Your yoga apply doesn’t all the time should be an intense Vinyasa or Scorching yoga exercise. Some days, you simply crave some restorative poses to launch stress and loosen up tense muscle tissue. A yoga bolster provides the cushion and help you should absolutely soften into these postures whereas taking the strain off your low again or joint.
This straightforward prop is a staple in each yoga studio because of its versatility on the mat. Whether or not you utilize it to help heart-opening poses, deepen your stretches, or reduce the pressure in your backbone, utilizing a yoga bolster is easy and feels oh-so good.
Listed below are our favourite yoga bolster poses and the best way to do them.
What’s a Yoga Bolster?
A yoga bolster is a agency pillow or cushion designed to help sure you in yoga poses. Bolsters are available quite a lot of styles and sizes, from rectangular to spherical, skinny or thick, and man-made or natural supplies.
Bolsters are very talked-about in Yin yoga, pregnant yoga, and restorative yoga courses the place added cushion can deepen the stretch with out straining joints or bones. Additionally they add peak and help to open the center or the hip flexors.
Generally your mat simply isn’t fairly sufficient. A yoga bolster provides that additional buffer between you and the ground for max consolation and rejuvenating reduction.
Greatest Yoga Bolsters
Our favourite yoga bolsters are the Manduka Enlight Rectangular Bolster, Brentwood Dwelling Crystal Cove Yoga Bolster, and Gaiam Sol Studio Spherical Yoga Bolster. Every of those bolsters provides most consolation and dense, but plush help with the added bonus of being aesthetically pleasing in your house.
For a deep dive into the perfect bolsters out there on-line, take a look at our full overview of the High 8 Yoga Bolsters.
9 Restorative Yoga Poses with a Yoga Bolster
Restorative yoga is essentially the most restful, muscle-melting yoga fashion on the market. With a bolster, your consolation and meditative bliss can go to the following degree.
Bolster Hero Pose (Virasana)
Hero pose may be tough for many individuals because of the inside rotation of the thighs and hips. Including a bolster makes it a lot simpler to sit down between your heels and nonetheless benefit from the quadricep stretch, lumbar strengthening, and low again launch.
Start in tabletop together with your knees about hip width aside. Place a bolster lengthwise between your legs, bend your knees extra, and sit again on it underneath your tail bone. If that is uncomfortable to your joints, place a folded blanket beneath your knees for added cushion.
Enable your knees and calves to hug the bolster because the tops of your toes relaxation on the ground. Your pelvis will likely be tilted barely ahead and your again straight. Really feel your quads and thighs lengthen. Breathe and settle your hips downward.
Supported Reclined Sure Angle Pose (Supta Baddha Konasana)
For a fair deeper leisure, you’ll find this reclined resting pose to assuage your nervous system, decrease your coronary heart fee, and assist relieve anxiousness.
From Hero Pose, take and deep breath and exhale to put again over the bolster into Reclining Hero Pose (Supta Virasana). If this causes any discomfort, you should utilize a block beneath the bolster so as to add additional peak.
Modify the soles of your toes to press collectively and permit your knees to drop open to every aspect like a butterfly. Shift your tailbone backward and forward till your backbone lengthens alongside the bolster. Your elbows can lay open to your aspect with palms up. Really feel your hip flexors and decrease again absolutely launch as you breathe and let your physique soften into the bolster.
Supported Pigeon Pose (Kapotasana)
Pigeon Pose may be fairly intense for anybody with tight hip flexors or sore glutes. This deep hip opening pose counteracts the consequences of sitting at a desk all day or difficult your self in a run. This pose may even be painful because of the exterior rotation of the thigh and stress on low again. A bolster can repair the issue instantly.
Start in a Downward Canine. Carry one leg and inhale to lean ahead and produce the leg underneath your chest, folding the knee outward and your foot throughout towards the alternative hip.
Place the bolster perpendicular to your physique and alter it underneath your hips. Your externally rotated bent knee will likely be elevated as your glute rests on the pillow. This base will reduce the pressure in your knee and hip flexor whereas nonetheless permitting you to totally confide in the decrease physique stretch.
Vast Angle Seated Ahead Bend (Upavistha Konasana)
Vast Angle Seated Ahead Bend is one other deep hip opener that’s tough for anybody with decreased flexibility. As an alternative of curving the backbone and forcing the physique into misalignment, you should utilize a bolster to totally loosen up within the pose whereas staying lengthened.
