How To Make A Round Yoga Bolster

Do You Need A Yoga Bolster

You dont need a yoga bolster to get your daily yoga session in but with the potential to improve your practice, why wouldn’t you use one? Yoga bolsters can benefit you in a number of different ways:

• Support: Yoga bolsters provide a surface for your body to rest on in postures where you perhaps dont have enough flexibility or strength to hold the position. Youll then be able to rest your weight on the yoga bolster without having to use your muscles to keep you there, and this will not only be safer for you in terms of limiting the extent of the stretch but will also allow you to relax into the stretch and get more from it as a result.
• Flexibility: Because of its ability to limit the extent of a stretch, a yoga bolster allows you to work on your flexibility in a gradual and safe way and thus reduce the risk of injury.
• Comfort: As great as yoga is on a yoga mat, theres something about hugging a yoga bolster during a restorative pose that feels comforting. Plus, sitting, lying or kneeling is a lot more comfortable with a yoga bolster than with only a thin layer separating you from the floor below.

Yoga Bolster Cleaning & Care

Yoga bolsters do not come cheap, but once you invest in a high-quality item and take proper care of it, your bolster will serve you for years.

Since your yoga bolster comes in close contact with the skin and body as well as the floor, make sure to clean the prop regularly to prevent the growth of germs and bacteria.

Some bolsters come with a removable zippered cover, making the cleaning process as easy as it can be. Hand wash or machine wash the cover in cold water to avoid any possible color bleed or shrinkage. Do not use drier, instead let the cover line dry.

The props with no removable cover can be either spot cleaned with water and a small amount of laundry detergent or dry cleaned from time to time. The latter is expensive but undoubtedly more effective and gentle. Get acquainted with the manufacturers cleaning instructions before washing or applying any kind of cleaning solutions to your yoga bolster to preserve the integrity and the look of your yoga prop.

How We Chose Our Selection Of Yoga Bolsters

Brand – When looking at the best bolsters for yoga, we identified the most trustworthy brands that have a history of delivering on quality again and again. Brands are built on reputation, and the loss of even a little street cred could be the end of any business. This is why known brands always do their best to provide consumers with the best quality available to them. With this in mind, we looked around and went for the best products from the best brands to present to you, because you deserve the best.

Price – If you are a newbie in the yoga game, you might find that you need to buy yoga pants, bags, bolsters, and cleaners. Individually they might not cost a tonne, but when they begin to stack up, it can become pretty daunting indeed. With this in mind, we ensured that we looked at products that dont seek to drill a hole in your pocket. However, we also ensured that we presented products that are high in quality so that you, as the consumer, get the very best value that is on offer.

Reviews – The role of reviews in the selection process of the best yoga bolsters cannot be overstated as they are a foolproof way of determining the quality of a product. Therefore, we scoured the internet to find affordable products, manufactured by reputable brands, and greatly liked by confirmed purchasers. Our selection above has some of the highest consumer ratings around and that many people cannot be lying about the quality of a product, can they?

Recommended Reading: How Many Calories Burned During Bikram Yoga

Gaiam Sol Round Yoga Bolster

• might be too long/large for short yogis
• only 2 colors available

Gaiam products do not tend to disappoint with their quality. Their Sol Round Yoga Bolster is a premium quality prop that will support you and your body weight for many years of yoga practice. The bolster is filled with cotton batting and contains a solid foam cylinder inside for increased durability and stability. The soft microfiber cover is easy to clean and can be machine washed on cold and air dried. What is pleasant is that the prop arrives with no fabric smell and can be used right away which earns this bolster a big plus.

If youre used to carrying all your props to the studio, then youll be surprised that the Gaiam bolster weights only 4lbs one of the most lightweight bolsters weve encountered on the market.

Make sure to check if the length is right for you. Some reviewers have noted that Sol Bolster is extremely comfortable but just too long for their spine, which is a shame considering the price tag of the accessory.

Here Is How You Can Use Yoga Bolster In Different Poses:

1. Supported Childs Pose

Spread your knees wide, place a bolster between the knees, and rest your upper body and head on the bolster. Arms can stay on the bolster or relaxed on the ground. If you feel like the bolster is too low, you can place blocks or blankets under the bolster until you reach the comfortable height.

Another way to make this pose feel better is to use a rolled blanket or towel under the ankles if you feel too much strain on the top of the feet. And if you cant comfortably sit back on your heels in childs pose, try placing a blanket or pillow between your chins and thighs.

2. Reclined Bound Angle Pose

Begin seated on the mat with a bolster behind you. Bring the soles of your feet together and allow the knees to drop open, then rest your back and head on the bolster. Lay your arms on the floor, palms up.

