One of my favorite things to do in the summer is to find a pool or a body of water, get a nice comfy air or foam cushion to lay on, and float around for a while listening to music. It's one of my favorite forms of meditation and often feels like a mini-vacation.
There's something about the combination of floating on water with its subtle motion and movement, feeling the heat and intensity of the sun (star shine!) on your skin, hearing the air, birds, and other sounds, and having the music there that makes it a lot easier for me to quiet the mind, let the thoughts stop intruding, and just be present for a while.
I'll also use my Float playlists in the off season as little music meditation sessions. 30 minutes is the perfect amount of time for me, and having the music playing helps me quiet the mind better during meditation. Most of the tracks are instrumental, and I'll often blend in one song that has singing or vocals. I don't mind voices when I'm floating, but without the float, I typically don't like to hear vocals with music while meditating.
If I find that thoughts are coming in, I listen to the music, I pay attention to my breath, or I listen to the sounds of the environment. Being present with those things without thinking or processing them is doable. And when I'm focusing on those things in the present, I find my thoughts can quiet down quite nicely. It's always a practice, though. A 30-minute break has a lot more impact with the mind has been able to rest, too.
Here are the latest “Episodes” from the 2026 season of FLOAT. Each one ends with the same song since I love the track and find it to be upbeat, happy, and a great “welcome back” track after taking a little break. It also tells me that the Float is over and I'd better get out of the sun or I'm going to get burned.