Shakti Mat: Acupressure At Home

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Shakti mats are a great way for you to get the benefits of acupressure at home. Made from organic cotton & dyes, handcrafted in India, they come in three different intensities. This means they can be used to relieve stress and tension in your neck, back and shoulders; help increase blood flow to your hands, feet and knees; improve your sleep pattern; relax tense muscles and reduce stress; alleviate pain in your back and hips and aid general vitality.

What Is An Acupressure Shakti Mat?

Shakti mat is the highest rated acupressure mat on the market, based on 1,500,5000+ users reviews. It uses the over 2000 years old ancient art of acupressure to influence your body and mind.

This acupressure mat has been designed to provide you with an effective way to relax and unwind after a long day at work or school. It can be used by anyone who wants to improve their health and wellbeing.

With more than 21.000 five-stars reviews and 98% people saying it works, we had to try it ourselves and see if the magic is real!

Why We Love It

Pros

  • Effective
  • Easy to use
  • Very affordable
  • Lasts a long time
  • Can be used all over body
  • Portable
  • Encourages you to take a better care of yourself
  • 5 years warranty

Cons

  • It can take a bit of getting used to at the beginning

Why Use A Shakti Mat?

Shakti mats are a great wellness tool for your overall health and vitality. Regular use can bring many benefits for your feet and your whole body. Here is what you can gain with your Shakti practice:

  • Healthy circulation
  • Relaxation of tense muscles
  • Supports deep sleep
  • Temporary pain relief
  • Mental clarity
  • Mild headache relief
  • Stress relief
  • General vitality

How Does It Work?

Spikes apply pressure on your body and muscles, acupoints are stimulated, which releases tension and increases circulation. Your body responds to the pain with endorphins and creates a sense of wellbeing and calm.

How To Use A Shakti Mat?

You can use your Shakti on your:

  • Back: 20min+
  • Neck and Shoulders: 10min+
  • Belly: 5min+
  • Feet: 10min+
  • Anywhere else, based on your needs

You can use it wherever and whenever it’s easy for you: on your bed, on the floor, your couch or somewhere else. Since it’s really light, it’s easy to take it with you on your travels too. We love to use it in the morning, to get the circulation going and before sleep for stress relieve and relaxing. Our kids love it too!

There is no limit to how long or how often you can use it, some people even fall asleep on it. To get the full benefits, try to use it for at least 15 minutes at a time.

You can also use it when doing feet exercises or during yoga or meditation session.

Materials & Intensity

Materials

UPPERS: 100% organic cotton and non-toxic dyes (GOTS certified)

SPIKES: recyclable ABS plastic ( the spikes are hand-clipped on the cover)

INSIDE: PU foam or eco latex (only Original, black)

Symbols: The sacred geometry symbols on Shakti mats represent harmony, balance, healing, connection and the natural patterns of movement and growth. The seed of life symbols on the front of the mat imply that all life on Earth is interconnected.

Dimensions: 74cm (length) X 40cm (width) X 2cm (height)

Intensity

They come in 3 intensities and different colors:

  • LIGHT (Yellow) is for you if you are sensitive to pressure or are looking for a light acupressure experience and it has 8000 spikes.
  • ORIGINAL (Black, Orange, Pink, Green) is the right one for 90% of people and has 6000 spikes.
  • ADVANCED (Indigo) is best if you have strong pain threshold, enjoy deep tissue massages or if you’ve been using the original one for 6months+ and it has 4000 spikes.

Our advice: If you’re a beginner, go with the light (if you are more sensitive) or the original one.

Shakti Acupressure Ring

Run, don’t walk, because you need this and we are sure it will be a staple in your bag or on your desk! It’s a small tool with great impact on your tired, busy or cold toes and fingers.

Roll the ring up and down each toe/finger 20 times to activate and restore.

Pillow

Shakti pillow is great to use for your shoulders, neck, head and even your feet. We love the experience when used in combination with the mat.

Taking Care Of Your Shakti

Taking care for your favourite mat is easy! Remove the inside foam and hand wash when necessary. You can also use a brush and antibacterial spray on the spikes.

The Company

  • Created in 2007.
  • They employ local craftspeople in India, who make every Shakti mat by hand.
  • They support all Shakti employees with living wage, sick leave, holiday leave, free medical care, an emergency medical fund, and investment in the education of their children.
  • Currently working on getting an official certification for socially responsible manufacture.
  • Shakti donates 10% of their profits to causes important to humanity.
  • They care about sustainibility with use of organically certified cotton & dies and are committed to reducing their carbon footprint.

Shipping & Price

Shipping

Shakti mats ship to US, UK, EU, New Zealand, Canada, Australia and Asia. Shipping costs vary by country (free to 20EUR)

Returns: If you aren’t 100% satisfied with your Shakti, you have 60 days to return it and get a refund.

All Shakti products come with 5-year warranty that covers defects in craftmanship and materials.

Price

Mat: 79€ / 89 USD and 84€ / xxxx USD for the eco latex one

Pillow: 49€ / 59 USD

Ring: 6€

Quality matters

There are many acupressure mats on the market, but not all are of the same quality! When looking for the right one for you, look for the features:

  • Sharp spikes, which are essential for unlocking deep and effective acupressure.
  • Durability, which means the spikes won’t break, bend or go blunt.
  • Length, because an acupressure mat should be at least 29 inches long to target all the acupoints on your neck and back.
  • Intensity, so you can choose the right one for you.
  • Materials that need to be kind to your skin and the planet.

After doing our research we decided to go for the Shakti because of the quality and price-performance ratio.

The Verdict & Our Tips

The verdict

We weren’t sure what the hype is all about and the reviews seemed too good to be true. After trying the Shakti mat ourselves, we now think it’s one of the best tools we ever tried for general well being and we highly encourage you to invest in one for yourself too!

It’s a truly multifunctional self-help tool to have at home to relieve stress, pain and bring many benefits to our health. Of course we especially love what it does for our feet. Improved circulation will be a great benefit for everyone transitioning to barefoot shoes, but also for experienced barefooters. Even though our feet are healthy, fully functional, our feet muscles are strong and toes activated, it’s not easy for us to stand or walk on it and doing it with confidence will require some work.

After using the mat we feel more relaxed and get a better night of sleep.

Our Tips

  • Start slowly and progress as you go, don’t give up on it the first time you use it.
  • If it’s your first time using it or you are more sensitive, wear a thin T-shirt (if using on your back) or this socks (if using on your feet) or lay a thin piece of fabric over the spikes, until you feel comfortable doing it without.
  • When you lay on it, help your body and mind to calm down with slow, conscious breathing.
  • In the first few minutes it’s normal to experience some discomfort and pain, but as you relax into it, it becomes very pleasant and you get a sense of warmth and calmness. It’s kind of addictive, in a good way.
  • Use it consistently and take some time for your selfcare every day.
  • Using it on soft surfaces will be easier and less painful for the beginning; your bed or couch are great.
  • Aim for the whole 20mins experience to get all the benefits and try to use this time to unwind completely (no technology).
  • When ordering your Shakti, don’t forget to add the ring too, you will love it!
  • If you often get cold feet, try standing on your Shakti for 10min+ before going out!

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