Additionally placing yoga blocks, pillows, or blankets under each thigh can help if you feel the strain on the inner thighs.

3. Supported Backbend

A great way to use bolster in a backbend is to place it in line with the shoulders. Arms extended over the head or hands interlaced behind the head to support the neck. You can choose to keep your legs extended on the floor, or bent with knees together or open like in Bound Angle Pose.

4. Legs Up The Wall Pose

5. Seated Forward Fold

6. Wide-Legged Forward Bend

7. Hero Pose/ Reclined Hero Pose

8. Supported Twist

Read Also: Can You Do Hot Yoga While Pregnant

Cant I Just Use A Pillow

If you havent found the best yoga bolster for you is or dont want to invest in one, using pillows can be an option, and it will work sometimes.

Though the effect youll get wont always be the same. Thats because pillows are a lot softer and usually wider in shape. For example, if you place a pillow under your spine in Savasana, youll more likely feel cushier rather than get a chest opening effect.

A better option can be using firmer couch cushions or a stack of folded blankets.

What Is A Bolster

Traditional bolster pillows have been around a long time. A bolster is a long, firm, narrow, often cylindrical cushion or pillow that is placed under other pillows for support on a bed or a sofa. You can still buy bolster pillows to provide greater support for both day and night today.

So more specifically what is a yoga bolster?

A yoga bolster is a popular yoga accessory used to provide comfort, support poses and increase stretching during restorative postures and deep breathing exercises. Most of the yoga accessories that we consider popular now like the yoga bolster werent really used much within a yoga practice until the 1960s, when yoga teachers such as B.K.S. Iyengar noticed that many of their students had trouble maintaining proper posture in certain poses due to injury or lack of flexibility. Iyengar therefore developed and introduced props and equipment to help people access poses with greater comfort and better form.

Don’t Miss: Yoga Tote Bag Mat Carriers

How To Clean Yoga Bolsters

Its easy to forget or put off, but if you are using your yoga bolster on the regular, its important to give it a wash just as regularly, especially if your yoga sessions tend to end up with you draped over your yoga bolster a hot mess.

How you clean it will depend on what the cover of the yoga bolster is made of, but each one will normally come with its own set of instructions.

In most cases, youll be able to remove the cover and throw this in the washing machine just like you would your clothing. But youll want to make sure its on a cold, gentle cycle and hang it up to dry afterwards. Opening the machine to find a cover half the size of your actual yoga bolster is not a good way to maintain your newly discovered zen.

If your yoga bolster has a removable cover but is hand wash only, its best to wash it in cold water and then hang it up to dry like you would a machine washable one.

Some yoga bolsters wont have removable covers and then your best bet is to spot clean them with a damp cloth, dry clean them every once in a while/when the budget allows, or if you know things are going to get sweaty, cover them with a pillowcase, or something similar, that can be washed easily afterwards.

Manduka Round Aircore Bolster

The Rolls-Royce of yoga props! We love this soft, plush and absorbent bolster from Manduka with fancy ‘eQua micro-fiber fabric cover’ and hidden zipper so you don’t get a zipper-pressed face from your yin yogic sleep. The cover is removable for easy cleaning.

Whether it’s brought or made, don’t you just LOVE your bolster? Do you have any more tips on how to make a yoga bolster at home? Share your special handmade bolster ideas with us! Tag us on Instagram or on Pinterest. We’d love to hear from you!

Recommended Reading: How Many Calories Burned During Bikram Yoga

Why Do You Need A Yoga Bolster

I use my bolster for releasing tension in my spine and across my shoulders in Reclining Bound Angle Pose . For refreshing body and mind with Vaparati Karani , or boosting my thyroid function with a supported Fish Pose.

I find sitting on my bolster is the comfiest way to get into a good pose for meditation, it keeps my spine long and tummy uncompressed, whilst supporting my hips. And when I was pregnant the bolster was a lifesaver for resting my leg on in bed because I had Pelvic Girdle Pain I needed all the help I could get to be comfy.

Uni Has Finished For The Semester And Its Time To Relax

What better time than right now to get on the sewing machine and create something comfy.

There has been a great big pile of worn out clothing in the corner of our lounge room for several weeks now and as soon as the assignments were submitted I got my act together to turn the pile of junk into something useful A bolster! Some of you may know that I have studied yoga teaching and one of my little dreams is to teach from a home studio under my deck when the flow allows us to renovate. This bolster is the first of many that I plan to make for my studio from fabrics I was lucky enough to find secondhand;at my local landfill recycle market;for a total of under ten dollars . The bolster is;something for me to use now and a continual reminder to myself that the dream studio is coming my way.

