First time floating
28 years ago, I tried floating for the first time.
Today, I run a float centre with Shari and our team.
Over that time, one thing has become very clear: people arrive at the idea of floating in very different ways, and on very different timelines. Some book quickly. Others read, watch, subscribe, and observe from a distance, sometimes for a long time.
If you’re one of those people, you’re not unusual here.
Why “having no expectations” doesn’t work for everyone
For a long time, the language we used with first‑time floaters focused on having no expectations and embracing the unknown. That framing works well for some people.
For others, it doesn’t.
Approaching a completely unfamiliar experience without any orientation can feel uncomfortable. Making new choices, especially ones involving your body, privacy, or time, often requires understanding what is optional, what is fixed, and where your control sits.
In other words, before stepping into something unfamiliar, some people need clarity rather than surrender. Only later, in the freedom of a float, can the choice to surrender be experienced as the fullest act of autonomy.
What a first float actually involves
A float session is a highly structured environment with a number of adjustable elements. Nothing about the experience depends on doing anything “right”.
Here are some of the things that are always true for a first float at our centre:
• You have a private room. You can chose to lock the door.
• You control whether the pod door is open or closed.
• You can keep the pod light on or turn it off.
• You can choose to begin your float with guided audio, music, or nothing at all.
• You can move, sit up, get out and back in, or end the session early.
• Buoyancy aids are available if you want head or neck support.
• Staff are nearby and available if you need assistance.
These are not accommodations or exceptions. They are built into how the sessions work at Float in the Forest. The environment is designed to reduce external input. What you do with that is up to you, including interrupting it.
You don’t need to “let go”
Floating is sometimes described as something that happens to you. In practice, it’s closer to an environment you step into, make choices within, and leave again an hour later.
You don’t need to do anything.
You don’t need to relax.
You don’t need to feel anything in particular.
You don’t need to interpret the experience while it’s happening or afterwards.
Everyone’s experience is unique and everyone’s experience is valid.
Some decide it’s not for them. Others return occasionally or regularly.
All of those responses are normal.
Taking your time is allowed
There is no ideal moment to book a float, and no advantage in rushing the decision. Curiosity that unfolds slowly is still curiosity.
If you decide to try a session, it doesn’t need to be framed as a commitment, a step, or a turning point. It can be a single, contained experiment whose meaning (if any) you decide for yourself.
And if you never decide to book at all, that’s also fine.
Floating is simply what we offer here.
Clearly structured, adjustable, and available… should you choose to explore.
