Pranamat ECO - Grey Violet & Violet Lotuses

I absolutely LOVE this mat. As other reviewers have written, it does take some getting used to....At first I had to use it with some fabric between my back and the mat. After about a month, I no longer need to, and prefer using the mat without it. I actually look forward to using this every day. If you use it for about 5-10 minutes, it feels energizing, but longer than 15-20 minutes, it's relaxing. I often use it during Savasana at the end of my yoga practice.

While there are other less expensive types of this mat available, this one is really the best; the quality is fantastic, the materials are of the highest quality, leading to a better experience. I also own the Shakti Mat TM The Original (Green) which I like for travel, as you can take the foam pad out. I just roll it up and pack it in my suitcase; it's nice for travel, and is better than nothing, but doesn't really compare to the experience of the Pranamat.

I HIGHLY recommend this product. It is well worth the money, and well worth making it a part of your daily routine.

I am not awarding this product 5 stars only because the pranamat takes some real "getting used to." Buyer, be aware of this fact. Initially, it can be uncomfortable, to say the least. Indeed, the first time I used it (with my T-shirt on, despite the manufacturer's suggestion that it works best with no clothes between the user and the mat -Yikes!!), I was left with a large area of red, inflamed indentations across my back. It felt like a bad case of hives. It soon abated, though, and I gingerly decided to give the mat another try the following day. I would strongly suggest users start conservatively. Each person's sensitivity is bound to vary and so is one's tolerance for the initial discomfort. The next time I tried the mat, I found it to be less uncomfortable. Then, subsequently, I did begin to feel true relaxation. No one was more surprised than I, given that inauspicious beginning. I have continued to use this mat with my clothes on, thank you, and have still found it to be effective at both revitalizing and relaxing me. (The duration of time the mat is used determines whether one is energized or relaxed. I was initially dubious about this, but found it to be true to my experience. The first couple of minutes one feels a pleasant tingling sensation, as if mild currents of energy are traveling through the body; after that time, there's a quieting sense. Rather amazing and very pleasant, that.) I have also used the mat as a reflexology tool for my feet -I find it very effective at energizing me after a long day. I do think it is a very good product, though it is a rather expensive one and does take a bit of getting used to.

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The mat came yesterday. I took it out of the box and was alarmed at how sharp the spikes are. Holy cow... am I supposed to lay my bare back on this? What the heck. I unfolded it on my bed, put on a very thin nightgown, and stretched out on the mat. Much to my surprise, I could barely feel the spikes. So I took off the gown and stretched out with nothing between me and the pokey purple points. The sensation was surprising and overwhelming, but not unpleasant. If any women reading this were teens in the late 60's, you may remember going to bed wearing brush rollers--the feeling is quite similar: prickly and irritating, but not painful. (I guess we were unknowingly stimulating our brains with those rollers back then, eh?)

But here's the fun part. I lay there completely focused on the sensations in my back, feeling warmth creep through my body, and a throbbing start in my muscles. It was really weird... but nice. It was relaxing and energizing at the same time. Honestly, it felt a little like having one stiff drink or 1/4 mg of xanax.

After about three minutes or so, I spontaneously started to laugh. I'm not making this up. I don't know if it was because I was expecting the mat to hurt more and it didn't, or if I was laughing AT myself, or if there was no "reason" at all, but just a visceral response to the many tiny pinpoints of sensation. But I lay there laughing off and on for about 10 minutes, probably looking like an absolute lunatic.

Finally I got up and went into the living room. I felt a little chilled and wrapped myself in a big soft throw and sat quietly, not knowing exactly what to make of the experience. The flyer that comes with the mat suggests you cover yourself while lying on it, as you may get cool, and I think I'll do that next time.

Conclusion: My first experience was a good one. I'm glad I bought the mat. I'll report more as I experience it more.

UPDATE. August 25, 2012

I'm practically addicted to this mat. I use it at bedtime when I'm ready to go to sleep. I put it on my bed (not on the floor... for one thing, there are scorpions where I live). When I roll my bare back down on it, I won't deny it IS painful. And for the first 3-5 minutes, it's uncomfortable. But then this relaxation sets in that is so inexplicable and lovely. I sometimes lie on it for 40 minutes or more. I have even dozed off on it. After a while, I peel myself off (and that is a little painful), put on a soft shirt or nightgown, crawl under the covers, and fall asleep almost immediately. I don't use it every night, as the skin on my back needs a day to recover. On nights when I'm restless and can't sleep, I pull it out and it invariably relaxes me. I can't logically say what it is that is so compelling, but I"m hooked.

Usage notes: I do put my head on a pillow and slide the mat under the pillow so that the bottom of the mat reaches no lower than the top of my (excuse the expression) butt crack. Any lower and it's just too painful on the skin for me to tolerate. Sometimes I will bend my knees with my feet flat to increase the pressure of the mat on my lower back... while hitting myself in the head with a hammer-no, just kidding about the hammer.

There you have it: a strange item. I'd never have come across it if not for amazon.

UPDATE: September 3, 2012

I've started using it every day before bed. There, I've confessed.

As I turn down the covers, I tell myself, "Not tonight. You just did it last night," but then I can't help myself.

I put the mat on my bed, put a small travel pillow at the top, position myself at the bottom of the mat (bare back), and roll myself down. The pain is not exactly excruciating... but it's a LOT. I lie there, my mind instantly and happily BLANK because the pain is quite distracting and not conducive to thought.

Then after a while, I just feel warmth on my back and all over my body. I don't care! I'm not ashamed! It's not illegal and it has no calories--why shouldn't I lie on the mat every single night if I want to? After about half an hour, I am completely relaxed... a veritable puddle poured onto a bed of nails. I peel myself up (that hurts a bit), put on a soft nightgown and fall fast asleep.

I'll see about checking into some kind of rehab program...someday...

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The Pranamat Eco is a beautiful product, and does exactly what it claims to do. I have not used an ice pack, heating pad, or pain reliever pill since I got my Pranamat Eco! Whenever I feel a twinge in by back, or I'm just sore and tired, I lay on my Pranamat for anywhere from a few minutes to a half hour, and the pain dissipates. That ache in the lower back after mowing the lawn, gone. That stiff neck from sleeping funny, gone. It even relieves pain from places on your body that were not in contact with the mat. This is the BMW of acupressure mats. The materials are top notch and all organic, construction is solid, and it just plain feels great. Don't hesitate. It may hurt a little at first, but the end results are fantastic.

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I love the feeling of this prickly mat, but it is about six inches too short for anyone six feet tall or more. I'm just short of six feet in height, with a very long torso. If I have the mat under the back of my head, on a small pillow as suggested by the manufacturer, it does not extend the length of my back. Since the pressure points the mat is meant to stimulate include some in the lumbar region, this lessens the experience. The photos in the instruction booklet show the mat extending from the model's head all the way down to her upper hip. She must be about 5'5". Other than that annoying misrepresentation of the product, I am pleased with the Pranamat. When I started using it I wore a tissue-thin tee shirt. It does take time to get used to the sensation. I'm docking the mat a star because it's too short. This needs to be made in an extra-long size!

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