Introducing the Shakti Mat

Back ache, well I hate it and get it quite regularly and have over the years been given many explanations as to what it could be or what might be causing it, everything from my posture to how I sleep, to how I sit or the fact it might well be hereditary. Whatever the cause it can sometimes be so painful that sitting down or laying down prove to be too painful for more than a few minutes, hot water bottles and baths are often a quick cure but the pain soon returns. Thankfully this isn't a problem I have to face everyday.

So, over the years, I have tried visiting a chiropractor, acupuncture, going to the gym to exercise, Pilates, swimming, Yoga and all known kinds of pain relief, rubs, hot stones and so on.  Then a friend of mine suggested that I try a Shakti Mat, like me she too suffers from back ache and using a Shakti mat had been suggested to her some months ago during a yoga class and she duly bought one and now swears it is the only relief worth thinking about. So if it worked for her, it might work for me and I too duly bought one. 

I am not someone who is into all of this healthy lifestyle come alternative medicinal cures admittedly and if I am honest I found yoga too boring and Pilates more boring than boring could possibly be, so I had never heard of a Shakti Mat never mind pronouncing it, though I was later informed it is pronounced Shack-tee and did read up about them before purchasing, be warned however that if you type Shakti Mat into Google you will get over 195,000 pages of information of which 90% of it isn't of any use, so I used the official website to gather my information and it is here that you can read about the history of Shakti and its invention. 

So what is a Shakti Mat? Some say it is a modern invention of the Indian bed of nails and to other it is known as an Acupressure Mat. The Shakti Mat is said to promote the release of large quantities of endorphins, the well-being hormone, as well as a range of other calming hormones, increases blood circulation and the uptake of oxygen thus has a very rejuvenating and relaxing effect. Added to that, according to research done in Russian hospitals A Shakti Mat promotes a decrease in pain, resolves stress, strengthens the immune system, increases the metabolism and decreases inflammation. For me the most important aspect of this Mat was that it decreases pain and inflammation, anything else was and is an added bonus. 

To look at a Shakti Mat is quite striking, they are usually available in an array of colours and when I purchased mine the option was purple, green, black or a bright orange and I opted for purple. One side of this mat is a deep black colour and has a detachable rubber foam mattress which is about 3cm thick. The mat itself in size it measures at roughly 44cm long and between 5-10 cm wide. On the other side of the mat the first thing you notice is some button shapes with spikes sticking out which do feel quite sharp on the tips of your fingers, hence why some people refer to it as the modern invention of the bed of nails, however it is these spikes which stimulate blood flow and endorphin release as well as treating your body with acupressure. On this mat there are 210 of these white buttons on each of them is approximately 42 spikes giving 8820 points of acupressure. If you place the palm of your hand over one and press down, it does hurt, so part of using this Mat is learning about how to use it and making sure you use it right and thankfully my own Mat came with an instruction guide which gave the briefest of details in how to use the Mat, but I actually found a few Youtube videos much more helpful. 

So to use your Shakti Mat you can either lay it on the floor or on your bed and then you need a rolled up towel so that it looks like a Swiss roll and this is placed under your Shakti Mat to support your neck as you lie down. Next poses the question as to what is suitable to wear? I usually wear my gym leggings and top, which are not thick material but I refuse to lay it on completely naked, which of course you can choose to do. Then as you slowly and trust me, I mean very slowly rest your skin so that it comes into contact with the points you need to relax and breathe as you lower yourself down. 

The best piece of advice I was given when I first started to use my Shakti Mat was to lay a thin piece of cloth between myself and the Mat, in my case it was a sheet and this made a little bit of difference, part of the learning curve with these mats is learning how to use them properly so they become effective and for the first few times of using them, they are deeply uncomfortable and slightly painful and can be likened to a warm pricking feel, but you do have to persevere with it and keep trying to ensure that it begins to work for you. Then once you have got yourself used to the mat it is said that you should initially aim to use it for 10-15minutes, whilst laying on your Mat you are asked to relax and breathe and let the acupressure points work their magic and then as you grow in confidence with your Mat up the amount of time you spend on it to half an hour to an hour at a time although you can fall asleep it on without it causing any harm, so if you do happen to drift off into a slumber, which I have done a few times, then there is nothing to worry about. The main thing is that you use the mat whenever you have time, preferably every day. 

