I first heard these words while sitting in a University lecture in 2007 and they have remained with me since. THIS was how I wanted to live my life. With passion, with purpose, and with my heart.
I have spent years meditating on the following topic: What is my dharma? How can I serve? The life I currently lead endorses the benefits achieved when approaching health through a holistic lens: mind, body and soul. I experience life with passion & have a servant’s heart; I have been searching for a way to serve others. The Floatation Centre will allow me to provide a beneficial, complete service to my community through pain management, mindfulness enrichment, stress/anxiety relief, and a long list of benefits achieved through floating.
I truly, unequivocally, wholeheartedly believe in the power of meditation and mindfulness. Of being gentle on yourself, and kind to others. If everyone took the time each day, to get still and just breathe – what a different world we would live in! The benefits of meditation are now being taught at the office, at schools and in many, non-traditional settings.
So, floating eh…
Floating has been likened to shavasana-on-(natural)-steroids. Shavasana is an asana, or pose, where you lay on your back at the end of a long yoga exercise and relax. It is perhaps the most important part of yoga practice and has many benefits to rejuvenate the body, spirit & mind. The loss of sensory input induces relaxation by putting your brainwaves into the theta state, the state activated by meditation. The result of this includes decreased anxiety, depression & stress. Your blood pressure decreases. Your heart rate slows. You. Chill. Out. And the Epsom salt (magnesium sulfate) in the water? That has benefits too. Eighty percent of the population is magnesium deficient & transdermal absorption is the most effective way to get this magnesium into your body. “Raising your magnesium levels can improve your circulation, improve your body’s ability to use insulin, ease muscle pain, regulate electrolytes and relieve stress.” The list goes on… Each person who floats will have an experience unique to them; the benefits are numerous.
Who am I
Ah yes. Isn’t this why we’re all here – to figure this all out? I’ve struggled with trying discover who the ‘Real Lindsay’ is for a very long time. It wasn’t until I experienced many life-changing circumstances, fell apart and then built myself up again, that I was able to get a glimpse into who that person is. And how? A healthy dose of meditation. Realizing that happiness comes from within, and that you and YOU ALONE are responsible for this. I stopped searching externally for this, and found it in silence. I made a conscious decision to start perceiving things differently, and developed an awareness of how my thoughts translated into action.
I received my first float as a birthday gift without realizing, at the time, what a profound effect it would have on my life. With some hesitation, I climbed into the tank and wondered how my claustrophobic tendencies would adjust. I floated and bounced (played) around in the tank before slipping into a state that I can only describe as pure bliss. No sights, smells, noise, feeling — it was just me and my mind. Thoughts came and went, as they normally do, until I entered into a deep state of relaxation. I focused on my breath and my personal mantra: Be Yourself, Be Authentic. My inner guide spoke to me, loudly, that day: It’s time to go home, Lindsay. And there, naked, in complete darkness, floating on a buoyant solution of Epsom salts and water I made the decision to move back to NS. I didn’t know how it would work, but I trusted that it would.
Months later, and after my engineering job in NS fell through, I decided to search for a float centre. The lack of one in Atlantic Canada lit a spark in me which has now developed into this business concept: introduce my community to the benefits of floating, foster mindfulness, reduce stress, anxiety, pain & depression, create a positive surge!
And so here we are, friends. I am excited to share with you this wild ride I’m embarking on and welcome your questions, support and feedback. I cannot wait to introduce floating to Halifax and beyond!
So much love.