Yoga classes are considered very beneficial for the whole body. It promotes complete relaxation of the body, improves brain activity, and has a positive effect on the nervous and respiratory systems. This practice is not only suitable for men and women, but also for pregnant women.
But not all users can achieve maximum results at once. Therefore, it is recommended to use special equipment that helps in performing some asanas and fixing the necessary poses. Such equipment includes a bolster.
What is a yoga bolster
Before choosing a bolster, you should understand what it is, and what its purpose in yoga is. Essentially, a bolster is a roller that helps to perform certain exercises, maintain balance, and also helps to relax the necessary muscle groups. It is especially useful for people who are just beginning to learn this practice.
It will help to cope with difficult asanas, to fix the body in the right posture. As a result, the user relaxes better, feels much more comfortable and gets the maximum benefit from the exercise. To get such results, it is enough to put a roller under the part of the body that needs support at the time of practice.
Such a pillow is used not only by yoga beginners, but also by professional participants of this movement. This equipment is considered an integral part in the practice of yoga.
What types are there
Sports equipment can differ from each other in many ways: in shape, size, color, material of manufacture and filling.
By shape bolsters can be cylindrical, rectangular, and elongated. Most often in yoga products are used in the form of a cylinder, less often users choose a rectangular.
As for the size, they come in lengths from 50 to 90 cm, the diameter of the cylindrical model is usually 15 or 22 cm. These sizes are considered optimal for practice.
According to the material of manufacture, there are bolsters made of textile, polyester, plastic, polyvinylchloride, ethylene vinyl acetate. Products made of the last three materials are considered denser than the others.
Several types of materials can serve as the inner filling. Natural materials include wool batting (or wool with cotton thread), buckwheat husk or collected dried grass. These materials are hypoallergenic and environmentally friendly, helping the body to relax better and get the most out of exercise. But these fillers significantly add weight to the product.
Synthetic fillers are considered to be sintepon, wool, polyester, polyester is also found. But all these materials are not elastic enough, so discomfort may occur during practice. The weight of bolsters with synthetic fillings is much less than that of natural ones.
Selection Criteria
When buying equipment for yoga classes, you should responsibly take into account some criteria. There is a huge number of bolsters, which differ in size, internal contents, weight, color scheme, manufacturers and of course the price.
If the user is of sufficiently large size or high growth, it is not advisable to choose among small products. The maximum permissible load weight of the bolster should be taken into account.
Also, the choice of size depends on the direction of yoga. Before buying it is better to check what kind of product would be comfortable to work with: a small one or still choose a bigger size variant.
It is also worth paying attention to the shape of the sports equipment. For example, a cylindrical roller provides indispensable help when performing exercises such as bending or stooping, and also promotes relaxation in the lumbar area and improves stretching.
Rectangular-shaped bolsters are more commonly used in breathing and restorative yoga because they help the chest to open up and relax as much as possible.
Yoga cushions have different weights, which depends on the inner filler. If the exercises take place at home, then the weight of the roller is not that important. But when practicing yoga in the gym, it is better to choose a product of low weight and with the presence of a handle for easy transportation.
The presence of a removable cover on textile rollers is also very important. With frequent use, the product is exposed to heavy pollution, so the user should have the opportunity to wash it without damage to the bolster. There are models on sale made of material that can be cleaned with a damp cloth.
Additional features include the presence of anti-slip coating, which is convenient if you exercise on a slippery surface, such as the floor.
For the inner filling it is better to choose a product made of natural components – buckwheat husk or dried grass. They are more elastic and better take the form of the body. Exercise on them will be more comfortable.
Also before buying you should pay attention to the manufacturer. The best brands in the production of bolsters are considered RamaYoga, Original FitTools, BIO-TEXTILES and Amrita Style. Of foreign manufacturers, InEx (China) is worth mentioning. These brands have proven to be high quality products. Therefore, it is better to choose sports equipment from these firms. They also produce other products necessary for a comfortable yoga practice: mats, belts, hammocks, blocks and more.
The cost of the product depends on many factors: size, filling, availability of additional functions and the company producing the goods.
Listening to the above recommendations, the user will be able to avoid popular mistakes when choosing and buy the right product, which will fully meet their requirements.
Where to buy
In sporting goods stores there is usually a small range of these products, so it is more appropriate to choose the necessary model of sports equipment in online stores.
On the site you can consider popular models, new arrivals and even bolsters, which will soon go on sale.
For convenience, you can set the necessary filters by price category, manufacturing material, the presence of additional features. Each product has a detailed description with a photo of the roller, its shape and size.
Before buying, it is worth paying attention to the reviews of other buyers: they can influence the final choice. Once the user has chosen a particular model, an online order is placed. The buyer will be aware of the terms in which the goods will arrive.
Self-made bolster
In addition to the fact that the sports equipment can be purchased in specialized stores or on websites, you can sew it yourself. If you follow all the instructions and follow the correct step-by-step execution, the bolster sewn with your own hands can be no worse than the purchased one. But such a thing is suitable only for home use.
On the Internet there are many schemes for making a roller for yoga. After choosing a pattern, selecting the sewing material and filling, you can get to work.
For a homemade bolster, you will need two rectangular pieces of cotton fabric and four round pieces that will serve as the sidewall of the product. One fabric will be made for filling, the second – the outer appearance of the cover.
The size of the main fabric is chosen depending on the desired size of the roll. Most often, products with a diameter of 22 cm are used, so the width of the fabric should be 76 cm. The length can be chosen from personal considerations: make a standard roller 60 cm or longer, for example, 70 cm.
The fabric is sewn between its edges along its entire length. As a result, on both sides we get circles. On one side in a circle should be stitched pre-prepared round element with a diameter of 23 cm. All steps should be carried out on the wrong side. After that, the product is turned out on the outside and stuffed with a filler. You can use sintepon or buckwheat husk as a filler.
Then, using a blind stitch, you should sew the second side element. The inside of the bolster is ready.
To sew the outer removable cover, it is better to choose a fabric on syntepon, it will be more dense than cotton. Take a similar sized piece of fabric, its edges are bent and stitched to the length on the wrong side. The product is not sewn together, later to these edges is stitched zipper.
Next, the resulting fabric is sewn with the cut out circles on both sides: the procedure is performed in the same way as the inner part of the roller.
The product is turned out on the outside and the zipper is sewn into the previously prepared element. You can also make the product handle to carry it – for this should be a small piece of fabric (length about 24 cm and a width of about 10-12 cm) folded in 2 times its length and stitched from the wrong side. Then turn it out and sew to the circumference.
Color for the cover is chosen entirely by the user. After these manipulations you get quite a decent bolster, which will fully perform its functions.