“From acute pain, I fell to my knees, and tears flowed from my eyes.” Why do people stand on nails and how I tried this practice

I have never been interested in spiritual practices. I haven't even tried yoga and meditation, although I know about their proven benefits. It never crossed my mind to do something even more specific. But a few months ago, an announcement of a master class on nailing appeared on the social networks of my fitness club, and after some time a friend told me that she and her colleagues went to a similar lesson. Later, I began to notice more and more advertisements for the practice in the city and see bloggers and celebrities doing it in droves.

At some point, it seemed to me that every second person managed to stand on nails. It could be attributed to Baader-Meinhof phenomenonbut Google Trends confirmsthat interest in nailing in Russia has remained consistently high for the past couple of years.

It was completely incomprehensible to me why people voluntarily experience, to put it mildly, not the most pleasant sensations, and even pay money for them. Curiosity haunted me, so I decided to learn more about the practice and try it myself. Here's what I got.

What is nailing

This is a bodily practice during which a person stands on special boards with nails attached with the points up. The boards are called sadhu ("virtuous" in Sanskrit), the same word use in Hinduism to mean asceticswho renounce material values ​​and pleasures.

Sadhus are most often made from a flat wooden base and metal spikes, but other materials such as plastic can be found. The main difference between the boards is in the distance between the nails: the larger it is, the more painful the sensations. For beginners, a step of 0.7-0.8 cm is suitable, for continuing - 1 cm, and for experienced - 1.1-1.3 cm. The weight of a person is evenly distributed over the surface of the nails, so it is almost impossible to pierce the skin even on a board with large gaps.

Anyone can try the practice, no special skills are required for this. From medical contraindications - wounds on the feet, pregnancy, hypertension, cancer and epilepsy.

They stand on nails for as long as they have enough patience. Someone spends a few seconds on them, and someone can withstand more than an hour. World record now it is 12 hours and 12 minutes.

Practice nailing in a group or individually. The first time it is better to do this with the master, he will follow the emotional and physical state and help you get on the board and get off it.

Why do people stand on nails and is it really useful

In advertising materials of studios that offer such a service, they often promise that nailing will relieve pain and inflammation, improve blood circulation, and strengthen immunity and will give a bunch of other healing effects. This allegedly happens because of the large number of active points on the feet, through which you can influence the internal organs.

But serious scientific studies of nailing and convincing evidence of its benefits for there is no organism, therefore, wait for a miraculous effect, and even more so to treat diseases in this way not worth it.

The practice can be compared to acupuncture and acupressure - alternative medicine methods, the essence of which is stimulation with thin needles and pressure on certain points on the body. Eat data that acupressure and acupuncture reduce some types of pain and help manage nausea and sleep disturbances. But the authors of these articles note that more thorough research of the methods is required, so it is impossible to speak with certainty about their effectiveness. Specialists mayo clinics and professor at University College London David Colquhoun explain the effects of acupuncture placebo.

However, many try nailing to improve not the physical, but the mental state. Severe pain during practice helps someone to throw out accumulated emotions, cope with stress, plunge into a meditative state and find answers to important questions. Psychologist Anna Burova believes that such an experience can have a therapeutic effect.

How I tried to stand on nails

For me, the experience was not the most successful, but this is even for the better: so you can not repeat my mistakes and get more benefit from practice.

How do I find a master?

I had never done anything like this before, so I decided that I needed the help of a specialist. I immediately dismissed group classes in studios. During nailing, people often experience powerful emotions, crying and screaming, I didn’t really want to do it in front of strangers. Individual practice with the master seemed to me a more comfortable option.

There were no people whom one of my acquaintances could personally recommend, so I went to a popular service for finding specialists. I chose a couple of candidates with the best ratings and reviews, contacted both and settled on the one who was free in the near future. The main specialization of this master was massage, and not nailing, but it even attracted me. It seemed to me that with such a mentor there would be less esotericism during practice. We agreed on a price, he gave the address and asked to bring clothes that did not hinder movement.

I spent less than half an hour on everything about everything and was pleased with myself, but I would advise you to devote it to searching a little more time and ask the specialist in advance how the lesson will go and how to it get ready.

How do we prepare for practice?

The master received in his own apartment on the other side of the city. I arrived at the appointed time and rang the doorbell. A smiling man in a medical uniform opened it. I left my outer clothes and went into a small office. The instructor turned on meditative music and offered to start with a little introduction. After telling about the requests with which they come to him for nail cutting, he clarified the purpose of my visit. I confessed that I was just wondering and needing to cope with the trauma, get out of a binge or get in touch with my inner child, like his other clients, I don't.

After that, the instructor took out metaphorical associative cards and asked me to draw three from the deck. The images on them were supposed to help describe my emotional state.

I puffed for about ten minutes, trying to figure out how I felt, looking at the party, the boy in the corner, and the people reading on the subway.

In the end, we tied these cards together into a coherent story that in public I am cheerful and carefree, but inside I am depressed, and in order to get out of this situation, I need to learn something.