After a few sessions of lying on your mat you should be able to feel less stressed and refreshed and you can use these mats in your place of work if you feel comfortable in doing so, as long as you can find somewhere suitable and quiet to re-energize your batteries. 

The Shakti mat can be used on most body parts and not just your back. You can use it on your knees, legs, thighs, stomach (although extra care is needed), feet, Jaw and even your neck. Used correctly the Shakti Mat can ease and relieve you of most pains. As well as my back, I also like to sit down on the soft and use the walking motion with my feet on the Mat to ease sore and tired feet if I cant be bothered with the foot spa and I have also used it for my neck when I have pulled a muscle, although like the stomach extra care does need to be taken on any body part because the spikes are sharp. 

Taking all of this onboard the main question is how does the Shakti mat promote relaxation and relieve pain? Those 8820 spikes that I mentioned earlier in this review are the key to that. The spikes stimulate the nerves in the body and sends impulses to those points within your brain and promotes the release of endorphins which are natural chemicals produced by the body to reduce pain and stress. 

The one thing I like about this product is that it is easy to look after and maintain. It came with an accompanying bag which I store my mat in and it is really easy to roll back up, much like a sleeping bag and store it. Then to wash it you need to wash it by hand and with warm water, it cannot go into a washing machine or a tumble dryer because it could damage the spikes, however you can hang it out to dry on your washing line with all of your other items. 

So now you have read all about the Shakti Mat you want to know whether or not it works. Actually I was skeptical when I first started to use it because like a hot bath, the pain soon vanished after using it for 15 to 20 minutes at a time and then a few days later the pain would come back and I have preserved with the Mat and continued to use it and I have increased my usage of it and use it everyday when and where possible to do so and yes my back pain is now much more manageable and I am not taking any pain relief such as Ibuprofen or Aspirin at all and I haven't felt the need to seek any more help from my doctor, so for me this is a form of pain relief, it isn't a cure and the pain doesn't vanish completely but it does make life much easier and much more comfortable and if I have to spend 15-20 and sometimes 40 minutes at a time laying still on my Mat, then do that I shall. 

I paid £25 for my Shakti Mat which came with a storage cover and you can purchase them online from retailers such as Amazon and the price can range from £19.99 right up to over £40, so if this is something you are thinking of trying then I would shop around and pay for something you are comfortable with. For me, well I love my little Mat and I am glad it does work and I don't think I will be giving it up anytime soon.

Lush Moon and Sun Steamer Tab

Within the Lush range that I am quite taken with are the toner and steamer tabs which can be found in the 'face' section on the website or in my local Lush shop, they can be found next to the moisturising creams. 

Toner tabs

A toner tab is designed to give the skin on your face a little more TLC and when the weather is this cold and this icy, my skin definitely needs a little something extra to keep it in tip top condition, more so when I am have just got over a really bad cold and I feel like my skin is very dull and lifeless and in need of something extra and instead of using a facemask, I decided to use the Moon and Sun steamer tab which I purchased online with a few other bits.

The Moon and Sun steamer Tab, although not an exciting name by Lush standards is smaller than a 10p in size and is a bright white coloured tablet with some lavender flowers placed on the top. Each Tab you buy is £2.50 and for that you get a 7g tab which you only get one use out of. The last time I bought a product from this range it cost 75p so there has been a bit of a price increase for these products, that said the price didn't put me off.

Lush Moon and Sun Tab

So what exactly is a steamer tab and more to the point what does it do? When I purchased my first ever tab I was slightly perplexed as to what to do with it and had to look online for a bit of help. This tab is sold as being "A blend of oils for both mind and skin, skilfully presented in an easy to use tab. Steam clean your face whilst you inhale the mood-adjusting essential oils" which is exactly what I feel I need. Although I cleanse and moisturise my skin every day and use a mask at least once a week, I live in London and commute every day too and from work using either a bus or the tube, that mean pollution and it can leave your skin feeling dry, dirty and every now and again really horrible, so I try and do all I can to ensure that no dirt and grime has the chance to cause any damage to my skin. 

