Savasana (Relaxation Pose) is a welcome respite, the well-deserved dessert after your asana practice. It’s a time of rest and integration, the time when you get to lie still and absorb the benefits of your asana practice.

But for some people, it’s actually not so relaxing. I often see students lie down onto the floor, only to begin fidgeting, bending their knees, placing a roll under the lower spine, etc. That’s when I know they need support, not under their backs, but instead, under their lower legs. When I place support under their legs, back pain relief is almost always instantaneous.

Why Does Support Under the Legs Relieve Back Strain?

When your legs are stretched out on the floor, the hip flexors stretch. When shortened hip flexors stretch passively, as in Savasana, the low back is pulled into hyperextension. That’s where back discomfort comes from. Shortened hip flexors are quite common in our culture. Because of our pervasive cultural habit of marathon chair sitting, many people end up with shortened hip flexors. This is because sitting puts all our joints into a flexed position. Over time, the muscles shorten.

That’s one reason why asana practice is so important. There are lots of poses that counteract our habitually flexed joints. While we’re doing active practice, we expect to feel stretching sensation. It’s part of the process. So stretching sensation in the hip flexors, along with low back extension, just feels normal in most poses. It’s usually not until we lie passively in Savasana that we actually feel our chronic hip flexor tightness—in the low back.

Savasana is most effective when we’re able to relax completely. If we’re feeling fidgety and uncomfortable our nervous systems will continue to feel agitated. We won’t feel the quiet sense of ease that is the hallmark of a deep Savasana. The good news is that relief is easy to find.

Stonehenge: Back Pain Relief in Savasana—And More

There are lots of ways to support the legs in Savasana. In Hugger Mugger’s blog, you’ll find lots of articles detailing options for bolstering the legs. These options involve using Standard, Round, Junior and Pranayama yoga bolsters, and combinations of these. I learned Stonehenge many years ago at a Restorative Yoga teacher training with Judith Hanson Lasater. Several of my students find that Stonehenge is the most effective way to find back pain relief in Savasana, and they set themselves up this way in every class.

Stonehenge has some characteristics of a very mild inversion. The pose can be a good substitute for poses such as Viparita Karani (Legs Up the Wall) or even Salamba Sarvangasana (Shoulderstand) for people for whom full inversions are contraindicated. This includes people with unregulated high blood pressure, detached retina, heavy menstrual flow or glaucoma. So instead of simply setting these people up in the standard go-to, Balasana (Child’s Pose), set them up in Stonehenge, which will give them some of the benefits of inverting without the risks.

How to Set Up Stonehenge

1. Gather your props: a yoga mat, two 4-inch yoga blocks and a Standard Yoga Bolster. Don’t use 3-inch yoga blocks for this pose. They are more likely to tip over than the wider 4-inch blocks.
2. Set your blocks up, in their tallest dimension, on the foot end of your mat. Set them up so that they’re about hips-width apart. This width is important because of the blocks are too close together, the weight of your legs may cause the bolster to sag down on either side, which could destabilize the blocks. The same is true if the blocks are too far apart; the bolster may sag down in the middle. So you want the blocks to be right below your legs for the best support.
3. Lay your bolster widthwise on top of your blocks, so that it’s oriented crosswise on your mat.
4. Lie down on your mat with your knees bent and the soles of your feet on the floor. Bend your knees in toward your chest and then place your calves on the bolster. You may need to adjust your hips toward or away from the bolster to find your most comfortable position.
5. Relax and enjoy.

We have two sides to the nervous system: the sympathetic and the parasympathetic. The sympathetic is responsible for altering us when there is danger and the parasympathetic is responsible for calming us down. Both are needed for homeostasis within the body and mind, but when the sympathetic is in overdrive, it can take over, leaving us overwhelmed. If we aren’t able to tap back into the parasympathetic then mental, emotional and physical illnesses could be on the horizon. 

So, how do you incorporate mindfulness throughout your yoga practice? The answer is allowing yourself to be focused on the breath, listening to the subtle cues within your body and allowing your five senses to be immersed in the present moment. Doing that throughout your yoga practice trains the brain to remember that physical feeling of homeostasis and when trouble arises so you can tap back into that release. 

If you’re between yoga practices and want to incorporate some of this mindfulness at home for maintenance, here are three poses you can try. 

The first is a reclining butterfly pose with a bolster. Bring the bolster behind the sitting bones, then lay back, allowing the arms to fall to the sides, bring the bottoms of feet together and let the knees to fall to each side. In this posture, take a breath in through the nose for four counts, then release for about five counts. Notice how the air feels as it enters and leaves the nose on each breath. 

