It’s hard to believe, but the #1 selling holiday gift item in Sweden this year were Nail Mats. They’ve just now hit the U.S. and I have a feeling that it won’t be long before they become the next big craze (at least in yoga-obsessed places like NYC and L.A. — seriously the Sports Club/LA I go to has like 50 different types of yoga classes you can take!). I’ve been using a Mocana Nail Mat – the original nail mat – for a few weeks now and it’s quite the trip! Basically the mat is a thin rubber foam pad, covered in cotton fabric and filled with plastic disks each of which have a number of sharp spikes on them and doing various exercises on it can help with–
* Relaxing the body
* Refueling energy levels
* Decreasing high stress levels
* Increasing metabolism
* Relieving muscular tension
* Dissolving cellulites
* Helping you fall asleep
For me the main goal was to use it as a relaxation tool. When you start off (make sure to get the mat for beginners — there are three mats: Entry, Pro and Guru each of which have different nail flowers with less or more acupressure points), it might be a bit painful (they are nails after-all!), but it’s not an awful, get-my-off this thing kind of pain, it’s more like an odd pocking sensation. The way to get over it and to reap the benefits of the mat is to relax!! Easier said than done I know, but there’s something wonderfully soothing about blocking-out some time and just laying with your eyes closed. Jump for more!
The key I found for myself with this mat is that I had to turn off my BlackBerry and computer and block out any distractions. If you focus on the exercises you really will feel a difference (supposedly it’s caused by endorphin release), and a great number of people will actually fall asleep while laying on the mat. The best time I’ve found is to practice before going to bed. It’s really helped to calm my nerves and help me sleep (I’ve been extra stressed lately because I have this thing called Pityriasis Rosea which is basically a non-contagious form of the chicken pox that just come for no reason out of the blue!! Harmless, but a pain in the butt no less!).
Learn more about the wonders of Nail Mats as a relaxation tool here!
