Sensory Deprivation And Meditation

[Principium Nexus]

Are there any (experienced) meditators that have tried meditation inside a floatation chamber and what are your experiences?
 I know meditation can be done anywhere anytime but this can probably take you with ease to much deeper levels.

[Visionary]

Have done it a couple of months ago. Was nothing special. But it had to do with the quality of the tank i guess. It was too small (feet sometimes bumped into the side of the tank), no complete darkness (still some light visible) and the temperature of the water was not optimal.

As the names of these tanks suggest: you must be completely deprived of your senses to get into those deep states.

Peace

[faith]

Thank you for telling me about this. I have never heard of this before, and after looking up I found there is such a thing here in Toronto. So I am going to have it a go (but oh my, the pricing!!!).

Once I finish, I will let you know of my experience

[Principium Nexus]

@ashashlov  You have to check out the VICE documentary on Sensory Deprivation Tanks!

 

[faith]

16 minutes ago, Principium Nexus said:

@ashashlov  You have to check out the VICE documentary on Sensory Deprivation Tanks!

Thank you, it does look quite interesting. But on second thought I am pretty good with just plain ol' meditation. Maybe if I wasn't broke, I would try something like this

 

[Yavor Kirov]

Yes, meditation "depth" varies, but I believe most buddhas did not have such chambers. So that is probably not going to help much. From a certain point of view your question is very much like asking: " If I put less weights on the machine in the fitness, can I do more repetitions?". Well, yes, you can of course but you are missing the point a bit because one of the "muscles" we train by meditating is focus.

As a someone who has hard time focusing I do speak from expeience here. When meditating I try to find a quiet room but that's it. What I found temperature  of room/use a blanket/ and comfortable sitting pose/base are important when sittig for longer. If I am comfortable and in quiet that's very mucn enough. It does not get any better if I am in complete silence or if it's dark. Actually anything outside my physical comfort zone excites/stresses me and therefore interferes with my efforts to focus.

 

[Leo Gura]

I've visited a float tank a while back. Felt like I could meditate better just sitting on my couch at home. Dealing with the water and salt and being naked is actually a big distraction for me.

Sensory deprivation is not even a desirable thing for meditation. Just meditate on whatever the senses serve up.

[Hunter Arrington]

13 minutes ago, Leo Gura said:

Sensory deprivation is not even a desirable thing for meditation. Just meditate on whatever the senses serve up.

I know a true master who loves SD. I've only tried it a couple of times. Takes many many times to see an effect I've heard. I'll probably get an at home version if the technology becomes good enough. 

[Hunter Arrington]

Yoga talks about withdrawal of the senses to obtain Samadhi. Not sure if this relates. 

[Peace and Love]

@Leo Gura

37 minutes ago, Leo Gura said:

I've visited a float tank a while back. Felt like I could meditate better just sitting on my couch at home. Dealing with the water and salt and being naked is actually a big distraction for me.

Sensory deprivation is not even a desirable thing for meditation. Just meditate on whatever the senses serve up.

They have a "float tank" place here in Virginia.  I couldn't stand the smell and the crazy blue lighting they had every where....I felt like I was having a panic attack.  lol.  Being in an enclosed space in pitch dark is weird too!   I'm glad I wasn't missing anything!!  Thanks for your insight. 


Meditating outside is great.  I love hearing the birds chirping and being underneath a tree on a warm summer day. It just feels so natural to me.

 

[Colin]

Not knowing anything about yoga, and barely knowing anything about meditation, years ago I decided to meditate several days in a dark closet just as an experiment. On one of those days I had a full blown kundalini rising and was jettisoned in to a full blown non-drug induced  "psychedelic" state for a moment. It scarred the hell out of me as I had absolutely no reference for it. I'd like to try it again now that I am bit more worldly and a bit more knowledgeable. Certainly something to that though.

[Principium Nexus]

I don't think we should directly dismiss it. Some theories suggest that the egyption tombs inside the main chamber of the piramid were not actually to burry anybody but were places to meditate in. For example the middle of a gigantic pyramid of stone is probably the darkest and most silent place you can find and would be an ideal place to find the closest to the most deprived sensory experience.

I know meditation is a tool to focus and that it can be done anywhere but being in something that comes close to true silence (magnetically, soundwise, light, air) you have ability to observe the slightest changes in your conciousness. These changes you could say are therefor the most basic or fundamental things you can experience in being between non-dual and duality.

I have to try a floatation yet myself so I will leave a report when done.

History often speaks of visonary cave man, finding the light in utter darkness from within. Still curious what potential this has to offer.

[Psychonaut]

I have gone floating 3 times for about 2 hours each. I found it extremely easy to meditate in the tank and reach deeper levels of meditation. 

Flotation tanks are prime ground to learn how to relax. It is ideally completely dark and sound proof. You are stuck with your mind. You can meditate while focusing on your breath with the only distraction being your mind or just watch your mind without any external distractions. 

I'm definitely planning on getting a zen float tent or something similar once I have the space and money for it. 

Saying that yogis or other enlightened people didn't have floating tanks is the entheogen discussion all over again. You can use everything that is at your disposal or not. I will go for the functionally more effective approach and use everything.