Hopefully this will be a less contentious post than my previous….. 😬
I have been practicing meditation for a year and now make it a daily habit. It has really helped with managing stress and to break the cycle of ‘anxiety can trigger SVT, but I have anxiety because I worry about SVT’ etc Along with medication and diet and lifestyle my blood pressure is now settled at circa 110/75. I use meditative breathing, mantras and also use the Calm app and free videos on YouTube.
Before I start I want to add that like anything new you should check with your GP or Cardiologist or Practice Nurse. I suffer from SVT (occasional racing heart rate) which is very well controlled with medication - basically it’s an electrical arrhythmia with no physical heart disease.
Before starting to use the Shakti mat I read the accompanying leaflet that said not to use if you have Cardiovascular issues. I did check in with my cardiologist and also the British Heart Foundation (BHF) Nurse helpline and they both said it was absolutely fine for me with my condition and my medication, to use the mat.
If you are on blood thinners (im not) you may want to check first due to the risk of bruising.
Anyway onto my review of the first time on the mat (I’ve since used it every day for 4 days).
Tried it…….and LOVED it!!
Took 2-3 minutes at the beginning to breathe through it and settle my full weight. The only way to first describe it is PAIN - those spikes are sharp but they don’t puncture the skin. Then I felt warmth and then genuinely felt wonderful and a feeling of bliss and didn’t want to get up. I wish I’d done the first video on the app….but I thought I’d only manage a couple of minutes! I also wish I’d tried the pillow, but I genuinely thought I’d be too consumed with discomfort to try the mat and pillow at the same time.
Skipped trying it on the bed and went for the floor with a yoga mat in front of the stove. I was there for 30 minutes and felt I could have gone much longer.
Google Shakti mat and the algorithm will do the rest and your Facebook feed will pop up with offers LOL. They currently have 20% off.
Hope this helps a few folks. If you don’t like them, or for medical reasons can’t use them please don’t come gunning for me. Perhaps just scroll on by…..
Best wishes
Jezza
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Yes , it's one of those products that might be great for some and murder for others.Like you say. I'm pretty sure they are not recommended for people on anticoagulant or antiplatelet medications because the pressure points can cause bruising under the skin . I remember my Mum trying one at a spa , despite my quiet warning and the very funny dotty pattern she had down her back and legs the next day. She looked liked she'd been stung by a bee armed with a set square.
I have EDS , which causes very thin skin which is easy to tear or bruise and I know these acupressure products can cause bruising and scratching of thin or fragile skin even if you are only lying on it. So , if you have thin skin or skin prone to easily scratching I wouldn't use one if I were you.
I also have Fibromyalgia and Peripheral Neuropathy. I had a go putting on some of those acupressure shoes , once , for about 30 seconds , the pain was excruciating. I've been told acupressure mats can cause the same pain for Fibromyalgia sufferers and others with skin Neuropathy. If sudden pain or stimuli is your trigger the mats aren't for you. I also tried giving my friends pillow a quick go , quick was the operative word because with Fibromyalgia it felt like my head was being pierced by some sort of Medieval torture device.
Last. I'd probably advise against these sorts of products if there is a chance that your AFib is caused by some level of autonomic dysfunction. There is the possibility that pain and pressure based therapies including mats can trigger a "fight or flight" response that in turn might be one of your AFib triggers.
It's a shame , I see them and they are weirdly tempting. The devil on my shoulder sits there whispering, "go on try it. You might like it it will be fine", luckily so far the Angel on the other shoulder has reminded me " Don't be a ninny , you know what will happen you'll either look like an overused pin cushion or be stuck in tachycardia for a week"
Good luck with it though, certainly not gunning for you 😆😆😆 finding a way to relax is one of the best ways to help us all feel healthier and reduce our risks of active AFib.
Yep I totally get what you say. Fortunately I have SVT, not AF and I have a very good understanding of my triggers, which now I am on really effective meds tends to trigger only palpitations not the SVT. However as we all know, sometimes the palpitations can feel worse than the SVT / AF.
For me, meditation has been transformational in managing my stress/ anxiety and, in turn, my blood pressure. Often tempted to sell up and move to a small place in Italy or Greece, where all I have to do is each day is a morning walk, swim, yoga and meditation all underpinned by a Mediterranean diet.
