Fall Floating can’t come soon enough for this soon to be first time floater! 

OMG… It’s almost time for Winnipeg to get Floating!! The build out is coming along on schedule and its full steam ahead. Fall is just around the corner and I for one can’t wait to get floating. As a mom and an athlete this center couldn’t have come into my life at a better time. Fall for moms is hectic to say least as I’m sure all of you moms out there can attest to. We are switching gears from summer fun into serious mode, back to busy schedules. Not just for ourselves but for our whole families. It’s back to school, sports, music, dance, practices, games, recitals, tests, exams, and on and on and on you go. We get busy tending to the needs both physical and emotional of our families, and these demands are all encompassing. Speaking as a mom, my own personal timeouts are few and far between. As a matter of fact, I can’t remember the last time I had a complete full 7 hours of sleep. Like actual sleep, not hovering on the edge of sleep, but an actual, deep, full on “made it all the way to REM sleep and back” sleep. My kids are 9 and 5, and math has never been my strong suit but by my calculations that’s almost a decade of sleep depravity, stress, anxiety and fatigue that’s been quietly building and weighing on both my mind and body. As a mom I want to be the best me that I can be for my kids, for my husband and friends, and most importantly for me. To some that priority list may sound selfish or backwards, but it’s not. It is all about perspective, and for me to have a good and positive one, for me to be encouraging and nurturing, loving and supportive, I need to take care of myself first. I need to make sure that I am providing those same elements to my mind, spirit and body that I need to provide for everyone else.

Oh the body. The body is a big one for me these days. As I get older things just don’t seem to run as smoothly as they used to. I’m 36 and ever since I can remember I’ve been playing one sport or another. From the time I was old enough to swing a bat, all the way through high school, it was baseball, volleyball, basketball, or golf. You name it I played it, either competitively or recreationally. Even now, my ladies league Volleyball on Monday nights is the sports vice I just can’t quit. The excitement and intensity of good competition is the best. I LOVE it!! Unfortunately, my body doesn’t share my passion. Between the cartilage breakdown in my knees to my chronic shoulder strains and pains and old ankle injuries, my body is begging me for a chance to heal, a chance to renew itself, and a break from holding me up. There is no arguing the fact that my love and commitment to athletics has taken its toll throughout the years, but I still need it to perform for me in life’s everyday little ways, preferably without the suffering of daily discomfort and pain.

Which brings me back to floating, I’ve never personally experienced floating before, but I’ve read everything that I can get my hands on. I’ve watched videos, read books, articles, testimonials and had friends recount first hand their own personal experiences, and all of it just increases my desire to get in there and reap any and all benefits that floating has to offer – An all-natural form of pain management while at the same time helping to alleviate stress on the body and mind, on top of leaving me feeling rested and potentially extra creative to boot? HECK YEAH, SIGN ME UP! How could I not be excited at the prospect of floating? I’m literally counting down the days. I feel like this will help me by giving me the opportunity to get to know myself in ways that have been unattainable in my day to day thus far with all the distractions and responsibilities that constantly take up my headspace. Truthfully I can’t wait to spend a little quiet uninterrupted time reconnecting with myself. Its long overdue and if I’m being honest, people say I’m pretty fantastic, so I feel like I need to get in there and see what all the fuss is about!

Christine Bourrier
Float Guide