What better way to kick off the long weekend than with a napping session at Bed King. Did I say napping? I mean mapping.
Perplexed? I was when I received an invite to try pressure mapping. And “bed meditation” – which sounds an awful lot like a good snooze, if you ask me. But sleep is my favourite activity, so I had to find out more…
So, What Is Pressure Mapping?
“[Pressure mapping] is a highly scientific way of ensuring that we take the guess-work out of determining the right mattress for each of our clients,” begins Bed King founder Mervyn Ewertse. “We believe this is the first time the technology has been used in South Africa.”
Pressure mapping is an advanced sensor system, originally used to test products such as tyres and shoes to check what actually comes into contact with the surface – ie. the pressure points. Bed King worked alongside a Canadian company that specialises in pressure mapping to use this tech to pressure map the sleeping human body.
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Bonus: Every Bed King store will have this new tech. Yup, a Comfort Solutions Lab equipped with the pressure mapping system will be available to customers.
The process will be simple and quick: enter Bed King, then lie on the test mattress in your normal sleeping position. The sensors will pick up your pressure points and produce your own unique pressure map. The result: They can recommend your ideal mattress.
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But Why?
“We spend about a third of our lives in bed,” Ewertse explains. That’s a lot of time to waste on bad sleep. “People sleeping on uncomfortable mattresses will toss and turn up to 80 times a night and seldom develop a deep sleep pattern.” And don’t we all love a good sleep? But, more importantly, we need a good sleep.
Lack of sleep can lead to all kinds of terrible consequences: weakened immune system, lack of concentration and even weight gain. And for all you active people out there, the best fitness routine can be ruined by poor sleep.
READ MORE: 5 Everyday Activities Sabotaging Your Sleep!
“A restful night’s sleep will relax muscles and reduce stress and therefore reduce pack pain,” explains Karin Byrne, a masseuse who deals with a number of back-pain sufferers. “This is also true for high-performance athletes,” she adds. “After they’ve taken their bodies to the limit, there’s nothing like a good night’s sleep on the right mattress to help them recover.”
Bed Meditation And A Better You Through Yoga
Who doesn’t want to do yoga on a mattress with a perfect stranger? It sounds naughtier than it was. The session with yoga teacher and Bodywork practitioner Jani Roodt was actually the perfect mood-lifter.
Jani is a firm believer of starting and ending the day with yoga. “Yoga means the union or connection of body and mind,” she begins. “It’s a discipline that involves breathing, a physical practice of postures, as well as meditation. Staring your day with yoga can improve concentration and focus throughout the day. At night, you want to calm your system down from a day of stress, noise and general sensory overload.”

Image supplied by Bed King
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Our lives are incredibly busy and yoga is a great way to take a moment. “These days, we have such static lifestyles – we sit while driving, working, eating and meeting,” Jani continues. Yoga provides an outlet to move and reconnect.
“A healthy mind will equate to a healthy body,” she adds. “Just like we take care of our bodies by eating healthily and going to the gym, the same should apply for our minds. Through a dedicated yoga practice, we can create a clearer path for our mind to work at its best strength and ability.”
READ MORE: This 9-Minute Yoga Routine Will Help You Ditch Lower-Back Pain
Jani’s Go-To Stretches To Start The Day?
“I would start my day with a simple sun salutation,” says Jani. “It’s a wonderful series of postures that lead one into the next through using movement and breath, and it warms and wakes the body and mind up nice and calmly. A must do for every day! I also like to wake the body up with cat/cow pose, a simple yogi-squat and a standing forward bend. The key to all of this is to remember to breathe with sound so that you can stay connected to your breath, and move along with it.”
I think I need to do a bit more yoga – and invest in a good bed…