Iceland review - 2016, Page 68

66 ICELAND REVIEW ICELAND REVIEW 67
BALANCE IN THE BRAIN
Some of the obvious benefits of lying weightless in warm
water for an hour and a half are physical relaxation and mental
calmness, but recent scientific research has revealed additional
unexpected side effects of floating. “You sleep better. That’s
the first thing,” says Jóhanna, asserting that REM (rapid eye
movement) sleep cycles can double in length. There have also
been studies showing that floating helps to balance the right
and left sides of the brain, as well as synchronizing alpha and
theta brainwaves, which have to do with states of deep relaxa-
tion. “It’s the same with monks who have been meditating for
years,” says Guðrún. “The water is so healing; you can quickly
get into that. They’ve [scientists] measured a difference in the
brain before and after.” They list other effects such as stimu-
lating creativity, healing trauma, aiding with autism, and fewer
aches and pains. “The spine is always working, but when you
lie there you don’t have to struggle to hold yourself up. When
you float, you don’t have to do anything,” explains Jóhanna.
FLOATING IN THE COUNTRYSIDE
Apart from the Reykjavík float sessions, the sisters also organ-
ize monthly sessions in the countryside from April to October.
An hour-and-a-half’s drive from Reykjavík, the Secret Lagoon
(Gamla laugin) at Flúðir, South Iceland, is a natural hot spring
surrounded by low, grassy hills. Most people come to float,
and return to the city the same day, Guðrún explains. Others
rent a summer house for the whole weekend. “It’s a new way
of having fun,” Jóhanna says. Food and drink is provided after
the float. You’re also given the option of yoga, Tibetan bowl
meditation, and Sigur Rós plays through underwater speakers.
“It’s a beautiful moment,” she says.
FRIENDS FLOAT TOGETHER
Now, three years after they began organizing float sessions in
Reykjavík, the sisters estimate that 10,000 people have tried
it and 1,000 own personal floating gear, designed by Unnur.
Pools all over the country, from Akureyri to Húsafell, now
offer float sessions. While it’s always possible to float on your
own in the quiet hours at the pool, according to the sisters,
there is something special about floating in a group. Guðrún
describes how friends who float together often end up in a
cluster, as though drawn together by a magnet. “It’s like med-
itating alone versus meditating with other people,” Jóhanna
adds. “There’s more energy when you’re together.”
It may have begun with just the two sisters, lone figures
floating in deep meditation on the surface of the water as the
regulars dived in to swim their laps, but now it is catching
on—especially as more people buy their own caps and sup-
ports. “Go to the Seltjarnarnes pool between 7 and 10 o’clock
in the morning,” Guðrún says, “and you’ll always see one or
two people floating in a corner.” *
RELAXATION