How to Choose the Best Yoga Bolsters for Your Practice

This entry was posted on Feb 18, 2021 by Charlotte Bell.
Wild Sky Bolsters

Do you ever feel the need to just lie down and do nothing? It’s no wonder. Most of us spend most of our time working, running from one scheduled commitment to the next—either at work or at home—until we fall into bed to sleep. Or course, sleep is essential, but so is rest. And there is a difference.

According to Judith Hanson Lasater, rest differs from sleep, at least partially because in deep sleep our brains are still being stimulated by dreaming. Dreaming, especially stressful dreaming, can create tension in our bodies. When we consciously rest, the aspects of our physiology that contribute to suppression of our sympathetic (fight or flight) nervous system—breath, brain, nervous system and physical body—are all supported to let go of tension.

Here’s what Judith says about rest:
“During deep relaxation, all the organ systems of the body are benefited, and a few of the measurable results of deep relaxation are the reduction of blood pressure, serum triglycerides and blood sugar levels in the blood, the increase of the ‘good cholesterol’ levels, as well as improvement in digestion, fertility, elimination, the reduction of muscle tension, insomnia and generalized fatigue.”

Restorative Yoga

This is where Restorative Yoga practice comes in. In Restorative Yoga, the focus is on opening and relaxing rather than on stretching and stimulating. In Restorative practice, the goal is to calm the nervous system. Stretching sensation stimulates the nervous system, so in Restorative practice, it’s important to set yourself up so that you feel as little stretching sensation as possible.

In Restorative practice, our bodies are completely supported. It’s essential that our joints be relaxed and open and that we don’t have to use muscular energy to hold ourselves up. Because of this, the tools for Restorative Yoga are essential. These include blankets, eye pillows, yoga straps, yoga blocks and yoga bolsters. While any of Hugger Mugger’s blankets, eye pillows, straps and blocks will serve the purposes of Restorative practice, knowing which bolsters to use in which situations can be a little trickier.

At Hugger Mugger, we pride ourselves on the superior quality of our yoga bolsters, which are sturdy, stable and built to last. All of Hugger Mugger’s bolsters are handmade in our Salt Lake City facility. Hugger Mugger uses high-quality, durable upholstery-grade fabrics. A foam core and cotton batting make our yoga bolsters the firmest and most stable bolsters available anywhere.

What follows is a rundown of which bolsters can serve various needs.

Standard Yoga Bolsters

Standard Yoga Bolster - Olive

Standard Yoga Bolsters are a Restorative Yoga essential. They are by far the most commonly used type of bolster. This bolster’s flat top and wide profile is suitable for most uses in Restorative practice. It’s stable and comfortable and will last many, many years. I have a couple bolsters at home from the original batch Hugger Mugger made more than 30 years ago, and I still use them frequently.

Firmness is essential when it comes to yoga bolsters, especially the Standard Yoga Bolsters. While they are often laid flat on the floor, there are a number of poses in which they are propped up at a slant. If your bolster sags when it’s propped up on a block, your body will not be properly supported. Hugger Mugger’s Standard Bolsters are known for being both firm and durable. These bolsters are well worth the investment. Here’s a post with more suggestions for using Standard Bolsters.

Round Yoga Bolsters

Round Yoga Bolster - Black

If you look in Judith Lasater’s classic book, Relax and Renew, you’ll see that many of the photos show Round Bolsters. Round Yoga Bolsters can be substituted for Standard Bolsters in many poses—not so much the slanted bolster poses—but they can be more comfortable for some people in certain poses.

For example, the edge of a Standard Bolsters is more precipitous. So in poses where your body is hanging off the edge, such as Viparita Karani (Legs Up the Wall Pose), the edge of a Standard Bolster may press into your back in a way that’s uncomfortable for some people. In this case, a Round Bolster might be a better choice. Here’s a Viparita Karani variation that uses a Round Yoga Bolster.

The same holds true for placing a bolster under your legs in Savasana (Relaxation Pose). The Standard Bolster may be too wide for some people. A Round Bolster provides a gentler support.

Junior Bolsters

Junior Yoga Bolster - Olive

Junior Bolsters can substitute for Standard or Round bolsters in some poses. While Junior Bolsters are the same length and firmness as Standard and Round bolsters, they have a narrower profile. This can make them much more comfortable for people with shorter spines in poses such as Legs Up the Wall.

Because of their narrower profile, Junior Bolsters are great for passive chest opening. While the wider Standard Bolsters will support the entire torso, the narrower width of the Junior Bolsters allows your arms and shoulders to relax off the edges of the bolster, creating greater widthwise opening. Junior Bolsters are a great choice for knee support in Savasana. Read about three uses for Junior Bolsters here.

Pranayama Bolsters

When I went to the Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Yoga Institute (RIMYI), we practiced pranayama every afternoon. We would lie on Pranayama Bolsters with our heads supported by a folded blanket on top of the pillow. The bolster created widthwise opening of the chest, while the blanket slightly closed the throat for Jalandhara Bandha (Throat Lock).

Pranayama Bolster are made to RIMYI specifications for firmness, length and width. Lying down to practice pranayama in many cases allows for deeper inhalations. And long, deep, slow inhalations and exhalations are what calm the mind and replenish prana.

In addition to their traditional use in pranayama practice, Pranayama Bolsters can be used as support under the knees in forward bends. Here’s a post that gives suggestions for ways to enjoy your Pranayama Bolster.

If you have questions about our yoga bolsters, call Hugger Mugger’s all-yogi customer service team at 1-800-473-4888. You can also check out additional ways to use yoga bolsters on this Yoga Bolster guide.

About Charlotte Bell
Charlotte Bell discovered yoga in 1982 and began teaching in 1986. Charlotte is the author of Mindful Yoga, Mindful Life: A Guide for Everyday Practice and Yoga for Meditators, both published by Rodmell Press. Her third book is titled Hip-Healthy Asana: The Yoga Practitioner’s Guide to Protecting the Hips and Avoiding SI Joint Pain (Shambhala Publications). She writes a monthly column for CATALYST Magazine and serves as editor for Yoga U Online. Charlotte is a founding board member for GreenTREE Yoga, a non-profit that brings yoga to underserved populations. A lifelong musician, Charlotte plays oboe and English horn in the Salt Lake Symphony and folk sextet Red Rock Rondo, whose DVD won two Emmy awards in 2010.

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