I’ve been a float enthusiast for a long time. Long before I discovered float tanks, I took great pleasure in floating on the lake, basking in the sun and the simplicity of it all.
I used to take the afternoon off to go to the lake. Blow up a floatie and anchor myself to a buoy. I could read a book, or close my eyes and just float. There was something very special about floating in solitude while the rest of the busy world continued without me. It was an escape from the mundane and all my worries seemed to float away. When I moved to Penticton, I immediately fell in love with floating the channel. It was nothing like the dangerous rivers I tubed as a younger lady. Living in Penticton I was much closer to the lake(s) and no longer needed to take time off work. Instead I kept an inflatable tube in my vehicle and during my lunch hour, would take it down to the lake for a relaxing mid-day float.
My relationship with floating goes back even further. As a child when our family would go swimming my Nanny (grandmother), didn’t really swim much, instead she would float on her back atop the water surface. I can still visualize her floating peacefully atop the water while resting her hands on her stomach. She absolutely loved floating! I would try to mimic her float but could never control my breathing as well. After giving it my best shot, I'd get fed up and splash to disturb her (sorry Nanny! #someregrets).
The funny thing is, I don’t even like water that much. I didn’t grow up around many lakes or pools. We didn’t get the opportunity often, so I never developed strong swimming skills. Water is not my strong suit, but somehow floating is.
I had no idea that these summer floats were foreshadowing the life I live now.
Floating in a float tank is much different than a channel or river float. Float therapy delivers considerably more of that peaceful easy feeling. Float tanks eliminate all the parts I don’t like about the channel while leaving the best buoyant parts. I’ve floated the Penticton channel enough that the novelty has worn off and I'm not as in love with it as I once was. Maybe I would still be in love with channel floating if I hadn’t discovered an easier, more beneficial, and less risky float practice.
In a float tank you are totally buoyant, no risk of deflated float devices. It’s only you and the quiet – no rowdy frat boys or selfie sticks. No sunburn, bugs, or ducks. No bridges, rocks, or culverts to contend with. You don’t have to worry about transportation from one end to the other. Float tanks take you on an expansive inner journey without going anywhere. The water stays a consistently warm temperature and your hands and feet don’t get pruney.
Penticton is such a beautiful place to live and floating the channel is a right of passage of every resident and visitor alike. Penticton has been deemed the “Floatie Capital of Canada” and we knew this town needed a float studio worthy of that title.
If you enjoy floating the channel, I recommend you check out what floating in a float tank has to offer. A regular float practice will extend your float season all year long. We all started this life floating in a safe, warm womb, it’s only fitting that our body and mind take to it so quickly.