The second is a child’s pose with a block. Bring the knees to the edges of the matt, bottoms of feet towards each other and sit bones down towards the feet. Bring a block underneath the forehead and with each breath, allow for peace to enter and with each exhale, allow the muscles to relax. Notice how the air feels on the skin and the block on the forehead. 

The third is a waterfall with a block or bolster. Laying on your back, raise both feet off the floor towards the ceiling or against a wall. Slide a bolster or block under the hips to allow for additional elevation. With each breath, allow for presence and clarity. Notice how the heart feels within the chest as it beats. 

Spend as much time in each pose as you need to so you can soak in all the goodness this ancient healing practice has to offer and remember to connect your breath with each pose. 

Most of us would probably agree that our lives are filled to the brim. When we’re super busy, what often drops off our schedule are the very things we need most, like our yoga practice. Running through a few quick Sun Salutations (Surya Namaskara) is certainly better than no practice, but it won’t necessarily sustain and restore your energies. We also need rest to balance busyness. Standard Yoga Bolsters are one of the key tools for calming agitation and renewing our energies.

B.K.S. Iyengar originally developed Restorative Yoga as a therapeutic practice to heal specific physical imbalances and to regenerate spent energy. Restorative Yoga specialist Judith Hanson Lasater learned about restorative practice directly from Mr. Iyengar. She has since developed and refined the practice and now teaches workshops and trainings worldwide.

What sets Restorative Yoga apart is that all its asanas are supported. Restoring our energies requires that we spend as little energy as possible. Setting up poses with Yoga Bolsters, Blankets, Blocks and Straps allows our bodies to be completely supported. Then we can simply relax and breathe without expending our energies.

Essential Tools for Restorative Yoga

Probably the best investment you’ll ever make for your Restorative Yoga practice is a yoga bolster. Hugger Mugger originally designed their Standard Yoga Bolsters in the 1980s, according to specs from the Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Yoga Institute in Pune, India. One of the Standard Yoga Bolster’s unique features is its flat surface. This makes these bolsters comfortable and stable in many poses.

The size, shape and combination of surface softness with a solid core make these bolsters very versatile. They are soft and comfy, but also stable and supportive. These yoga bolsters are handmade in Hugger Mugger’s Salt Lake City facility, and I can vouch for the fact that they will give you years, if not decades, of service. I still have—and use—bolsters from the very first batch made in the 1980s!

3 Ways to Use Standard Yoga Bolsters

Here are three poses that will help familiarize you with the joys of Standard Yoga Bolsters:

Supported Supta Baddhakonasana (Bound Angle Pose)

The picture at the top of this blog may be the best-loved pose in the restorative canon—at least by my own students. This pose confers many benefits. It can ease abdominal distress and is unsurpassed for general relaxation. Neither a backbend nor forward bend, it has a neutral effect on your spine. Like all restorative poses, you can improvise with the props you have. For example, you can use just the standard bolster and the block that’s holding it up, along with either the blocks under the knees or the strap. If you don’t have extra blankets on hand, you can let your arms rest on the floor. The essential parts for this version of the pose are: the Standard Yoga Bolsters, supported by a Yoga Block; several Yoga Blocks or a Yoga Strap to support the leg position. For more info on setting up this pose, visit this blog.

Supported Upavista Konasana (Seated Angle Pose)

Seated forward bends are inherently relaxing—unless your hamstrings are tight. Seated forward bends are most beneficial when you’re able to rest. When your body is just hanging out in space with no support, the effort to resist gravity actually spends, rather than restores, energy.

A slanted Standard Yoga Bolster can provide support that allows for complete relaxation. Feel free to pile blankets on top of the bolster if it’s not high enough. Also, sitting on an extra folded blanket can help tilt your pelvis forward for a healthier forward bend. If your head doesn’t reach the bolster, even with extra blankets on top, no problem. Simply rest your arms on the bolster. Any support that lessens your resistance to gravity will help you relax. Here’s a post that explains restorative forward bends in more detail.

Supported Savasana (Corpse Pose)

Many people need extra support when lying supine. The right support under the knees can make the difference between a restless Savasana and a peaceful one. There are many ways to create this support, of course. But I have a crush on this way of setting up that I learned the last time I studied restorative practice with Judith Lasater. I like it because the legs are supported evenly. There’s no part of the leg that’s pressing too firmly into the bolster or blanket. All you need for this is a Standard Yoga Bolster, a Yoga Block and a rolled-up blanket or Pranayama Bolster (as shown in the photo). If you want more detail, read this post.

