What sadhu board spacing should beginners use?

10mm. It is the universal spacing in the practice — wide enough to feel each nail individually, narrow enough to survive day one. 8mm is technically easier but you outgrow it within a year. 12mm is too intense for the first month. 10mm works on day one and still works on day three thousand, which is why we ship only one board at that spacing.

When should I move up from 10mm to 12mm or 15mm sadhu board spacing?

Almost never. Most longtime practitioners stay on 10mm. What changes after the first month is not that you need denser sensation — it is that your body learns to redistribute weight and breathe into the standing. The same 10mm board feels completely different in your third month. If you eventually want to push further, 12mm is the next step after a year or more of regular 10mm work. Skipping to 15mm without that base is how people give up the practice.

Notes from the studio

Why 10mm is the universal sadhu board spacing

Q: Does wider sadhu board spacing mean less intensity?

No — wider spacing makes the practice more intense, not less. Your body weight is constant. Fewer nails carrying that same weight means each individual nail pushes harder against your sole. Beginners assume more nails equals more intensity. That is backwards. 8mm is the densest (easiest) grid; 15mm is the widest (most intense).

Q: Is 10mm spacing actually standard, or is that just marketing?

It is genuinely standard. Practitioners around the world — Russia, Ukraine, India, the Bay Area — run studios on 10mm boards. There is no governing body. It is what experienced makers and teachers have converged on over decades of work with new students. Manufacturers claiming proprietary spacings are usually over-engineering to justify a higher price.

Q: How do I start on a 10mm sadhu board?

Stand on it in socks for thirty seconds on day one. Three repetitions, with rest between. That is the whole session. The first thirty days are about meeting the sensation gradually, not about toughening up.

by Rebeka · May 1, 2026

Most people who ask me which spacing to start with assume the answer is the narrowest. It is not. The convention across the practice is that 10mm is the universal spacing — wide enough that you can feel each nail individually, narrow enough that your first day is survivable.

Here is why we ship one board at one spacing, and why that spacing is 10mm.

Does wider sadhu board spacing mean less intensity?

No — wider spacing makes the practice more intense, not less. Your body weight is constant. Fewer nails carrying that same weight means each individual nail pushes harder against your sole. Beginners assume more nails equals more intensity. That is backwards.

The numbers are easy to see for yourself: the pressure calculator takes your weight and shows the grams of force on each nail at 8, 10, 12, and 15mm spacing. A 70 kg adult on 10mm is carrying roughly 470 grams per nail. On 15mm, the same person carries close to a kilo per nail. That is the whole reason "wider is harder" is true.

The conventions across the field shake out like this:

8mm — beginner. Densest grid. Easiest first day.
10mm — universal. The board you can stand on day one and day three thousand.
12mm — intermediate. Regular practitioners.
15mm — advanced. Long-time practice; can cross from sensation into pain.

We ship 10mm because it is the only spacing that works through your whole arc. Buy an 8mm board and you will outgrow it inside a year. Buy a 12mm and you cannot get on it for the first month. 10mm is honest on day one and still useful on day a thousand.

Is 10mm spacing actually standard, or is that just marketing?

It is genuinely standard. You will find practitioners around the world — Russia, Ukraine, India, the Bay Area — running studios on 10mm boards. There is no governing body. It is just what experienced makers and teachers have converged on over decades of work with new students.

If a manufacturer claims their proprietary spacing is somehow better, they are usually selling you a board they over-engineered to justify a higher price. The boards I have spent the most money on, one shipped from Bali, one from a workshop in Atwater Village, used custom spacings that I did not end up using past month three.

When should I move up to 12mm or 15mm spacing?

Almost never. Most longtime practitioners do not. What changes about your practice after the first month is not that you need denser sensation — it is that your body learns to redistribute weight, soften through the soles, breathe into the standing instead of bracing against it. The same 10mm board feels completely different in your third month than it did in your third minute.

If you eventually want to push into more advanced practice, 12mm is the next reasonable step after a year or more of regular 10mm work. Skipping to 15mm without that base is how people end up giving up the practice for good.

How do I start on a 10mm sadhu board?

Stand on it in socks, for thirty seconds, on day one. Three repetitions, with rest between. That is the whole session. The first thirty days are about meeting the sensation gradually, not about toughening up.

See your first thirty days on a sadhu board for the full beginner protocol, or order the board to get started.

— Rebeka

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