Old Skooling it

For anyone who has ever had a cold, I am sure you will have put a teaspoon of Vicks Vapour-rub into a hot steaming bowl of water from your table, thrown a towel over your head and inhaled until your eyes were stinging right? Well it is sort of like doing that with this product.

So to use this tab, you simply drop it into a bowl of steaming hot water and the two things that are a must - the water has to be steaming hot from the kettle, so take extra care with your bowl and you will also need a fairly large towel to go over your head. The water needs to be steaming hot because through the steam the essential oils are released and are able to work their magic. Once you place the Tab into the water, it mimics the actions of a Bath Ballistic in that it fizzes around in the water and this once again is due to Sodium Bicarbonate which helps to soften the water, which for me is helpful as I live in a hard water area, making the products kinder to your skin.

Lush showing how it is done

For me, one of the good things about these tabs is that you don't need a lot of water to make them work, if you use too much water you are at risk of drowning out the fragrance. So, taking the advice I was given, I used a pint and a half of steaming hot water from my kettle and put it into my bowl and not the bowl that I use to wash up with I might add, then dropping in the tab and letting it whiz about for all of 30 seconds, put the towel over my head to keep the steam in one place and then I put my head over the bowl and allowed the steam to give my face a sauna. Now because the steam and the contents within the bowl are hot, you might need to give yourself a break after about 5 minutes and ensure that the bowl is on a hard surface and not resting on your lap. After about 15 minutes I felt I had had enough and I did have a break and then after a few minutes I repeated the process again which you can keep on doing until you feel the fragrance is no longer there.  As I haven't uploaded a video to youtube, there is one from Lush which you can see HERE and it shows you all you need to know.

Once you have finished with your facial sauna, it is suggested that you need a cotton wool ball or pad to draw up some water from the bowl which will act as a toner whilst at the same time remove any bits of grime and dirt which have been pushed to the surface of your skin from the facial sauna, as you wipe your face with said cotton wool you might be surprised at how dirty it turns with dirt, I certainly was especially as I cleanse and moisturise daily. So for me this is another reason why I am quite fond of these tabs, you have two different products in one tiny tablet. 

The Lush explanation of usage

Bit smelly?

The Moon and Sun Steamer Tab smells of lavender, a fragrance which I really like and it is fresh smelling lavender that you will find, as though you have just walked through some lavender fields. Lavender which is soothing for the skin is also soothing and calming on the nerves, helps by relieving tension, helps with depression and irritability and in general it is effective for headaches, migraines and for those people who suffer from insomnia. Neroli Oil comes next and it hosts similar properties to Lavender in that it is soothing, calming and helps relieve stress and tension when used in this way. Finally comes Geraniol which is an uplifting essential oil which again helps to relieve stress, tension, anxiety and tension. It is also kind to the skin in that it helps to create a balance between oily and dry skin ensuring that excess oil is removed but the skin remains moisturised.

All of these ingredients together also promote a calming effect leaving you feeling at ease and stress free. For further ingredients contained within this product you will find them available on the Lush Website. 

Afterwards...

After using this product I was left feeling refreshed and de-stressed and as your face cools down from the hot steam, your skin initially begins to tighten and is soft to the touch. My skin was definitely moisturised and felt much fresher and cleaner than it had done in a very long time, despite using cleansers and toners on a daily basis, I was quite shocked at how much dirt was removed from deep within my pores when I wiped my skin with a cotton wool pad using the water from the bowl. Once you have patted your skin dry there is definitely no need to add any moisturising cream like you would need to with a face mask for example, because your skin is soft and smooth to the touch and it was noted that the floral smell I mentioned earlier was still evident a few hours after use.

So would I recommend this product? Yes I definitely do because it is absolutely brilliant, I loved using it and it was easy to use. I am someone who likes to pamper herself and this is definitely a product which allows me to do just that with minimal effort and fuss.

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