Need to relax? Muscles tense? Feel stressed/bit strung out? Does the phrase ‘human time bomb’ mean anything to you? Or perhaps you just find it hard to get to sleep… or, you sleep so lightly that any noise wakes you? Perhaps you experience chronic pain? Sciatica? Muscle stiffness? TMJ issues or circulation problems? I could go on but will stop because I think we can help. Introducing, drum roll please…. a portable bed of nails! Yep you heard me right – a portable bed of nails. I know, I had the same reaction at first… and then I tried it. This is my story:
I was at a trade fair promoting our professional association. Our stand was on a corner and around from us was this guy with mats that were covered with discs and the discs had spikes coming off them. When I inquired about the product he replied “it’s a ‘bed of nails,” I was later to learn it is an acupressure mat, but at the time all I heard was ‘bed of nails’. I thought, this guy is crazy…why would anyone want to lay on a bed of nails??? Though to a recovering Catholic it does have a weird kind of appeal… Anyway I was intrigued and watched the stand all day, convinced I would see him curl up on the bed himself due to no customers. Boy was I wrong!
Person after person tried the Shakti (acupressure) Mat, and mat after mat was sold. I was fascinated, so I started asking people about their experience while they were using the mat (he had a massage table set up with a mat for people to lie on and he had acupressure mats for people to stand on). Everyone that tried it said the same thing “I feel amazing… sooo relaxed“. At first I thought he was paying people to use the mat and then ‘buy’ one I was so skeptical. So I kept chatting, questioning, his customers and he kept inviting me to lay on a bed of nails…and each time I declined politely thinking “do I look THAT stupid?“.
Curiosity finally got the better of me after about the 20th person reported this great sensation… As is my way, I waited until the very last minute before the show closed to try the acupressure mat. My first experience was standing on it; my feet are sensitive and I have bad circulation – chronically cold and swollen feet. It was amazing. I felt uncomfortable at first but when the initial reaction subsided and I got used to it I could feel the circulation increase and a warmth developed in my feet. The best bit was after I got off the acupressure mat. My feet stayed warm and I felt calmer; and that was how I remained until I went to bed that night. Anyway I was not on rostered on to the stand the next day but I talked about it so much that my partner wanted to have a look. So we drove back and we bought one. I am so glad we did.
The acupressure mat targets pressure points and nerve endings along the spine. Using the mat causes the body to release endorphins and oxytocin – those nice ‘happy feeling’ hormones. Using one of these mats can at first be a bit daunting. Your mind knows you are about to lay down on a surface with 6000 pointy bits and it screams – Nooooooo… the whole time. After a few goes it becomes a must. I use it every day, now twice a day and my day is incomplete without it.
Why don’t you give it a try! you won’t regret it.
