Enhancing My Qi Energy

In the last couple of days, you could see that spiky mat very often in my Instagram stories. I haven’t talked about it in detail yet, since I wanted to publish a certain blog post about this topic. And now, here I am to disclose the secret of these spikes. 😊

Acupuncture and the Qi Energy

Acupressure Mat
Let’s start with some important technical facts… This mat is called an acupressure mat. It has 8181 plastic spikes covering the surface. The spikes are sharp and are designed to apply pressure at points throughout your body. I know, it sounds a little like torture, but I can reassure you – it’s everything but torture!

Acupuncture Points
Acupuncture is a form of alternative medicine and a key component of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) in which thin needles are inserted into the body to stimulate the nerves and relieve pain. Acupressure is a similar form; the difference is that you don’t use needles. The pressure is applied at the acupuncture points with fingers or the spikes on the mat. Medical research is currently inconclusive but acupuncturists believe that this method stimulates the points in several ways like restoring health, relieving pain and correcting imbalances or blockages in the flow of the Qi energy. It’s getting interesting, right?

Life Force Energy: Qi
TCM involves the belief that a “life force energy” (Qi) circulates within the body in lines called meridians. Symptoms of various illnesses are believed to be either the product of disrupted, blocked and unbalanced Qi movement through meridians. TCM often seeks to relieve these imbalances by adjusting the circulation of Qi using a variety of techniques including acupuncture/acupressure. If your Qi is deficient, you can regulate it, correct the imbalances and blockages, cure illnesses and relieve pain with these techniques.

How To Use The Acupressure Mat

I like to lie down on the mat with bare skin for about 20 minutes in the evening and sometimes additionally 10 minutes in the morning. But to beginners I would recommend to avoid touching the spikes with bare skin at first since the spikes are sharp and could cause pain. While it will always feel a little spiky, over time you’ll get used to the sensation and can have more wiggle room with this rule.

In the first 3 minutes, the spikes feel very uncomfortable – that’s the “painful” part of this treatment. Give it a little bit of time to let your body adjust. After the first minutes, the blood circulation increases in the body part which touches the ground and the spikes bring a healing warmth to your body. I loooove this part of the session! It doesn’t feel spiky and uncomfortable anymore. The massage effects occurs and I feel absolutely relaxed and calm. At this point our human body releases endorphins and oxytocin, which make us feel good, so using the mat can also help boost our mood. Like meditation or yoga, you will see the most benefits by regularly using your acupressure mat. After the session, my skin is warm, reddened and you can see the tiny marks of the spikes on it (but it’s temporary of course).

I use it especially for my back and my neck. The mat often comes with a spiky pillow so it’s comfortable to use it also on your neck. Sometimes I use it also on my legs, my booty and my stomach.

The Benefits And My Personal Experiences

Benefits:
• Positive impact on pains. Reduces my back pain significantly.
• Sitting for too long in front of the laptop sometimes causes neck pain. This mat releases my stiff neck and strained shoulders.
• Increases blood circulation and warms up the certain body part.
• Release of endorphins and oxytocin boosts my mood and makes me feel good.
• Massage effect. 😍
• Releases tension and stress.
• Muscle relaxation and recovery. After my fitness sessions I use the acupressure mat to relax and recover my sore muscles and it helps!
• Induces sleep and encourages a restful one.

Hope you liked this blog post about a not so common topic. Have you ever experienced an acupressure mat session or acupuncture therapy before? Or do you do certain things to regulate your Qi? I would be more than happy to read your experiences down below in the comments. 😊

Eylem