Note that while there are plenty of poses that utilize a bolster lying flat on the floor, the three I’ve chosen all employ a ”bolstered” bolster. By that, I mean the Standard Yoga Bolster is slanted using the support of a block underneath. Hugger Mugger’s bolsters are uniquely suited for these poses because of their solid core that doesn’t collapse when you slant them over a block.

Whenever I ask my students to go get a Yoga Bolster, the happiness in the room is palpable. They know that yoga bolsters mean they’re going to get to lie down and practice Restorative Yoga. Hugger Mugger yoga bolsters make me happy because I know I can trust them to support students of all body types. I know that these bolsters won’t bend or collapse when we slant them on blocks. This is not the case with other brands.

I sometimes teach workshops and teacher trainings around town. While most of studios stock some Hugger Mugger bolsters, they also have other types as well. If there aren’t enough Hugger Mugger yoga bolsters for everyone to have one, I avoid teaching poses that call for slanted bolsters.

Invariably, when I try to use other types of bolsters on a slant, they collapse under the weight of even the smallest student’s torso. This can be very uncomfortable. Since comfort is key to an effective restorative practice, it’s important that the bolsters we use are up to the task.

Hugger Mugger’s yoga bolsters are designed to be firm overall, but with a soft surface. They are able to hold up to various body types when placed on a slant because they contain a solid foam core. That core is wrapped tightly with soft cotton batting. The bolsters’ innards are then stuffed into an upholstery-grade cover by our team of expert bolster makers. This is why we suggest spot cleaning rather than trying to remove and launder our covers. Our bolsters’ innards are stuffed so tightly into the covers that they’re not easy to replace without the expertise of our bolster makers.

Why Use Slanted Yoga Bolsters?

We use slanted yoga bolsters in a variety of poses. The most common uses are in Supta Virasana (Supine Hero’s Pose) and Supta Baddhakonasana (Supine Bound Angle Pose). Most people are unable to lie flat on the floor in Supta Virasana without compromising their knees and/or lumbar spine. Lying on slanted yoga bolsters in these poses allows more people to access the benefits of these poses without risking injury.

Even students who lie flat on the floor easily can benefit from lying on slanted yoga bolsters in these poses. If the point of Restorative Yoga is to be as comfortable and supported as possible, slanted yoga bolsters are the key.

There are other poses where certain students benefit from lying on slanted yoga bolsters. For example, several of my students have significant scoliosis (lateral curves in their spines). They simply don’t find Supported Matsyasana (Fish Pose) on blocks comfortable. Another student has a hyperkyphosis (pronounced thoracic curve). Yet another has trouble breathing when she lies flat on the floor. For all these students, a slanted bolster allows them to experience the benefits of poses they’d otherwise not be able to practice.

Which Types of Bolsters Work Best on a Slant?

Most people choose Standard Yoga Bolsters when they want bolsters that can be easily used on a slant. The wide, flat surface provides the most support when placed on blocks. That said, Junior Yoga Bolsters have their fans too. Their narrower width allows for more chest expansion.

Hugger Mugger’s yoga bolsters are worth the investment. They are firm, comfortable and built to last. (I still use bolsters I bought from Hugger Mugger 25 years ago!) Here’s a post that provides info on how to choose the best yoga bolster for your practice.

Forward bends are some of yoga’s most common, and iconic, poses. You can practice forward bends from standing, sitting or even lying down. Forward bends promote lengthening in the muscles of the back, hips and hamstrings. Keeping muscles of the back, hips and hamstrings supple can also be healthy for your spine. Relaxed muscles in the hips and hamstrings help you maintain your spine’s natural “S” curves. Tight hamstrings can position the pelvis so that the tailbone is tucked under, a recipe for lumbar disc problems down the road. Practicing seated forward bends with a Yoga Bolster can help promote a healthy spine and calm mind.

It’s important that we maintain continuity between the pelvis and spine while we bend forward. As a general rule of thumb, the pelvis and spine should move together, both to foster continuity and protect the discs, but also to keep the sacroiliac joint in its most stable position.

In seated forward bends, sitting on a Yoga Blanket to encourage forward movement in the pelvis and bending your knees slightly can help keep your pelvis and spine moving together. But using a Yoga Bolster in addition to sitting on a blanket can help us maintain spinal integrity while we bend forward.

