Stephen Bryla, Owner
Floating first entered my life in 2008 while I was a sophomore at UMass Amherst. It was brought to my attention by a dear friend, who heard the word from Joe Rogan on a YouTube video. Without thinking twice, I knew floating was something I had to try. I sought out the nearest float tank and I arrived at The Crystalline Matrix near Worcester, MA. With no expectations, I entered the tank and had a profound experience. A year later, I made another visit to The Crystalline Matrix, and after another moving experience in the tank, I began to wonder why floating was not a more prevalent therapy and practice. I wanted to float more regularly but did not want to have to drive an hour away in order to do so. I was surprised that after each passing year, no float center was opening in the Valley. I then began to brainstorm what it would be like to create a place in Western Mass where people could come and float. After doing some Internet research, it led me to traveling to Portland Oregon to attend a float conference (I know, I couldn’t believe there was a float conference either). I attended 2 conferences, gathering as much information as possible, before opening Go With The Float (and continue to go every year). I have come to love the float industry and facilitating floats to the people of Western Mass and surrounding areas has become my passion and life’s mission. I am deeply honored by all who chose to come to Go With The Float and experience floating.
Our Float Facilitators
Chris
Chris (he/him) grew up in Amherst and currently lives in Easthampton. Chris Floated for the first time in 2018 and knew that the tank would somehow be an important part of his life. Little did he know just 3 years later he would become a Float Facilitator at Go With The Float in September of 2021. Chris is interested in the woefully unexplored intersections of technical meditation practice and Float Tank phenomenology. Chris’ obsession with the Float Tank has led to logging over 2,300 hours in the Tank over the course of his short time in the Float industry, persistently Floating for 15-20 hours a week in sessions ranging from 3-10 hours at a time without exit. While still a novice in the grand scheme, this practice has left Chris with a formidable experiential knowledge of the Tank, making him uniquely qualified to answer questions a Floater at most any experience level might have. Chris is an enthusiast, evangelist, and believer in the transformative power of the Float Tank as an emergent technology, as it has radically changed his life for the better. Chris is deeply grateful for the opportunity to facilitate Float Tank experiences for Go With The Float’s clientele.
Ally
Ally (she/her) grew up in Chesterfield and currently lives in Easthampton. She floated for the first time at GWTF in February of 2022 and considers the float tank to be the place where she first began to practice meditation and the tool that has been the most helpful and foundational to her practice. She started working at GWTF in August of 2022. In addition to facilitating floats, Ally also works as a Registered Nurse and a dog walker. In each of these roles, she finds herself feeling consistently excited by the possibilities of community care work and truly grateful to be a part of individual wellness journeys.
Aya
Aya (she/they) I am a multi-curious person studying massage therapy among many other streams of curiosity. Coming from a background as an ecological gardener, I’m interested in facilitating re-connection between humans and the more than human rhythms that surround us- sunlight, darkness, air, water, roots. To me, bodywork whether practiced on the self or received from a practitioner is a practice of weaving what is inside with what is outside- letting energy flood over when it needs to, like a river free of dams, fluctuating with the seasons and the surrounding ecosystems. My love of water and portals is what brings me to work at Float. One of my favorite things is being in the company of transformation, revelation, rest and growth. I delight in reading the notes people leave in the parlor, in overhearing whispers about dreams and new sensations. If you would like to receive a massage, you can find me at The Massage School student clinic in Easthampton.
Clove
Hi there! I’m Clove (they/them), and it’s my pleasure to serve here at Go with the Float as a facilitator! I’ll often be working alongside my little companion pup friend, Hermie, who holds things down in a hugely spiritual way. I’m queer and neurodivergent, an artist and a massage therapist (please inquire if you’d like to receive bodywork!). I’m drawn to the creative potential involved in the intentional therapeutic experience. That is, I’m learning what it means to facilitate therapeutic experiences, and working at GWTF for a few years has brought me so much insight into this process. Floating has helped me connect with my body, giving me techniques to help me reconnect, even when outside the tank. May we observe things for how they truly are!