Health Benefits
“Take care of your body. It’s the only place you have to live.” –Jim Rohn
Float Therapy addresses both mental and physical health as it aides in combating hypertension, arthritis, back pain, muscle fatigue, and insomnia. Pain reduction is one of the most beneficial aspects of floating. Many users report a significant decrease in pain levels after just one float.
In addition to these physical benefits, floating contributes to changes in the brain’s chemistry. Research on floating has found that the brain responds positively to the floating experience by increasing the amount of endorphins produced while decreasing stress related chemicals such as cortisol, epinephrine, norepinephrine, and ACTH. By reducing these “fight or flight” chemicals, the brain is better able to deal with daily stresses.
RELAXATION
“The time to relax is when you don’t have time for it.”
–Sydney J. Harris
​People today lead busy lives full of chronic tension and stress, most have never experienced the feeling of true relaxation. As a person’s stress builds, it can develop into various health problems or lead to reliance on prescription drugs. Stillwater Float Center offers relief from tension and stress through separation from external stimuli. Floating invokes a passive relaxation state that many users experience during the first float. This allows for full rest and relaxation, without learning any exhaustive techniques or strategies.
Meditation
Meditation can be defined as the continued or extended thought, reflection, contemplation, or spiritual introspection. While floating, the brain enters into a Theta wave state. The average person experiences Theta waves just as they are about to fall asleep, and at the moment of awakening. While these moments are fleeting in daily life, they can be experienced for the majority of an hour-long session in the float pod. Anyone who meditates on a regular basis can tell you the value it has in their life.
Meditation can help regulate blood pressure, increase immunity, fertility, and pain tolerance, cure headaches, and migraines improve athletic performance and help battle addictions. While meditation is a religious experience for some, it is also a powerful tool for self-regulation, insight, and well-being. Floating allows people that are not trained in meditation techniques to experience the benefits of meditation. Floating is for your benefit, and Stillwater Float Center is proud to offer this service.
Athletic Performance
"The greatest efforts in sports came when the mind is as still as a glass lake."
–Timothy Gallwey
Ask any athlete, and they will tell you that their performance declines as distractions, anxiety, and pain increase. Floating has been used by many athletes and sports organizations in the past. Most notable are Carl Lewis, the Philadelphia Eagles and Philadelphia Phillies, the Dallas Cowboys, and several Olympic teams.
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Floating has been shown to improve athletic performance by:
- Increasing physical relaxation which leads to greater stamina, speed, strength, and coordination.
- Reducing injuries due to over training or muscular tension and imbalance.
- Enhancing the body’s ability to recover from injuries and the normal stress of intensive exercise.
- Speeding recovery by reducing lactic acid buildup, and eliminating post-competition letdown.
- Improving coordination and performance skills due to in-tank visualization and guided imagery rehearsal.
- Elevating the athlete’s mental state through increased confidence, concentration, calmness and poise.
Adapted from The Book of Floating by Michael Hutchison