After my “If I Were a Rich Girl” post the kind folks at Vila contacted me and said they would send me a Vila Mat to try.

I was stoked about that.  Because I had started to read more and more about acupressure mats and their supposed benefits.  Some of the benefits I found online:

• Reduce pain in back, neck, shoulders, hips and other joints
• Alleviate muscle tension
• Improve circulation
• Increase oxygen uptake
• Reduce stress
• Aids relaxation
• Energizes
• Improve sleep
• Improve digestion
• Reduce cellulite

Sounds like a path to a perfect life, right?

Might be a tall order to fill, but I’m game to try…

So starting on August 1 I invented a short program for myself using the Vila Mat.  I decided on the positions I would use based on my own tight spots and recommendations from various sources around the WWW on ways to use these types of mats.

1. 5 minutes on my right hip/thigh
2. 5 minutes on my left hip/thigh
3. 5 minutes on my glutes and hamstrings
4. 10 minutes on my back

I planned to do this every day, then each week increase the time on each of the steps by 1 or 2 minutes.

I’ll post my experience on this exercise at the end of the month, but since August is already one week in… I thought I’d at least give you a brief synopsis.

1. Laying on my hips/thighs on the mat was EXCRUCIATING the first few times.  Now it is merely a little uncomfortable.
2. Sitting on it to hit my glutes/hamstrings just seems kind of awkward.
3. Laying on it on my back, feels really nice. I could probably fall asleep on it this way.

Despite any initial discomfort, each time I’ve gotten off the mat I’ve felt more calm and centered.  And I truly feel like I can breathe easier.

Check back at the end of August, I’ll have another recap of how the month as gone.

Disclaimer: Vila sent me this mat free of charge for review/evaluation.  Coming up with this program and the thoughts on it are entirely my own.