Then I had a short warm-up to feel my body: I stretched, jumped and tapped on the limbs. Then there was meditation. The master asked me to sit on the floor, close my eyes, imagine myself in a pleasant and calm place, breathe deeply and let go of all worries.

When we finished, he told me to sit on the sofa, took out the boards of the sadhu and let me inspect them, specifying that the distance between the nails is the smallest - 0.7 mm, so it will not be so unpleasant to stand. I ran my fingers over the spikes and made sure they were hard and sharp. The calming effect of meditation evaporated from the realization that I was about to stand on them with my bare feet.

It seems the instructor sensed my excitement. He put the boards on the floor and explained how I would feel approximately. According to him, after a brief shock and paniccaused by a sharp pain, the brain will calm down, it will no longer be so unbearable, but my hidden emotions and fears will be exposed, you may want to cry, yell and pour out your soul. The main thing during the whole process is to keep in mind that I am safe, I feel pain voluntarily and consciously, and I can stop everything at any moment.

Before that, I had not experienced any excitement, but now for some reason I got nervous and asked how painful the sensations would be on a scale of one to ten. The instructor replied that it was about how to hit elbow, somewhere around 4–5. He said to stay on the couch but put your feet on the nails to get used to the sensations a bit. I sat like this for a couple of minutes and decided that I was ready to proceed to the most important thing.

How I got up on nails

The master stood opposite and told me to grab his forearms firmly with both hands, which I did. Then I exhaled and put first one foot on the board, and then the other. It hurt, and obviously worse than from an elbow strike. I grimaced, after a few seconds I thrown into the heat, and the face began to tingle unpleasantly.

Chaos really began in my head, I wanted to immediately jump off the boards. The master said something soothing and encouraging, but I was unable to perceive his words. I objectively understood that this was not the most severe pain that I experienced, but I could not get used to it.

Meditative music and the touch of another person began to annoy me. I asked to turn everything off, let go of my hands and move away. Surprisingly, the lack of support did not strengthen painmaking it easier to stand.

The instructor asked me to look inside myself and understand how I feel. I honestly tried, but I didn’t find either good or bad inside, only one question itched in my head: “Why did I come here at all?”

This upset me. From the very beginning, I was skeptical, but still, in the depths of my soul, I was waiting for some kind of catharsis and insight, but there were no hints of their onset. I thought that I could stand like this for a minute, two or three, but it wouldn't make any sense.

Perhaps it was just trick of my brain and it was worth continuing, but I decided to finish the exercise. The master asked in disappointment if I was sure that I wanted to give up so quickly. It seems that I stood for only 2-3 minutes, but they dragged on for an eternity. I nodded and said that I still had no emotions to release. He again took my hands and asked me to carefully remove my legs from the nails one by one.

And what happened after

I stepped off the boards, and then I was covered. From acute pain, I fell to my knees, and flowed from my eyes. tears. After that, some kind of stream of consciousness began: through sobs, I began to tell a practically unfamiliar person that I was confused, I didn’t understand what I wanted from life, I was constantly running, but I didn’t know where. The master laid me on a mat, began to massage my feet and use singing bowls to relieve pain.

After a couple of minutes, I began to come to my senses and felt embarrassed because of what I had just said. Apparently, the master decided that I still had unspoken problems, so he began to ask about my personal life. But this topic did not touch me, I was even indignant internally. I just said that I have an identity crisis and search for myself, and he is about this stupid love and parting. I answered a couple of questions without enthusiasm and realized that I didn’t want to share anything else. The hour we had set aside for class was just about to end.

After the session, the master took me to elevator. He seemed to be driving for an awfully long time. All this time we stood in silence, until the instructor suddenly asked if I was drinking. “It happens,” I replied and went into the elevator. What it was for, I did not understand. Either he decided that I, too, wanted to get out of the binge with the help of nails, or he simply interrupted the awkward pause with an even more awkward question.

She returned home with mixed feelings. I felt a pleasant emptyness and lightness, but at the same time I thought that the practice did not go as I expected. There were only more questions for myself, but I decided one thing for sure: you should listen to yourself and your desires more carefully.

What conclusion did I come to

The nailing session didn't turn my life around, but at least it was an interesting experience that helped me get to know myself a little better. Would I repeat it? I think no. I think the session psychotherapist For me personally, it would be more efficient. But if yoga and meditation are close to you, then you can also try nailing. For everything to be productive, do not repeat my mistakes and follow these three tips.

1. Formulate a request

First, decide on a goal, and then do something - useful advice for all occasions. Nailing is quite a stressful experience, so without a clear understanding of what you need it for now, it will be difficult. For example, you can stand on nails to work with emotions, feel your body and learn patience.

2. Get ready

The practice will require a lot of emotional resources, so I would advise you to sleep well, have breakfast and try to be in a calm and relaxing environment before and after the session.

Anna Burova recommends more thorough preparation.

3. Communicate with the master in advance

Tell the instructor about your request and share your expectations, so it will be easier for him to work with you. Make sure that you and the person are on the same wavelength and communication with him will be comfortable.