Kathryn’s Meditation and Breathing Exercises for a ZEN Float

A typical float session is 60 to 90 minutes.  What’s floating? The quiet, distraction-free atmosphere, is the PERFECT place for meditation and breathing exercises. There are so many types of meditation.  How will you choose? While you may have heard great things about walking meditation, that isn’t particularly helpful while we float! So let me help by sharing some of my favorites:

A “body check”.  Relax everything, from your toes to your nose.  Scan your body to make sure there is still no tension. If you’re someone who holds that in your neck, don’t fret. We have a neck pillow available to help ease into zero gravity.

Pick an intention or mantra. This just means something to go back to when your mind runs wild.  These could be themes like Love, Clarity, Forgiveness, or specific thoughts.   I might choose to keep bringing my focus back to a sentence like, “I am moving forward” or “I see the beauty in all situations.”    

Monkey Mind?? Let the crazy thoughts happen. Without analyzing all the thoughts you may have spinning around, it might help to just watch them come and go.  Acknowledge them. Let them pass, then try to return to your intention or mantra every now and then.

5 deep breaths. Set the tone for a relaxing float by simply starting with 5 deep breaths.

The 4-7-8 exercise. Breathe in for a count of 4 seconds, hold for 7, and exhale 8.  Sometimes it helps to say, “Let” during your inhale and, “go” during your exhale.  You can use any two words that help you relax. 

An hour might sound like a long time, but trust me, time goes by quickly when you’re floating, especially if you use the time for meditation.  My advice? Try a combination of meditation, breathing exercises, and stretching for a TOTAL ZEN experience! Happy floating!