Frequently Asked Questions

All nails used in our nail boards include the following: galvanized, brass-coated, copper, and bamboo nails. Each material has its own properties and benefits. Galvanized nails are the best option for beginners. Brass-coated nails are very durable as they encompass both properties of brass and metal for a more profound practice. Copper nails are great for everyday practice and have the highest vibration compared to other metals. Sadhu copper nail boards are recommended for advanced practitioners. Bamboo nails are the best option for travelers as they are lightweight (400 grams!) They are pleasant to the touch and unlike metal nails, they are warm. At the same time, bamboo nails exude vital live energy compared to their metal counterparts.

Sadhu nail boards you may find online can be made from wood, plywood, rubber, or even plastic. For our METADESK nail boards, we use plywood. We believe this material is the most durable and suitable for Sadhu Nail boards. Due to the structure of plywood (made of several layers of wood), it is great for enduring big loads and doesn’t change its initial shape with time. Plywood is also an allergy-friendly material known to be used in the production of furniture for children, hence totally safe for everyday use.

There are different types of nails you may see on various Sadhu nail boards online. These might be long, short, thick, thin, or curved nails. Neither of these parameters can affect the quality of your practice, hence you may choose any type you want. For our METADESK nail boards, we calibrate the height of nails to make them all even. This is a very important factor to ensure your comfort during the practice. In case the height of nails is uneven in different parts of the board, you may feel all sorts of discomfort. The thickness of the nails we chose for our METADESK nail boards is 2 mm. From our experience, this is the optimal thickness for a pleasant practice experience.

Nail standing employs the principles of acupressure, a well-trusted Eastern
healing practice with a rich history. Nail boards were first introduced over
2000 years ago in India, where similar devices used by yogis are called “sadhu
boards” or “beds of nails.” Acupressure and reflexology methods based on the stimulation
of energy points have also been used for millennia in traditional Chinese
medicine. 

According to Ayurveda and Chinese health philosophy, our feet and palms
have thousands of acupressure points linked to internal organs and all systems
across the body. Standing on nail boards stimulates endorphin release and
increases blood and lymph circulation, triggering self-healing mechanisms and
eliminating pain.

In addition to physical healing, nail boards provide numerous benefits for the
mind by training the brain to respond to external stimulation and stress with
calm focus (if you’ve ever tried an ice bath you might be familiar with the
effect 👌).

Nails boards help to:

-relax body and mind

-alleviate stress, anxiety, pain and release blocked emotions

-enhance awareness

-energize body and mind

-deepen the ability to enter a meditative state

When trying the practice the first time, most people experience strong
sensations in their feet. Focusing on breath for a couple of minutes makes them
reduce and give way to a tingly sensation similar to heat. In about 5 minutes,
discomfort gradually disappears, physical and mental blocks begin to dissolve.
This might lead to blissful and even euphoric feelings, crystal clear presence
and focus of the mind, lightness in the whole body. This creates a perfect
state for deep and quiet meditation.

Everyone’s sensitivity is different: some get comfortable with the practice in
just a few minutes, while others need several sessions and gradual increase of
time to get over their sensation threshold and enter the state of blissful
calmness. With consistent practice, your body and mind learn to respond to the
stimulation with more ease and focus.

For your first few sessions, you can wear socks to explore the practice
and let your body adjust to it. Begin with spending 1 minute on the boards and slowly
increase the time every day. Once you feel ready, you can start practicing
barefoot.

Time is not the goal; your reaction to the stimulation is. It’s best to
stand on the boards at least for 1 minute to start feeling the effect, then
slowly adjust from there. We recommend aiming for 15 minutes or more to
experience the full acupressure effect. Longer sessions of 30 to 60 minutes can
be done about twice a week. As always, listen to your body, slowly increase the
time and observe the effects.

Don’t worry, your feet are perfectly safe. Nails in the boards have
identical length and are evenly distributed to hold your weight. However, please
keep in mind that nails are sharp objects, so you have to handle the boards
with proper caution and care. Always close the boards after finishing your practice
to avoid accidentally stepping on nails. Don’t jump on or off of them and don’t
rub your skin against the nail spikes.

Nail standing practice is not recommended for people with feet wounds, epilepsy, pregnancy
and women during periods.
We also do not recommend allowing children to use nail boards, as sharp spikes
may pose increased risk of injury to them.

We find that the level of skin sensitivity determines sensations
experienced by a practitioner much more than their weight does. Start with beginner
boards (8 mm distance between the spikes). Also, wear socks to allow your body to adjust to the practice gradually.