Using a Yoga Bolster can also promote another of the benefits of forward bends: calming the mind. When your body is supported with a bolster, you can let go of struggle and allow your body to soften. This helps to calm your mind.

Here are two ways to bolster your forward bends:

Paschimottanasana (Seated Forward Bend): Place a Pranayama Yoga Bolster Under Your Knees

Pranayama Yoga Bolsters are not just for pranayama. They are the perfect size to support your knees in seated forward bends as well.

Their benefits are twofold: First, bending your knees and resting them on a pranayama bolster makes it easier to bend from the pelvis and protect your spine.

Second, people often feel intense stretch in the ligaments and tendons behind their knees when they’re forward bending with their knees straight. Ligaments and tendons are not meant to be stretched excessively because they do not have the “memory”—the ability to resume their original length—that muscles do. (This is why once you’ve sprained your ankle, it’s never as stable as it was before.) Placing a Pranayama Yoga Bolster under your knees takes the stretch out of the ligaments and tendons and focuses it into the hamstrings instead.

Paschimottanasana with a Pranayama Bolster

1. Sit in Dandasana (Staff Pose) with your legs outstretched and parallel on a nonskid Yoga Mat.
2. Fold a yoga blanket so that it’s about three inches thick. Sit on the blanket so that your pelvis is on the edge and your legs are on the floor. If you feel your pelvis tilting back and your lumbar vertebrae poking out in back, fold another blanket and place it under your pelvis.
3. Place a pranayama bolster under your knees.
4. To move into the forward bend, tip your pelvic rim forward and lengthen your front body. In other words, lead the forward bend with your pelvis. Keep your spine long as you come forward. It’s okay to gently flex your spine once your pelvis is tipped forward.
5. Stay for 5 to 10 deep breaths, allowing your torso to oscillate as you breathe. Check your arms and shoulders. Are you tensing there? How about your facial muscles and throat? Relax where you can. On an inhalation, come up out of the forward bend.

Upavista Konasana (Wide-Legged Seated Forward Bend): Relax with a Slanted Yoga Bolster

Even though forward bends are said to be relaxing, they’re not so relaxing when your body is struggling against gravity and hanging out in space. Placing a slanted Standard Yoga Bolster under your torso allows you to let go of the struggle and settle into gravity.

1. Sit on a yoga mat in Upavista Konasana.
2. Place a Yoga Block a few feet in front of you at its medium height with the wide side facing you.
3. Place a Standard Yoga Bolster on the mat in front of you so that the far end is resting on the block and the end closest to you is a few inches away from your hips. The bolster should be slanted upward, away from your body.
4. On an exhalation, relax forward onto the bolster. Depending on the flexibility of your hamstrings, you may be able to rest your entire torso on the bolster, including your forehead. If your hamstrings are on the tighter side, clasp opposite elbows and rest your forearms on the bolster. Either way, relax your head and neck and let your weight settle onto the bolster as much as possible. You can place an extra thickly folded blanket or a yoga block under your forehead if you like.
5. Take 5 to 10 deep breaths here. Or if you’re very comfortable and want to make this a Restorative yoga experience, relax here for several minutes,
6. On an inhalation, lift your torso off the bolster. Take a few easy breaths before shifting out of the pose.

Sometimes it can be a struggle to step onto your yoga mat. This is especially true if you practice in the evening. After a challenging day, it’s sometimes hard to justify practicing a bunch of sweaty vinyasas. But the good news is, yoga doesn’t have to add to your challenges. Resting in a single Restorative Yoga pose can be a powerful way to balance those jittery and/or flaccid energies. Salamba Setu Bandha Sarvangasana (Supported Bridge Pose) is the perfect pose to calm your nervous system and renew the quiet energy that yoga practice is meant to generate.

Benefits and Contraindications of Supported Bridge Pose

Supported Bridge Pose combines the benefits of backbending with those of Restorative Yoga.

In general, backbends reverse the normal order of things. We spend most of our days bending forward over devices, countertops, steering wheels, etc. This can cause our spine to develop a forward-bending habit that can eventually become frozen if we don’t remember to do the opposite from time to time. Practicing Supported Bridge Pose expands the chest and stretches the hip flexors, which tend to tighten as a result of prolonged sitting.

While active backbends are generally stimulating, Supported Bridge is actually relaxing. When your head is below your heart and your neck is flexed, it triggers a process called the ”baroreflex.” In a nutshell, the baroreflex suppresses the sympathetic (fight-or-flight) side of the autonomic nervous system and shifts you to the parasympathetic (rest-and-digest) side.