Wouldn't that be lovely, although finding balance in your daily activities , living at a slower , less stressful pace and eating a sensible varied diet is somehing we can all start to do today, no need to move.It's often our attitude to life rather than the location that makes all the difference.
( Although I could do with living somewhere warmer and drier 😁).
I can truthfully say I’ve just about cracked the balance, pace, diet and attitude (although always room for improvement).
I’ve started the 4 year countdown to retire at 60 and then we will either move abroad or spend a large amount of time abroad in the motorhome.
Hahahaha I’ve just asked my work for a 4 day week on compressed hours ie 37.5 in 4 days. They were like ‘we don’t want to set a precedent but we are struggling for reasons to deny it’
That was our plan originally, unfortunately my health means I couldn't do that anymore, but I do what I can do , accept what I can't, and appreciate every little thing, that's helped me as much as any of my medical care has to get quality of life each day.Hope you get your 4 day weeks.
Compressed hours sounds like a very sensible idea, full time hours spread over four days👍 I made the mistake of reducing my hours to a four-day week during my last couple of years at work. Huge mistake. They didn’t buy in any cover for the extra day, so in practice all it meant was I was putting in the extra hours unpaid just to get through the workload, while only being paid for four days - and missing out on my pension too😅
Exactly my thoughts! I’m lucky enough to be in the ‘wodging my pension’ stage, whilst also (very quietly) stepping back from the pressure of work. I am doing a LOT less than I was two years ago and yet, funny old thing, every year I get the same pay rise as everyone else 😉
We definitely need to protect our health in our 50’s and onwards. I’m knocking it on the head at age 60 and I really want at least 20 good healthy years out of retirement. Fortunately my parents are both still very active and healthy in their late 70’s.
Blearyeyed....reading replies to people's posts as I always do as I find the responses interesting and informative ...which I have yours but just got to tell you that I really chuckled at "don't be a ninny". I haven't heard that for so many years....it was one of my Mum's sayings and seeing that written down just made me laugh and brought back instant memories of some of the little phrases she used. 😁
Fabulous post. No idea about Shakti Mat, thanks to your prompt, I will now take a look. I do know a bit about accessing the parasympathetic side of your autonomic nervous system and what ever the method used I am confident it will help you to manage your anxiety. For me, this is a great example of recognising that anxiety, even when triggered by a medical condition, can be tackled in a non medicalised way, maybe in conjunction with anxiety medication. Good for you, best of luck.
Actually I've just got the mat out now so that I don't forget to use it. I bought it many years ago from H&B. Still looks like new, can't remember whether I'm meant to use it with or without clothes. Think it can be used either way. I bought it to see if it could help me sleep, but to be honest I never gave it a fair trial. I have no instructions now on it's use, do you?
skin to spikes contact works best but you can start with a t-shirt to lessen the initial intensity. Either try it on the bed or on the floor on a yoga mat. Many folks wear a dressing gown back to front when lying on it, because it can be awkward to reach for a blanket whilst you are on it.
Best way to get on it is ease back taking the weight on your arms by your side and to reverse this when getting off. For the first couple of minutes you need to focus on your breathing and to breathe through the discomfort. After that you will experience warmth as blood pressure moves to the area and then a feeling of bliss as endorphins are released.
There is a free app called Shakti Shala which is excellent and has guided meditations.
I’ve practiced meditation off and on for many years but never needed a special mat. We did practice it after yoga classes many years ago but our mats did not have spikes in them!!
No one needs a mat in order to meditate. However, in addition to the many benefits of acupressure, I find that the mat greatly enhances my meditative state.
The primary purpose of an acupressure mat is to stimulate the nervous system by applying pressure on strategic points of the body in order to restore harmony, relieve tension, and increase energy flow. Most acupressure mats consist of a padded fabric or foam surface (similar to a yoga mat) covered by hundreds of small spikes or knobs made of plastic or non-corrosive metal.
Lying down on the Shakti mat spikes activates hundreds of acupoints to promote circulation, release tension, and naturally restore the energy that flows within you. It’s a sensation to start, but after 5-10 minutes the tingle turns into a soft warmth that brings a meditative state with it. Skin-to-spike contact lets the spikes work their best, and focusing on the breath will help you sink to relaxation sooner. Yoga can be incorporated into the practice with poses like bridge, pigeon, cobra, and sphinx encouraging a deeper, targeted release.
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