Many people have heard of a floatation tank, but the word usually conjures up thoughts of a huge iron lung looking contraption and William Hurt turning into a chimp. However, floatation tanks and the practice of floating have come a long way since the first time professor John Lilly proposed separating the mind from the body by suspending it upright in isolation chamber filled with warm salt water. Today’s tanks, although fundamentally similar, are comfortable and soothing and are used primarily for relaxation and healing. The float tank experience is increasingly marketed as a way to escape the sensory overload of the outside world. There is literally nothing on earth quite like floating in an enclosed, soundproof, and completely dark tank filled with ten inches of a water and Epsom salt solution. The buoyancy of this solution allows the user to easily float, removing any sensation of gravity. Proper float tanks removes almost all physical and sensory stimulation, resulting in a very interesting and relaxing experience. A therapeutic session typically lasts an hour. For the first half of the float, participants relax and allow their mind to wander, often organizing thoughts and memories. The last twenty or thirty minutes often end with a transition from beta or alpha brainwaves to theta, which typically occurs briefly before sleep and again at waking. In a float tank, the theta state can last for several minutes without the subject losing consciousness. Many use the extended theta state as a tool for enhanced creativity and problem-solving or for “super learning”. The more often the tank is used, the longer the theta period becomes. More experienced floaters attempt to extend this theta or waking dream like experience by floating for increasingly longer periods of time. Floatation therapy also offers numerous benefits by stimulating the body’s own power of healing and regeneration, strengthening the body’s resistance to the effects of stress, illness and injury. Blood vessels dilate, increasing cardiovascular efficiency and supply of oxygen and nutrients to each cell in the body. The effects are immediate and remain measurable for days or weeks after a float. Floatation is also cumulative – every time you float in a floatation tank you strengthen your body’s resistance. Participants experience intense relaxation, enhanced concentration, and a state of mental rest equivalent to a much longer period time spent sleeping.
So.. for some reason salt water is hard to keep in the pipes. I’ve had my tank over a year and I’ve had two slow leaks. The leaks have both came from threaded unions, which are necessary if you ever have to replace anything. I was browsing Amazon for some sort of fix to this problems and I ran across Rescue Tape. Here’s a link: Rescue Tape This stuff claims to fuse into itself and permanently fix leaks. So… I bought some. I did some cleanup work scraping the old salt off the ground. I then wrapped the tape around the unions pretty tight. This stuff IS amazing! It honestly form fit and bonded while I was applying it! I wish I had video but it was just me. It’s been a few days now and I haven’t seen a drop of water. That’s a very good sign. If something changes I’ll update this post, but for now… This is the handiest leak stopper I’ve ever seen.
Many people ask me if I know a place to buy a used float tank. To be honest this is exactly what I was doing before I built mine. I was running into a few problems. First: Tanks are so EXPENSIVE! I was looking at really old tanks and they were wanting upwards of $4,000. I couldn’t see myself spending that much for an old tank. Second: Even if I found a deal where was I going to put it? Many tanks can’t be disassembled and moved into my home, so I was forced to use it in my garage. Didn’t sound private or ideal. Third: Shipping was EXPENSIVE! not only was it heavy, it was large. Just the dimensions alone made it expensive to ship. I finally had to give up on the “buying a float tank” idea, and look down a new road. I had to build one… in my basement spare bedroom. Luckily I had experience in building and creating so I gave it a good shot and documented my work. To be honest I spent months designing it in my head, and another month building and troubleshooting. It was expensive and time consuming. Don’t go through the same learning curve I did. I offer my plans for $24, and it should save you $100’s in errors. Here’s the link to buy the plans. http://www.isolationtankplans.com/sign-up-for-full-access-to-the-isolation-tank-plans/ So if you’re looking for a flotation tank for sale or isolation tank for sale.. etc. Don’t bother. Build your own!
Education is not the only avenue to building brain power. Meditation offers a hidden way of unlocking your mind and promoting a greater flow of creative juices. It makes perfect sense when you think about it. Our minds work best when our bodies are in a calm and relaxed state. We can pay closer attention to new ideas and concepts flooding our mind and we can find solutions to problems that might not have occurred to us in a noisy and stressful environment. Studies done on people who frequent isolation tanks show some impressive results. Their mental abilities are enhanced in every aspect. Creativity increases. Problem solving skills become enhanced. Awareness is made more acute. Time in an isolation tank or flotation tank boosts learning skills. It helps a person visualize things more clearly and promotes patience so they can meditate to find the right answer. The entire learning process becomes accelerated. All of this means positive things on an emotional level. Such a person becomes more motivated to do the things that will better their life. Depression, anxiety and fear no longer become roadblocks that halt progress. A person with enhanced brain power feels more alive than most people around them because they have freed themselves from the shackles holding down their mind. Do your brain a favor and spend some time in an isolation tank. It will mean happier days ahead.
Milk isn’t the only thing that does a body good. Meditation also travels down that road. It is designed to open the mind and refresh the spirit. But that isn’t the only purpose Meditation accomplishes. Meditation in an isolation tank has a positive effect on your physical health. Why? Simply put, it eradicates stress. Each time you meditate for an extended period of time, it creates a feeling of peace and contentment. This lowers blood pressure and reduces the heart rate to healthy levels. A person can use meditation to bolster their immune system. It has been shown to reduce free radicals in the body. These are unstable oxygen molecules that cause tissue damage and are thought to play a major role in the development of many diseases. Meditation also improves breathing because it helps people learn to take deeper breaths. This improves the flow of air to the lungs and it also circulates more oxygen throughout the body. Asthma and other bronchial diseases can become more manageable through practicing regular meditation. If stress is left unchecked it can cause damage to a person’s health over time. Their bodies will age prematurely and stress can lower their resistance to serious diseases. Meditation is the cure to stress. It is good for the body and offers the key to a longer and happier life. Make a resolution today to spend time in an isolation tank. What you get out of it will exceed what you put into it by leaps and bounds.
Our senses define the world around us to our mind. How we perceive any person, place or object is colored by how our senses react to those things. We are guided through sight, sound, smell, taste and touch. Meditation inside an isolation tank should be focused on moving beyond what the five senses offer to a completely different plane. You want to open your mind and expand beyond the limitations imposed by those senses. This makes it easier to free yourself from whatever burdens are weighing you down physically, mentally and emotionally. An isolation tank enhances the meditation experience because it lets you block out interference from the outside world. The sights, sounds, feelings and other sensations that you experience are the ones your mind releases while you float there in the water. It soothes body and soul. It also lets you make discoveries about yourself that normally do not penetrate the wall separating your conscious and unconscious mind. Inside your isolation tank, you can do exercises to focus your mind and achieve a deep state of meditation. Close your eyes and let your mind wander. When an image surfaces in your mind, focus on that image. What do you see? What do you hear? Can you touch anything? What does it feel like when you touch it? Exploring your mind lets you become unburdened and feel like a new person when you leave the isolation tank. Many people embrace the opportunity to spend time in an isolation tank because it offers a quiet refuge from the outside world. The benefits of meditation to your mind, body and soul extend far beyond a single session. Sometimes taking a step forward in your world requires withdrawing from it for a short time.
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