15 Uses for Bolsters
I recently bought a bolster. Just a regular, cotton covered bolster with a very useful handle at one end. Having never used one until a couple of months ago, I now find this cylindrical lump of fibre to be an indispensable part of my life; yes, as in it’s useful in my everyday living, not just during my daily yoga practice.
There are so many uses for bolsters that go beyond the yoga mat, here are a few examples:
1. Replacement sofa. This is much better for your spine than a regular sofa. Either sit in a straddle or use it as a low level chair. Legs can be crossed in butterfly pose, straight or bent with feet flat on the ground.
2. A fantastic footrest. Perfect if, in the end, you decide to stick to the sofa.
3. Draught excluder. Place it under your door and keep cold weather at bay.
4. Stool. Step on it to reach for something off the top shelf.
5. Baby prop. Place the bolster under the baby’s armpits whilst they are laying on their bellies to help strengthen their arms, neck and back. They usually like the slightly raised perspective as well.
6. Tummy winder. I get my four-year-old to lay on it lengthways. With one hand on his sacrum, I gently roll him from side to side to ease a gassy tummy. He thinks it’s a lot of fun too.
7. Leg strengthener. Place it on top of your flexed feet whilst seated, and raise it up and down several times.
8. Balance challenger. Lay on it lengthways and try Locust or [Bow](/article/upward-bow-pose-or-full-wheel-pose-urdhva-dhanurasana pose). Feels a little different.
9. Situps spotter. Lay it over your feet as a weight while you do your situps.
10. Face plant protector. Place it in front of you when trying an arm balance. Makes for a softer landing if you fall.
11. Back rest. Place it vertically against a wall. I find walls to be cold against bare skin, so this is a nice solution for keeping the back upright. It also allows your shoulders to roll back, opening the chest up more.
12. Pillow. Self explanatory.
13. Pretend horse. A fun toy for your kids.
14. Pretend space rocket. Another fun and imaginative prop for your kids.
15. Replacement bed fellow. You can give it a good hug, and it doesn’t snore.
How do you use yours?
About the Author
To Celebrate Endings and Beginnings, Do a Yoga Mala
From the yoga studio to a night on the town, people are donning mala bead necklaces around the globe. However, this trend is steeped in meaningful tradition and symbolism. Each mala necklace has 108 beads, and each bead evokes an energetic frequency based on its material, whether stone or seed.
How to Practice a Yoga Mala
A yoga mala is the ultimate moving meditation. It has a repetitive, steady rhythm that helps transcend the purely physical form and move us closer to the unified Self. One body, one mind, one breath. Each forward bend serves as a pranam or devoted prayer to the source. Each vibrant backbend is an emergence of radiant light. The body is the mala, the breath is the mantra.
What is a Mala?
A mala, meaning garland in Sanskrit, evokes a circular, continuous form. In practice, a mala is the devoted offering of repeated cycles (typically in divisors of 108) of mantra or asana. Within a mala, there is always a sense of beginning, continuing and completion. Both inside each individual cycle and in the practice as a whole.
What is the Significance of 108?
The number 108 is seen as significant across a range of cultures and disciplines. It informs the architecture of sacred texts that are central to yoga and eastern philosophy: there are 108 chapters of the Rig Veda, 108 Upanishads and 108 primary Tantras. In in the field of Ayurveda, there are 108 sacred places in the body, identifying intersections of matter and consciousness. Through the lens of astronomy, the diameter of the sun is approximately 108 times that of earth and the distance from our planet to its solar star is, on average, 108 times the diameter of the sun.
When to Use a Yoga Mala?
Use a yoga mala to mark an end, celebrate a beginning, or as the basis of a devotional prayer. Here are some moments that may call for a yoga mala:
- A birth in the family
- Spring Equinox
- Your Birthday
- When a friend or family member is ill
- For Mother Earth
- The end of a relationship
