of the pod and showered. The worst part of the whole experience was washing my hair. It felt like I had all 1,000 lbs of salt in my hair. It was a struggle to get out. That was the only downside. Of course when you have a shaved head like Dustin you don't have to worry about that kind of thing which is why he was in the lobby with a glass of water waiting for me to finish up.

The feeling of walking after is surreal. I felt so incredibly light and just...good. Actually the whole rest of the day I felt good. Dustin and I have discussed it on and off all day. I told him "I know this sounds lame but I felt more connected to the universe." and he totally agreed. I also explained to him a benefit that I was not expecting was that I felt better about my body. The last few years after gaining a good 25ish pounds I've had some body issues. It has been so hard - but when I was in that little spacey hippo mouth pod I felt so good about my body. I was all damn girl look at you. It was honestly a feeling I wasn't sure I'd ever have again.

It is such a relaxing and refreshing way to spend an hour of your time. I highly recommend that everyone try it at least once.