Today I decided to write a review on my newly bought PranaMat! Recently, you may have seen it pop up on your Instagram feed from popular dancers such as Miko Fogarty or fitness moguls like Nikki Sharp, and like you I became curious about what it was and how it worked. I then went on to research and discovered that the benefits ranged from increased flexibility, relieving back, neck, feet, and joint pain, as well as relieving stress. So I decided to go ahead and buy one after reading some reviews about the Pranamat and try it out. I went ahead and bought it at the website linked below and was pleasantly surprised to find it at my doorstep within 2 days of it being shipped through Amazon Express. I ended up picking the teal on teal combination, as it's my favourite colour along with the carrying bag, which my dad convinced me to get after he pointed out how it would be difficult to transport to my dorm room and back to home, due to its prickly texture. Also, the bag with the mat had a deal so I thought "why not?" However, you could also use a cloth bag or anything that doesn't mind being poked too much, as it is a bit prickly, which I suppose is the point of the mat (haha get it?, okay I'm done now :) ) as it is an accupressure mat. The main reasons why I decided to buy the Pranamat compared to the other acupressure mat brands include a) it was the first acupressure mat that I heard about b) it's eco-friendly c) it had great reviews and d) it was one of the most talked about.
Upon first testing it out I was a bit skeptical as to whether it actually worked or not given that it's a fairly new product compared to other forms of relieving sore muscles such as foam rolling. However, through my research I did come across some of the reviews that mentioned how it actually originated from Chinese culture with the concept of the bed of nails, which proved the idea at least had some history behind the concept. I immediately then took out the mat and read the manual it came with, which recommends starting with wearing light clothing during use and eventually progressing to getting the most benefits once you can handle the pressure with minimal clothing such as a sports bra. It also recommended starting out with a few minutes at a time and eventually evolving to 15min per body part such as the back or stomach. So I went ahead and tested out and the first time I tried it out first on my back and while I felt it a bit pointy upon touch once I laid down on the mat it wasn't nearly as painful as I thought it would be.
For the past two weeks I have now tested it out and used it on my back, neck, legs, and stomach, and I have to say that I'm a bit surprised to be saying this but it has become a highlight to the end of my day now! I actually look forward to it after a long day at school or after goiong to dance class because it really does help release my muscles! It's especially helpful considering I can't always go to a massage therapist or physiotherapy whenever I'm in pain and helps to fill in the gaps. Now I wouldn't say it replaces other treatments but it's definitely a great in between these sessions product. I would say that it's great in addition to foam rolling as they both target different things that complement one another. However, be warned that it is normal to have redness after use but I promise this does go away after about 15-20min. I would also say that make sure not to move while using it as this may cause you to poke yourself and I would definitely recommend listening to relaxing music, meditating, or reading a relaxing book. The website also suggests that you can use it upon waking, during the day, or at night, however, I ended it up using it at night the most, as I found it to be the easiest to carve away time then. Part of the reason why I looked into this mat was because I have a long history of back, knee, hip, and ankle pain since I was about seven, so I'm always looking for ways to help relieve pain whenever I can. So far, I haven't tried using while stretching but I think I'll try it once I get a bit more ambitious and comfortable using the pranamat in a few weeks or so. Overall, I'm glad I found out about the pranamat, as I found it to be a great addition to my stretching routine and to hep relieve muscle pain and I hope you enjoyed this review! Let me know what you think about the pranamat and my review in the comments down below :)
P.S. There hasn't been any official research or professionals such as doctors, physiotherapists, etc. who have confirmed the benefits as of now. Also, I can't confirm whether or not this product will work for everyone this review is mainly what I discovered and thought of the product personally, so please take this review with a grain of salt and listen to your body and what works for you, as everyone's body is different and will act differently as a result :)
Here is the Pranamat website: pranamat.com
Here's a picture of the pranamat I bought (please ignore the shadow haha, for some reason I couldn't find an angle that a shadow wouldn't show up) :)!
