A yoga bolster is a great tool to have in your yoga practice. It can help you achieve certain poses and postures more easily. It’s also a great way to increase your flexibility and range of motion. But, often, the question may come to your mind as to when it all started, what’s the significance of a yoga bolster, which yoga poses to use it for, and what are some of the key benefits while practicing yoga poses.
So, Firstly what is a Bolster and its History
A bolster is a firm pillow or cushion often used in yoga or meditation. The history of bolsters dates back to ancient times when they were used as a support for the back or head. It’s soft, but at the same time, it can give good support to your entire body.
Today, bolsters are often used to help stretch and open the body in yoga practice. However, it all started when Iyenagar introduced yoga bolster as a prop to his students. The initial yoga bolsters were made of cotton, but now it’s available online in several materials. We’ll talk about the different types of yoga bolsters later in the blog, as there have been several improvements in the last 20 years in the yoga world.
How is a Yoga Bolster Supposed to Help You?
As the yoga bolster is firm and often rectangular, it can support your body in various yoga poses and their variations. Bolsters can be placed under your hips, knees, or back. This can help you maintain proper balance and alignment, making you more comfortable while allowing you to achieve a deep stretch. It specifically helps in restorative yoga poses and “repair” poses such as Child’s pose, Pigeon pose, Downward Dog, and Chair pose.
While the bolster is not a requirement for every yoga pose, it can be super handy, especially if you’re new to the practice or struggling with certain poses. It can also help open up your hips and help you to achieve great results. We’ll discuss the importance of yoga bolsters for restorative yoga poses in a separate article and cover all the poses in more detail.
What Is a Yoga Bolster Made Up Of?
Bolsters can be made from various materials, including cotton, wool, and foam. They are typically filled with buckwheat hulls or kapok fiber, which makes them support your body. These materials make yoga bolsters super durable, and you can certainly invest in them to improve your yoga practice.
Why are buckwheat hulls used in yoga bolsters? Well, they are a natural source of fiber which helps keep the bolster firm. Buckwheat hulls keep the bolster supportive, making it an excellent choice for yoga enthusiasts. Additionally, buckwheat hulls are a natural fiber source, which can benefit your overall health.
And, Kapok fiber plays a key role in bolster composure as it’s water resistant, helping the bolster to be lightweight. Otherwise, it could weigh a lot more and make it super hard to practice your routine yoga poses where you require additional support.
Yoga Bolster Material types
There are several different yoga bolster materials, each with pros and cons.
Cotton yoga bolsters are the most common type and are usually very soft. They are also affordable, making them an excellent option for beginners or those on a budget. However, cotton yoga bolsters can be prone to stretching and losing their shape. Additionally, they can be challenging to clean and require special care.
Wool yoga bolsters are another popular option, as they are both soft and supportive. They have a natural lanolin texture, making them soft to the touch but still providing good support. The wool yoga bolster is also moisture-resistant, meaning you don’t need to worry about getting wet during practice.
However, wool yoga bolsters can be heavier than cotton bolsters and take longer to dry. Additionally, they are not as affordable as cotton bolsters and may be more challenging.
Foam yoga bolsters are becoming increasingly popular, as they are lightweight and offer good support. They also tend to stay in place better than other bolsters, making them an ideal option for practitioners moving around during their practice.
However, foam yoga bolsters are expensive and may not suit everyone. Foam yoga bolsters can sometimes feel cold or numb when you first use them. We’ll cover the details of each material in a separate blog for sure.
Ultimately, it really depends on your preference, but if you support go-green initiatives or environment-friendly products, you could certainly go for cotton yoga bolster.
What are the Benefits of Using a Yoga Bolster?
A yoga bolster can help you achieve better pose balance and alignment. It can also help you stretch more deeply and evenly, which benefits your body and make you feel relaxed mentally. As mentioned before, it can also be very helpful in restorative poses, as it can help to “repair” your body after practice.
Additionally, having a yoga bolster can make it easier for you to stay in certain poses for extended periods. This is because the bolster provides stability and support for your spine, helping you to avoid injury. As a result, you can maximize your yoga practice and get the most out of it.
In addition, using a yoga bolster can make it easier for you to do more challenging poses. For example, if you are having difficulty with a particular arm balance, using a bolster can make the pose easier to complete. To sum it up, yoga bolsters are versatile and can be used in many poses, which makes them an essential part of any yoga routine for almost every serious yoga practitioner.
Is there an Ideal Size for selecting a Yoga Bolster?
Typically, the size of a yoga bolster depends a lot on your body structure, weight, and height. However, you can generally expect standard yoga bolsters to be between 20-24 inches long and 8-1 inches wide in size. The thickness could be between 4mm to 6mm for standard yoga bolsters. Please comment below if you feel we need to address the yoga bolster sizing options in a separate article.
Different brands have customized the yoga bolster sizes according to their target audience. Some brands have large and XL-size customers and have broadened, and different lengths of yoga bolster to choose from.
Sizing also depends on the shape of the yoga bolster if it’s round or rectangular in shape. Brands like Hugger Mugger offer more customizable shapes, while other brands such as Peaceful Place offer yoga bolsters that are pre-made with a certain shape. Round bolsters typically range from 4 to 10 inches in diameter, with the most common size being 8 inches in diameter by 24 inches long.
What are the Different Types of Yoga Bolsters?
There are a few different yoga bolsters, such as round, oval, rectangular, or mini, each with pros and cons. Round bolsters provide support during restorative yoga poses, while oval and rectangular bolsters can be used for various poses. Mini bolsters are perfect for traveling yogis who want to maintain their practice on the go.
Whether a seasoned yogi or a beginner, a yoga bolster can be a great addition to your yoga practice. Bolsters come in various shapes and sizes, so you can choose the best yoga bolster that suits your needs. Whichever type you choose, a yoga bolster can help you deepen your practice and achieve greater relaxation.
How to Choose the Right Yoga Bolster for You?
How to Use a Yoga Bolster properly
Yoga bolsters are often used in restorative yoga. Having said that, yogis can also be used in yin yoga, hatha yoga, flow yoga etc. Some of the popular pose you can perform better properly if you use a bolster:
- Child’s pose
- Pigeon pose
- Downward dog and cobra pose
- Chair pose
- Savasana and corpse pose
- Fish pose
- Hero pose
- Bridge pose
- Legs up the wall pose