Start in a seated place together with your legs prolonged out in entrance. Modify your physique so you might be immediately on high of your sit bones. Widen your legs out to the aspect so far as is comfy. Flex your toes and level the toes up towards the ceiling.
Place a bolster lengthwise between your legs, with the quick edge up in opposition to your groin. If desired, elevate the opposite finish of the bolster with a yoga block.
Inhale and totally lengthen the backbone. It is crucial to not hunch right here. Exhale and hinge on the hips, reaching ahead together with your palms as you soften your torso over the bolster between your legs. Don’t fear in case you can’t go very far; so long as you keep away from curving the backbone, you might be having fun with all of the hip-opening advantages of this pose. Lengthen and loosen up.
Supported Fish Pose (Matsyasana)
You probably have chest or shoulder ache, heart-opening poses may also help loosen up your higher physique and reverse the harm of poor posture.
Start with bolster lengthwise close to the highest of your mat. Sit in entrance of the bolster together with your legs prolonged and start to slowly lean again onto the cushion together with your hips remaining on the bottom.
As your higher physique and chest open towards the ceiling, prolong your arms straight out to the edges with palms up. All of your shoulder blades to soften over the bolster. Hold the toes relaxed and calmly splayed out the aspect. Absolutely launch and keep for 10-20 breaths.
Supported Backbend
Legs Up the Wall Pose
This straightforward asana is the final word low again ache reduction. Begin sitting together with your proper aspect towards a wall. Flip and swing your legs upward and raise your physique to position the bolster underneath your sacrum. Transfer your hips just a little nearer to the wall as you lay down flat in your again.
Prolong your legs upward with heels touching the wall. Enable your head and higher physique to sink down as your low again and glutes soften into the bolster. Maintain for 1-3 minutes as you breathe deeply.
This mild inversion gently stretches your hamstrings and releases your neck whereas offering sciatica ache reduction. It’s recognized to extend power, assist with migraines, enhance digestion, and promote lymph stream.
Low Lunge with Bolster (Anjaneyasana)
Knee ache is usually a main supply of discomfort in yoga. However that doesn’t imply you may’t take pleasure in deep stretches by way of your internal thighs in low lunge. Merely putting a bolster or yoga pillow underneath the again knee provides further help and makes this pose really feel soothing moderately than painful.
Start in a tabletop place with knees bent about hip-width aside. Place a bolster horizontally underneath your knees. Inhale and produce your left leg ahead to the surface of your left arm. Lunge into your proper leg as your hip flexors open and the proper knee rests into the yoga pillow. Hold the backbone straight and take a number of breaths. Repeat on the alternative aspect at any time when you might be prepared.
Supported Knee Twist
As among the finest Yin Yoga postures for low again ache, a Supported Knee Twist can enhance spinal flexibility, digestion, and scale back stress. If this pose feels uncomfortable in your tail bone or hips, attempt putting a bolster beneath the knees so as to add help and elevation.
Start laying flat in Savasana with a bolster beneath your knees. Bend your knees barely and use your hand to information your left leg on high of the proper.
Slowly rotate the highest leg and each knees over to the aspect as your backbone stays reaching towards the bottom. Prolong your shoulders and arms out to the edges in a T form with palms up, respiration into the sunshine decrease spinal twist.
FAQs
Is a yoga bolster vital?
For anybody with knee ache, again ache, or decreased flexibility, a yoga bolster can remodel your apply by including peak, help, and cushion. They soften postures whereas serving to you preserve alignment. These distinctive yoga props are greater than only a agency pillow; they’re particularly designed to raise and help in all kinds of asanas.
What’s a yoga bolster used for?
In restorative or yin yoga postures, a yoga bolster profoundly deepens your capability to totally loosen up in your yoga apply. They help the again in heart-opening poses or cradle the knee in poses which will in any other case be difficult on the joints. Bolsters assist individuals who have decreased flexibility or mobility. Additionally they soften postures to assist your physique absolutely open and launch.
Closing Ideas
As a yoga trainer, I actually assume {that a} yoga bolster is without doubt one of the most underrated yoga props within the studio. It’s so way more than only a agency pillow; it’s the excellent supportive complement to restorative poses. It may be used as a cozier block alternative or at the side of yoga blocks.
Yoga lecturers everywhere in the world have really helpful the usage of bolsters for 1000’s of years. If you happen to’re searching for deep leisure, extra comfy asanas, and rather less firmness in opposition to the ground or mat, these yoga pillows are undoubtedly definitely worth the funding.
