​Catch The Drift
Water pods float the idea of destressing
BY ERIN MCNALLY

You may have heard about floatation therapy, floating, or float spas. It seems to be more popular lately and even has professional athletes, such as Stephen Curry, singing its praises.

But what does it really mean to float and where did this idea even originate? According to Merriam-Webster floatation is “the act, process, or state of floating.” Hmm, let’s dig in a little deeper.

Many credit John C. Lilly with being the originator of sensory deprivation; a key aspect of flotation therapy. Lilly, who was born January 6, 1915 and passed away September 30, 2001, was an American physician, neuroscientist, neurophysiologist, and psychoanalayst in addition to being a philosopher, writer, educator, and inventor.

He published over 125 scientific papers and nineteen books, covering a variety of topics such as neurophysics, interspecies communication, and altered states of consciousness. In the forties and fifties, he began to seek an understanding of what would happen to our brain if it did not receive external stimulation.

He used a large floatation chamber and utilized a contraption that was similar to a blackened-out scuba mask to immerse himself and block out external stimulation. Lilly discovered that, even without external stimulation, the brain stayed active. Further, he found that after the experience, he and the participants felt a sense of
relaxation and calm.

This positive sensation led Lilly to immerse himself into sensory deprivation and brain response over the next two decades. Lilly wanted to bring the experience to more people, and partnered with Glenn and Lee Perry to design a flotation “pod.”

The float pod utilized a small amount of water and a large quantity of Epsom salts so people could comfortably lay down and float on water, while removing the external stimuli. The first float tank center opened in the early seventies and over the decades, float pods were incorporated into massage therapists’ offices, float spas opened, and additional research was conducted into the benefits of REST (Restricted Environmental Stimulation Therapy).

There are numerous purported health benefits of floating. According to JANELLE SLACK (above, left), co-owner (along with her husband Josh) of TRUE REST WILMINGTON, some of the common reasons customers float are to help with “back pain, chronic inflammation issues, anxiety or stress, post-traumatic stress disorder, as well as sleep issues.”

​Slack herself floats at least one time a week, saying that floating is a way of “letting your body do what it needs to do itself.”

The brain gets into “a relaxed state, which can be very meditative,” Slack says, adding that her husband has found floating beneficial in easing his back pain. The float pods True Rest Wilmington utilize have only 10 inches of water and 1,000 pounds of Epsom salts. “It’s more concentrated than the Dead Sea,” Janelle Slack says.

In addition to the physical and mental benefits of a float, immersing oneself into water with high concentrations of magnesium sulfate allows the those in the float to “get magnesium through the skin, which has a plethora of benefits itself,” she says.

Wilmington resident André Silva first became interested in floating after listening to a Joe Rogan Experience podcast episode about it. He was curious about the experience and “had a sense there was nothing to be too afraid of, so decided to try it.”

On the first float, often people’s bodies are learning what the experience is like and taking some time to settle in to the experience.

After about thirty minutes, he felt he was able to fully settle in. After the float, which lasted an hour, he had a “sense of getting a full eight hours of sleep.”
His experience led him to float a second time, and he says he’s planning to try it again.
“It’s almost a skill you learn,” Silva says, adding that he’s heard you can get a “little more (from the experience) each time.”

Curious about floating myself, I decided to “dip my toes” so to speak into the float world. After heading to the spa, watching a brief educational video, and taking a quick shower (required before floating), I stepped into the pod.

There was a glowing blue light and soft music playing as I closed the lid. The music stopped and, at that point, I had the choice to keep on the glowing light or turn it off to fully enter into the float abyss.

from Wilma on the Web

​We try: Restorative yoga - exercise for the inactive
STEPHEN HEARD
Last updated 05:00, June 18 2017

Good news for the inactive — restorative yoga allows you to get healthier by practically doing nothing at all. I signed up with Auckland's Contemporary Yoga Centre to attempt the sleepiest of all the yogas.

THE BASICS
Restorative yoga isn't your typical method of sun saluting. It's part yoga, part meditation, and at times, part snoozing. Inspired by the work of B.K.S. Iyengar — the yoga maestro who trailblazed drawn-out poses and the use of props to support the body — the practice uses blankets and large sausage-shaped yoga pillows (or bolsters) to assist with poses that are held for extremely long periods of time.

In your average one-hour class only 2-4 postures are actually practised; participants can lounge in poses from anywhere between 5 and 30 minutes.

GIVING IT A BASH
Several folded blankets lay on the floor at Auckland's Contemporary Yoga Centre or The Cave.
At my nest of fabric, restorative yoga advocate and teacher Karla Brodie assists me into the start resting position before the class even begins. My head rests on a neat blanket square while another is spread across my upper body.
The student next to me was already deep in a nap. After some focussed breathing, the lights dim and we commence with a round of introductions. Attendance reasons vary from seeking enlightenment to simply looking for an escape from the hustle of life.
Karla suggests that the practice is similar to origami due to the time spent folding blankets.

The first posture is a variation of the common "legs-up-the-wall pose" (Viprita Korani), using inversion to align the spine and allow for the maximum flow of blood. The feet are raised with a bolster before several sizes of blankets are folded, tied and folded again for a supportive base.
Once lying in position, Karla completes the experience by adding and adjusting several more blankets, including an eye cover. It's basically like being tucked into bed. The comforting experience is completed with some  meditative commentary that story-tells its way through the cycle of breathing and the appreciation and focus of singular body parts. A soundtrack of snoring kicks-off throughout the space.
The second posture is a supported "child's pose". We arrange our sausage-bolster and blankets into another foundation to allow for maximum support while lying on our stomachs. The relaxation is deep with this one and it glides by — with no concept of time, we may have been in this position for around 25 minutes. The posture is cut short by a tiny gong announcing the completion of the class. Returning to Earth, Karla mentions that the class may trigger an increase in energy or entering a dreamy state. The drowsy, comatose feeling is immediately evident. I leave with a cup of sleepy tea and fall asleep that night before even touching the pillow.

WHY YOU SHOULD TRY IT
Restorative yoga could be the ultimate remedy for restless sleepers. Karla Brodie says that participants often comment they have the best night's sleep after a class. "The deeply nourishing and restful approach to yoga supports easeful breathing, good digestion and a settled nervous system. The practice is a powerful antidote to high levels of stress, anxiety and fatigue both mental and physical. Through regular practice of restorative yoga we can cultivate a fitness of being present and calm."
​
RISK RATING
There are more risks actually getting to the studio than encountering anything of great danger in a class of restorative yoga. Karla suggests that the only thing people should be worried about is falling asleep, "Especially if a participant is riding life with elevated levels of stress and a layer of fatigue beneath."

from: Stuff.co.nz