Because you can stay longer in a supported version of the pose, the body has a chance to ease into the stretch. This adds to the relaxing effect of the pose.

Contraindications to Supported Bridge Pose include disc problems in your neck and back or knee problems. Because it is a slight inversion, avoid Supported Bridge Pose when you’re on your menstrual period or if you have uncontrolled high blood pressure, glaucoma or detached retina.

How to Practice Bridge with a Bolster

1. Gather your props: a Yoga Mat and a Standard Yoga Bolster.
2. Lie on your mat with your Bolster close by. Place your arms close in to your sides.
3. Bend your elbows and press your upper arms into your mat to help you arch your ribcage up.
4. Straighten your arms out alongside your body, and then press your feet down into the floor. As you plant your feet, stretch your knees out away from your pelvis to lift your hips. For a more detailed description of this instruction, read this blog.
5. Place your bolster crosswise under your pelvis—not your low back. It should be positioned under the sacroiliac (SI) joint.
6. If your knees are uncomfortable, feel free to place a block between your knees and squeeze your knees into the block. For this, you’d want to use the narrowest dimension.
7. Relax your neck, throat and jaw, as well as your facial muscles. Breathe deeply. You can stay here for as little as a minute or two or for longer—up to 15 to 20 minutes—if it’s comfortable.
8. To leave the pose, lift your hips off the bolster. Slide the bolster out from under your pelvis and set it aside. Extend your arms out overhead and slowly roll your spine down onto the floor.
9. Stay here for several breaths, allowing your back body to soften into your mat.

Upward-Facing Dog Pose (Urdhva Mukha Svanasana) is one of the key elements in Sun Salutations (Surya Namaskara). It’s often paired with its littermate Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward-Facing Dog Pose), but it’s a worthy pose in its own right. Downward-Facing Dog Pose may be the better known of the two, but in this post we’ll let its less-famous sibling have its day.

Upward-Facing Dog Pose provides many benefits. Here are a few:

• Strengthens shoulders, arms, hands and wrists
• Counteracts the effects of too much sitting and bending forward
• Can relieve lower back pain
• Energizes the body and mind

Upward-Facing Dog Pose is named for a loyal dog that appears in the Mahabarata. If you’d like to know about the story behind the pose, check out Zo Newell’s article in Yoga International.

Challenges and Solutions for Practicing Upward-Facing Dog Pose

Urdhva Mukha Svanasana is a challenging pose. It strengthens the shoulders, arms, hands and wrists because it challenges them. There’s a tendency to collapse into the shoulders, hands and wrists in the pose. In order to avoid relying too much on these structures, it’s important to engage the rest of the body in the pose as well. The whole body needs to contribute to the lift in the pose. A Standard Yoga Bolster plus a couple Yoga Blocks can be extremely helpful in shifting the work in the pose to the lower body. This relieves pressure on your hands and wrists. I’ll explain how to use these props in the instructions below.

The other physical challenge in Upward-Facing Dog Pose is the tendency to stress the low back. If you practice the pose with your head thrown back so that you’re looking at the sky, you are probably creating extra stress on your back. Keeping your head in a neutral position in this pose helps to support your low back. This is due to the positioning of a small bone in the top of the throat, the hyoid bone. Here’s a post that explains how to use the hyoid bone to support the core in Chaturanga Dandasana (Four-Limbed Staff Pose). You can apply this information to any pose, but for the prone backbends, it’s especially helpful.

Contraindications for Practicing Upward-Facing Dog Pose

Before we dive into practicing the pose, I’d like to share some situations in which it might be best to avoid practicing Urdhva Mukha Svanasana:

• Injuries to your hands, wrists, shoulders or low back
• Second and third trimesters of pregnancy
• Recent abdominal surgery
• If you have a headache, skip practicing this pose.

How to Practice Urdhva Mukha Svanasana with a Yoga Bolster

1. Gather your props: Yoga Mat, two Yoga Blocks, Standard Yoga Bolster.
2. Place your bolster crosswise on your mat about ⅔ of the way toward the “head” end of your mat. Place your blocks, shoulders-width apart, in their lowest setting, directly in front of your bolster.
3. Start in Downward-Facing Dog Pose with your hands on your blocks. You may notice that placing your hands on blocks shifts your weight back into your feet a bit more than usual.
4. Shift your whole body forward and lower your hips onto your bolster. The hipbones should be resting on edge of the bolster.
5. Engage your legs by isometrically lifting them up toward the ceiling. Press your feet down into the floor.
6. Press down into your hands to lift the chest, keeping your elbows bent. Keep your head level, looking straight ahead.
7. Take 5 to 10 deep breaths. Then shift back into Downward-Facing Dog Pose with your hands on your blocks.
8. When you’re ready, release your knees down onto the floor and rest in Balasana (Child’s Pose). You can rest your forearms and forehead on your bolster for extra comfort.

