The Acupressure mat also called Shakti Mat can also be used as a tool to deepen your yoga practice. Experiment with your mat to see which poses you can perform, starting with the basic routine outlined below.
You may wish to place a thin cloth over the acupressure mat to make some of the poses more comfortable to hold. As you become used to holding poses on the mat, you can perform them directly on the spikes.
Let's begin our energy boosting, meridian clearing Acupressure mat yoga routine.
Tadasana
Step onto your Acupressure mat, lowering your weight evenly onto the acupressure spikes. Inhale and on the exhale stand up tall. Balance your weight evenly across the balls and heels of your feet. Tuck the pelvis under and draw the shoulders back and down. Take five deep, even breaths. From here, we will move into our next pose.
Uttanansana – Standing Forward Bend
Inhale the arms up above your head. Exhale and bend forwards from the hips, bringing the hands to the Acupressure mat. Inhale as you look up and lengthen through the spine then exhale your head back down. Remain here for a few breaths then slowly inhale back up to standing.
Vrksasana - Tree
Ground down through your left foot, finding your balance. Inhale the right leg up, bringing the right foot to a comfortable position somewhere along the inside of the left leg, or in half lotus if you are advanced. When you feel balanced here, inhale your arms up above your head into prayer position and focus on a point on the floor in front of your acupressure mat. Stay here for as long as is comfortable.
To come out of Tree pose, inhale and on the exhale bring the arms down, releasing the right foot back down to the Acupressure mat. Repeat on the other side.
Pascmottinasana – Seated Forward Bend
Sit up tall on your Acupressure mat with the legs straight out in front of you, lengthening the spine. On an exhale, bend forward from the hips, drawing your head towards your legs. Keep the back straight, spine long, Place the hands on the legs or, if you can reach, the feet.
Draw the head closer to the legs with every exhale. Feel the spikes of the acupressure mat energising the meridians along the backs of your legs as you draw deeper into the pose. Inhale to come back up.
Salabasana – Locust
Lie with your lower abdomen on the spikes of the mat. The legs are straight out behind you, arms by your sides, chin supported on the floor. Inhale and lift the legs, arms and chin off the floor, holding the pose as long as is comfortable. Exhale down and repeat for three sets.
Continue from here into Dhanurasana, bow pose. To finish this routine, come onto your back, rocking backwards and forwards on the Acupressure mat, then perform your favourite spinal twist and come into Savasana, corpse pose for relaxation and meditation.
There you have it, a basic 15 minute yoga routine to use with your Acupressure mat. How fantastic do you feel after that? The energy is pulsating through your meridians, enlivening and energising your body and mind. Build on this routine by gradually adding in your favourite poses and when you're ready to increase the intensity of the practice, remove the cloth to perform the poses directly on the spikes. Namaste!
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