To make a bolster of your own you will need:

• Fabric
• A sewing machine
• Pins
• Stuffing

The first big decision of this relatively easy sewing process is working out how big you want your bolster to be. As I am planning to use my bolster for restorative yoga practice they need to be quite large. I chose a dinner plate and traced around it twice .

Once you have sewn both ends on turn the bolster the right way out by feeding it through the small hole you left for the stuffing. It should look pretty awesome when you look at it from the right way out!

You May Like: Average Calories Burned During Hot Yoga

What Are Yoga Bolsters Filled With

These days filling options for yoga bolsters can be anything from buckwheat husks to cotton batting, but each filling has its own benefits and will affect the weight, shape retention and feel of the yoga bolster.

• Synthetic fillings are usually lighter, softer and maintain their shape.
• Cotton fillings will start off firm but become softer and more comfortable over time.
• Buckwheat fillings are heavier and firmer but are good at moulding to your shape.
• Kapok fillings are much lighter than cotton, soft and moisture resistant but tend to be more expensive.

Regardless of which yoga filling you opt for, a lot of yoga bolsters will allow you to remove or add to the filling to find the right feel for you.

How To Sew A Yoga Bolster Pillow

Home » How to Sew a Yoga Bolster Pillow

Sharing is caring!

Thinking about buying a yoga bolster pillow for your home yoga practice? Know how to sew? Make your own bolster using custom fabric choices!

Ive been wanting to purchase a yoga bolster pillow because Ive done some really relaxing poses in yoga class using one for support and I wanted to imitate them at home. But eh expensive. I was so excited to suddenly realize- SURPRISE!- that I could make them. Of course- fabric. Oiy!

This is actually a REALLY easy project and I used all sorts of scrap fabric and upcycled clothing to stuff it. I usually like to use fiberfil for the insides of pillows or pillow forms, but yoga bolsters are really much more firm. I tried using scraps inside my oldest sons floor pillow and its firm just like a yoga bolster so I figured it would be a perfect use for extra scraps AND itd have the firm quality that I wanted.

This post contains affiliate links which may earn me commissions should you click through them and take certain actions. As an affiliate for Cricut, Amazon and other sites, I earn from qualifying purchases. Please DIY carefully. View;my;full;legal;disclosures;here.

Please read the whole post so you dont miss any important information!

If you love yoga, youll also love my posts about making a yoga mat bag. I have a no sew yoga mat bag tutorial and a yoga mat bag I made by sewing. Oooo and here are some super cute yoga shirts that I made with my Cricut machine.

Also Check: Is Yoga Good For Toning Up

What Are Yoga Bolsters

Bolsters are cushioning devices which can be classified as cylindrical, rectangular and pranayama bolsters. They are used for providing assistance to new yogis to improve their yoga experience.

Yoga bolster as an accessory was not really very popular till the 1960s when the famed yoga teacher Sri BKS Iyengar realized that a lot of students were facing problems in doing the yogasanas in the initial stages due to injuries or lack of flexibility in the body.

That is when yoga bolsters as an accessory were introduced to provide comfort and support.

People who cannot support their body easily during different yoga poses can use yoga bolsters as an extra support system while practicing yoga.

These bolsters go under your buttocks, legs, spine and thighs so that they can offer support to different parts of the body in different positions.

Q: What Are Yoga Bolsters

A: Yoga bolsters are cushions or pillows made in different shapes that help you achieve different yoga poses. They were generally not used until the 1960s when it was discovered that with the help of yoga bolsters, people could pull off poses with added ease. Additionally, it also opened up the practice of yoga to everyone, including those who were formerly unable to practice due to inflexibility or injury.

Read Also: Yoga After Giving Birth

Who Should Use A Yoga Bolster

Yoga bolsters are such versatile pieces of equipment that almost everyone should or could benefit from using one. Most yoga bolsters are long, skinny cushions designed to be flipped on their sides, lye flat, or even turned on their head for support. This meas theyre the perfect companion for and advanced yoga practitioners.;

For the advanced yogi, they can be used for added comfort during stretching, used during warm up, or even used during meditations to provide some hip elevation.

For the beginner, the bolster can be turned on its side or top to add height and bring the floor closer to you. This is especially helpful if you cant quite hit the deep pose yet without overstretching or having your muscles tense up. As you progress in your practice, the bolster can be laid flat and used as a prop in deeper stretches.

Attach The Piping And Sew The Body

The Pillow Ends

The Body of the Pillow – Using the rectangle for the body of the pillow:

• Match the edges that are the length of the pillow plus 1″.
• Optional: Insert an invisible zipper leaving 1/2″ open at each end of the seam.
• Sew the seam, leaving an opening in the seam for turning if not using a zipper.

Don’t Miss: How Many Calories Does An Hour Of Yoga Burn