Shakti Mat

The Shakti Matt is a modern take on the ancient Indian bed of nails. It’s a mat with thousands of tiny plastic spikes. This is the point where some readers will already be put off thinking it sounds more like a torture device than an anxiety reduction tool but its not as scary as it sounds.

It’s easy to use. You basically lie on it. Initially you can wear a T-shirt and build up to the full bare skin experience. The makers recommend building to a 20 min session which starts of with the ‘ouch’ when you first line down which is followed by a tingling sensation after a few mins. After 6-10 mins tension starts to ebb and blood flows to your back creating a warm relaxation feeling. Once your session is finished and you come off the mat you will feel a floating feeling for a while afterwards and totally relaxed.

This is a great tool for reducing everyday tension and after a couple of weeks will become your guilty secret and you’ll be sneaking off for 20min Shakti sessions.

The company has great ethics. It’s made in Indian and exclusively employs woman in areas where woman struggle to find work. It also is investing in paying to educate children of the workforce.