This practice is for those of you who like to use a Shakti mat.
Just lower yourself down onto your Shakti mat now.
I'm going to do it at the same time as you so just roll yourself down gently onto your mat.
Create that comfortable position,
As comfortable as you can.
If you're new to lying on a Shakti mat,
It may take you a little moment to lower yourself down and feel the prickles behind you.
Of course that's normal.
As you look at your Shakti mat,
You'll know that this looks quite painful at first,
But actually as you get to do it and as you lie down,
You start to notice that really prickly feeling.
At first it can seem quite hard to bear,
But if you just relax,
Sometimes you need to adjust your body position.
I need to do that myself now,
Just like roll from left to right,
Just to ease myself on.
Once I lie down,
You may find that you need to roll your head from side to side,
Maybe using a Shakti pillow I am.
You might need to adjust your hair if you have long hair and just relax into it.
At first it seems almost impossible that you could relax onto what feels like a bed of nails,
But as you do,
You'll start to notice that certain parts of your back will feel like there's something going on and other parts will feel very relaxed.
Just relax into it and breathe.
Breathing is incredibly important.
Of course,
As we know,
As we breathe,
Often we don't breathe quite properly,
So it's really important just to take note of your breath.
Don't be judgmental,
Just take note of your breath.
Notice if you're breathing in through your nose or out through your mouth.
If you can,
Just try and concentrate on breathing in and out through the nose.
This really slows things down.
As you're concentrating on your breathing,
Notice that there are fleeting moments when you don't notice that you're lying on your Shakti mat,
And then there'll be little moments where you really do,
And you notice the spikes,
You notice the feelings,
But just breathe with it.
Just allow your mind to relax.
Just know that this is doing you a lot of good.
It's creating a lot of blood flow.
Just breathe.
You may be new to this process,
Or you may be an old veteran at lying on a Shakti mat,
Whichever you are.
Just breathe,
Enjoy it,
And believe it or not,
You've now done at least five minutes on your Shakti mat.
And if you're new to this practice,
That may well be enough,
But just breathe.
Let's see if we can get you further into the practice of lying on your Shakti mat.
And today,
We'll go just up to seven minutes,
So just keep breathing,
Enjoying this time.
You may notice a feeling of heat in different areas of your back.
Again,
Just notice them and breathe,
And take a nice deep breath in through the nose,
And out through the mouth.
And when you're ready,
And slowly begin to peel yourself off your mat,
Ease yourself up using your arms,
Slowly sit up and feel the benefits.
Have a great day.
