I was browsing sound photosynthesis for Lilly material and noticed something titled “Floating Yoga” by Jack Scarfatti. I googled around for floating yoga and ran across a site by a relative of the Perry family. Her definition of asana is at odds with mine. Asana is simply a posture in which you can remain still for a long time. However she says that asana is “the practice of body exercises.” Also, she thinks that pranayama involves breathing. Actually pranayama has to do with controlling the prana and only uses breathing in certain cases.

I tried a few postures anyway in the spirit of experimentation.

They did open up my body in a gross way very quickly. Normally the water works gently and slowly. Adopting postures as a form of intervention got things stretching quickly. But without the wisdom of gravity and water combined. And I certainly was not stilling my mind but rather constantly focused on the sensation of trying to pull my body into a position.

Near the end, I tried for a fetal posture. I fell over onto my side and water shot into my nose, creating a lot of pain.

Conclusion:

Yoga is about stilling the body and mind. It is not about twisting into elaborate positions. The default “posture” in the tank is analogous to shivasana, the last posture in almost any physical yoga set and the place where the real relaxation begins.

For me, the yoga of floating involves adopting shivasana and allowing the body and mind to die and the ever awake Atman to shine forth.

I have no interest in ever trying those poses again.

Tags: experiences by jcl4ever
No Comments »

This was a powerful float. Overall, I now know that sleeping in a tank is 10 times more powerful than waking state floating. Why is this? Well, in the sleep state, you automatically shutout the outside world. Also, YOU are out of the way of the body when sleep comes on. Anyway, on to this most pivotal float: neck scapula communication Mother water did her best to improve the communication between my neck and my left scapula and arm. She patiently and gently stretched and strengthened this area, working me towards reconnection and improved use of this area. anus I thought we were talking 1/2 year to 1 year before anything loosed up in the anus area. But really, the same thing is happening there as happened in my upper back. My upper back started out as hard as a rock. And now things are getting fluid there. And then the anus was the same way but it began to flow easily… but not before releasing a ton of psychologically impacted matter primarily of a sexual nature – I am talking floods of release, both physical and mental happened this time. And all without me doing anything. I also know that the regular release I receive in the lower back can be prevented if I simply start loading into my thighs instead of locking out my lower back as shown here: A very impressive session… from a very impressive tool!

Tags: relaxation by jcl4ever
No Comments »

I listened to Jeffrey Thompkin’s “Gamma Meditation” during this float. I still got a wealth of body extension while integrating sensory input. Mother Water setup a point-counterpoint sonata in my spine tonight. She would open up the right rear thoracic area. Then the right rear sacrum. Then back to thorax. Then she spread open a triangle from sacrum to thoracic area. And then she worked on my right shoulder.

Finally, she showed me how chronically tensed my anus is, with the promise that time will open even that area.

Tags: experiences by jcl4ever
No Comments »

So, I keep noticing these lines of tension letting go. It seems to me that they are where I was struck as a child.And they just keep letting go at their own pace. This floating thing is truly amazing. A perfect blend of technology and Mother Nature. A perfect blend of help from others (Mother Nature) and work on self.

When you try to work on yourself, you can throw tie yourself in knots… shoot yourself in the foot. Miss crucial points because you cant see your whole self objectively. When others work on you, they miss things because they see things differently than you.

Here, we have Mother Nature in water and salt, who never misses the perfect chance to wash away debris, add more salt, dissolve more tension. She is your perfect therapist, setup brilliantly by Dr. John Christopher Lilly! God bless his soul!

Tags: experiences by jcl4ever
No Comments »

Tonight, I got into the tank. As usual, I started by smoothing out the ping pong. Then I progressively began to insure that the head-neck region was fully relaxed.

it was at this point, that I began to wonder why I ever got into floating. It seemed that I was there as relaxed as could be, wasting time in salt water.

this apparent “mastery of relaxation” held up its veil/charade for a good 15 minutes to 1/2 hour.

And then the sky caved in.

I began to exhale deeply. And draw in air deeply. And hold air for long periods of time with no effort. However, the air above the tank was cold and I needed to pee. So I had to cut this session short just as it was getting good 🙂

I have high expectations for what lies beyond all my tension. And only time will tell!

Tags: experiences by jcl4ever
No Comments »

To date, most of my float sessions involved deeper and deeper degrees of physical relaxation. Particularly along the spine. Today was the first day where deeper things “relaxed”.

I started out waiting for loosening to occur in the neck region but noticed it was already quite loose. Then nothing happened further down in the lower spinal areas either.

But then, recent memories began to play back. But what was odd is they (the visual pictures) began to elongate, much like my spine does when it relaxes — I suppose all the charge was being knocked out of them.

And then I had something of a nightmare. It is hard to remember it. I recall some sort of crashing about. And cords being disconnected. It reminded me of how Neo would sit in the chair when entering the matrix. The odd thing was I was not “me” in these nightmares. I was something like a computer chip or a chess piece – the things I use the most.

I gained the usual physical benefits… oh one more thing.

After the nightmare ended. I decided to try to visualize a red ball in front of my eyes. Instead there was a red band with white slashes in it. Someone said: “we’ve been needing to communicate with you. Come back tomorrow for more information”

Late that night

When I dosed off to sleep on land that night, I had a dream that I was floating and while I was floating I had another experience which I can no longer recall… wow.

Tags: experiences by jcl4ever
No Comments »

“On Land” is the subtitle of Brian Eno’s album “Ambient 4” — basically being on land after floating was quite uncomfortable for awhile. However, just now when I stood up, I felt good connection from my feet to my head without any particular part bearing the majority of the weight.

Those of you with backgrounds in Alexander or Feldenkrais know the feeling.

Tags: experiences by jcl4ever
No Comments »

I entered the tank with the objective of getting spinal elongation. As usual, I started out getting my head-neck area relaxed. Then I kept relaxing this area more and more. Eventually the coccyx separated from the sacral area. Then later, I got that whole-spine separation that I was looking for.

I decided to just stay in for a bit longer to relax a bit more. Then, before I knew it, thought was dropping away. And I let it. Then more thought dropped away. And I surrendered. Then my body was limp and free of all action. And for a few brief seconds, I was looking up at my body from below it.

Tags: experiences by jcl4ever
No Comments »

I had this album on while I was in my floatation tank. I was drifting in and out of consciousness, then all of a sudden right in front of my field of vision, I beheld a golden sphinx-like head and it had golden stars above it.

It was an incredible vision. But only just as incredible as this excellent music.

Cosmic Lullabies is the sixth album from the Finnish ambient producer Doc and the Russian pianist Lena Selyanina, cosmic and meditative in its style and spirit.

The opening track Bell Meditation is a pure meditation song based on huge bell sounds that resonate and vibrate for extended periods of time. Gradually rising ethereal echoes from sacred eastern choral tradition mix with the bells to form a calm and majestic cosmic setting, perfect for deep relaxation and meditation.

The starting point for Neptune was Lena’s beautiful impressionistic piano improvisation moving in G# Minor, “the bluest of musical modes”, as Lena puts it. The piano then gets surrounded by a mysterious and meditative ambient soundworld. The entire 17 minute song can be interpreted as a long, symbolic probe-like dive through the blue, dreamlike gas layers of Neptune to ever deeper and darker realms, all the way down to the solid rock and metal core of the planet, and from there back to the starlight.

The final track Andromeda is an ambient voyage into the majestic sphere of our neighbour galaxy.

Tags: experiences, space music by jcl4ever
No Comments »

Just ask Craig.

Tags: testimonies by jcl4ever
No Comments »