Deprivation Deprived

I sat under a tree, away from the world, just me and my breath. The wind brushed my eye lashes en route to fending off the uncomfortable stare of the midday glare. My phone vibrated, I hold back the annoyance I have with myself in that moment. Flight mode now activated, I refocused on the wind again. The inhale began but so had the wonder, who is the message from? Also I am reminded I have a bill to pay today, and I need to get bin bags on the way home. Right, back to my inhale. Actually if I go the long way round I can get dinner from that place I like. Ahhhhhh fuck the zen, I might as well read that message and get dinner sorted. Trying To Meditate In 2022.

Finding time to yourself and being disengaged from your various realms of reality has become increasingly difficult in modern times. The beautiful solace of climbing a mountain by yourself has been interrupted by the opportunity for an Instagram moment to share with your hashtag followers. The intention of finding down time and going “inwards” has become a field laden with mines just waiting to explode. With the world now at our fingertips, just sitting with your thoughts has become a much tougher proposition.

For every problem man/woman/non-binary has created we have also been blessed with the ability to discover a solution. On a cold but sunny Monday afternoon in December, I booked a session at Birmingham’s first and only sensory deprivation experience. The Floating Spa . I was greeted by the owner Nav who seemed as happy and excited as I was, that I was about to experience my first float. As he led me into this little oasis in the city, a sense of calm and tranquillity oozed from both the decor and the owner. Phone in flight mode, mind avoiding Instagram urges, Nav talked me through the processes and practices. He emphasised that floating was a personal journey, this was something that resonated with my own feelings on the uniqueness of the movement journey. We all move the same, but also so differently.

Showered, ear plugs in and standing proudly in my birthday suit I gazed into this futuristic looking pod that wouldn’t look out of place on a sci-fi set. I lowered myself into the mini spaceship and pulled down the cockpit door above me. The water which was heated to match our internal body temperature brought a sense of comfort, but also diluted the awareness of my physical self. The lights now off, I lay back into the water trusting the high concentration of salt to compel the body to float. Weightless further intensified the reduction of self awareness. The neck and the surrounding muscles are the last to relax, Nav had explained earlier the neck is very rarely fully disengaged even on a pillow. Releasing control is not something that comes naturally. As I succumb to the buoyancy, music drifts into the pod and my hour long float had begun. The peaceful frequencies serenaded my ears as every note resonated without distraction, the body continued to find new degrees of ease as the mind began to feel at home in its new surroundings. The music ended, the silence came, and as the darkness became lonely my attention began to cluck, like an addict searching for another fix.

I’ve been here before, the consciousness fussing to find something to stimulate its need to be needed. I go into meditation mode and just observe my thoughts until they pass. Unlike the usual distractions, the noise of traffic, the boiler starting up, audio from another room, birds chirping outside, this was a little different. My heartbeat became centre court, my breathing was the sound of a rally and the flicker of my eyelids became the outcry of the crowd. Attention both focused and unfocused revolved around me, myself and I. The experience brought waves of heightened self awareness, intermingled with moments of oneness within stillness. Sensations came in moments and phases, but the perspective of time drifted until it became totally lost. This created periods of restlessness as well as contentment until the music kicked in and my senses lit up. The wave of sounds, amplified by solitude reacquainted me with the obsession we have with hours, minutes and seconds. My first thoughts gravitated towards the hour passing by slowly and quickly at the same time. During this abyss I had gained both a sense of physical and mindful lightness that mimicked the nature of the water I was suspended in. The music faded, the lights switched on, and the cooler air rushed in as I pushed open the pod door. I sat up and observed my observations for a while.

The benefits of sensory deprivation is a long google list and like most of these holistic adventures is almost certainly personal to the individual. The experience does challenge the ability to calm the monkey mind , being alone with just your thoughts for company is an interesting proposition. Either you control attention and dive deeper into the inner dimensions of yourself or you dissect your avatar to learn more about the person you have become. Alternatively you can lay back and be content or bored with stillness. I have experienced all three emotions, and often during the same float.

Physically the benefits are a lot easier to explain. I sleep like a baby, my joint and muscular tensions ease as a softness returns to my gait. The recovery happens over a couple of days, leaving the body feeling rebooted and rejuvenated.

Be mindful that sensory deprivation and its benefits are only quantifiable by individual experience and probably over a few sessions. My overwhelming experiences have been positive, and has now become a part of my monthly rituals of relaxation and mindful expansion. So if you are asking me, I would definitely recommend experiencing the hot tub time machine for yourself.

Stay open to expansion.