Meditation Saved My Life
A friend gifted me my first float for my birthday many years ago in BC. At the time, I didn't know much about it except it was supposed to accelerate your meditation practice, so I was excited to give it a whirl. Stepping into the tank, I had all but forgotten that I was claustrophobic and feelings of anxiety flowed through me for the first portion of my float. I didn't feel like I was empowered before my session began and thought I could mess up my experience if I moved a muscle. So I laid there in a mild panic and slowly began mellowing out. I drifted in between a dream-like state and being fully conscious, my body felt amazing, and it was there where I had a revelation that it was time for me to move back to NS. I guess that's where it all began; even though I didn't know it at the time.
I went through a ridiculously overwhelming period of time where the only thing that kept me sane was meditation. And I mean that wholly. My closest Aunt and Uncle passed away, my marriage ended, I fell into a depression, I was miserable at my job, and suddenly more folks close to me passed away. I remember laughing in exasperation to my Mum on the phone, "Well, it can't get any worse than this, can it?!". And yet somehow it did. After making the decision to move back home after 8 years in BC, my best friend and I begun planning the ultimate road trip across the country in my adorable, yellow hatchback. With one month left before our departure, Facebook shared the devastating news that Devan had passed away suddenly due to a heart defect that he was unaware of. My 'Ommmmmmmmmms' got louder, "just make it home, everything will be okay when I get home. I'll land on my feet there, I just need to make it home". While packing up my belongings & selling off the rest, I received the news that the engineering job that I was moving back for had fallen through. Again, another phone call with my Mum where I could only take deep breaths in between laugh-crying, reminding myself that this will all work out somehow.
Once set-up in Halifax, I started looking for a place to float, soon realizing that a 12-hour drive to Montreal was my closest option. It was during this research where I started learning about ALL of the benefits of floatation therapy: helping manage all types of pain; reducing stress, depression & anxiety; great for folks who have a difficult time relaxing or disconnecting from the world; Magnesium uptake; and it is a great space to do some deep, personal work in inner space. I had the 'Ah Ha' moment where I thought to myself that I should just go for it & open a float therapy space in Halifax.
Things started clicking into place only in the way that things do when you're really in the flow. I balanced 2-3 jobs while attending weekly workshops at CEED, networking events, and scouting out locations for our lil' slice of serenity. Two years ago in May 2015, The Floatation Centre opened its doors as the first floatation therapy & wellness destination in Atlantic Canada. We've hosted thousands of floats and have witnessed the lives of those around us change in so many dramatic ways. From inner healing, to experiencing a pain-free state, to improving athletic ability, or just to get away from the phone/kids - it's 75 minutes of calm for you and only you.
I aim to float at least once a week to help manage my stress levels (running a business is, um, challenging!) and to go deep into my meditation. It also keeps my anxiety in check and connects me with the reason why I do it all: The happiest moments of my life are in the service of others.
Floating, like yoga, is a practice. You won't get all of the answers during your first float, but it's a great start.
- Lindasay MacPhee