Do you remember your elementary schoolteachers telling your class to rest your heads on your desks? I do. Even though that was a long time ago now, I distinctly remember this as a strategy for giving rowdy kids a minute of calm. Yoga practitioners may not need a time out to quell our rowdiness. But resting our foreheads in poses such as Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward Facing Dog Pose) can help ease stress and calm our busy brains.

Head support in yoga poses is a great way to calm the nervous system. I use Yoga Blocks for head support in forward bends such as Paschimottanasana (Seated Forward Bend), Gomukhasana (Cow Face Pose) and Upavista Konasana (Wide-Legged Forward Bend). When you sequence these poses toward the end of a practice, the head support can help you ease into Savasana (Relaxation Pose) more deeply. Same principle: resting your forehead can calm your mind.

Downward Facing Dog Pose: Old Pose, New Trick

Downward Facing Dog Pose is, in some ways, emblematic of yoga practice these days. Pretty much everybody, whether or not they practice yoga, knows what it looks like. Because of this, it’s often taken for granted. While it may look simple and basic, it’s actually quite complicated.

Adho Mukha Svanasana is simultaneously an inversion, an arm balance, and a forward bend. It opens your shoulders, strengthens your arms, lengthens your spine, stretches your legs, inverts your internal organs and nourishes your brain. It invigorates and calms. For dogs and cats, Dog Pose is the equivalent of a morning cuppa, a remedy that clears sleep-induced physical and mental cobwebs.

With the addition of a Yoga Bolster, you can make your Dog Pose a restorative pose. Supported Downward Facing Dog Pose is a great way to prepare your body for restorative practice. You can use the pose to both nourish and calm your brain in the middle of your work day. Or practice it before bed, to calm and ground your mind and stretch out muscle tension for a restful night’s sleep.

Practice with Care in Dog Pose

Ubiquitous as it is, Downward Facing Dog Pose is not for everyone. If you have any of these conditions, you should avoid practicing the pose:

• Carpal tunnel syndrome
• Glaucoma
• Detached retina
• Uncontrolled high blood pressure
• Disc problems
• Recent eye surgery

How to Practice Supported Downward Facing Dog Pose

1. Gather your props: a Yoga Mat, two Yoga Blocks and a Standard Yoga Bolster.
2. Place your bolster lengthwise at one end of your mat.
3. Come to Bharmanasana (Tabletop Pose) in the center of your mat. Place your palms under your shoulders and scoot your knees back a tiny bit so that they’re slightly behind your hip joints.
4. Turn your toes under and lift up into Downward Facing Dog Pose, lifting your ischial tuberosities (aka “sit bones”) up toward the ceiling. Do not try to ground your heels unless you can do so without rounding your low back.
5. Place your forehead on your bolster. You may need to adjust the bolster forward or back in order for your head and neck to feel comfortable.
6. If your head doesn’t reach the bolster, return to Tabletop Pose and place two yoga blocks, at their lowest height under each end of your bolster. Then return to the pose.
7. Allow your forehead to soften into the bolster.
8. Stay for 5 to 10 deep breaths, relaxing on each exhalation.
9. When you are ready to leave the pose, bend your knees and stretch back into Balasana (Child’s Pose) for a few breaths.

Restorative Yoga is a form of “power yoga.” It doesn’t look anything like what we usually call “Power Yoga,” but it’s nonetheless a powerful practice. The Yoga Sutras define yoga as “the settling of the mind into silence.” This is exactly what Restorative Yoga can do. When our support our bodies with props, we don’t have to expend effort. This means we can stay in poses for a longer period of time. The longer period of time, along with the ease of prop support, allows our minds to quiet. Instead of spending energy, we begin to accrue energy. There’s nothing better than Yoga Bolsters to provide the support you need to restore your energy.

Restorative practice does require some tools. Total support means a fair number of props. In addition to your yoga mat, here are some props that will make your practice more comfortable:

• Yoga Bolster: Standard, Round or Junior – Here’s a post on how to choose the right bolster for your practice.
• Yoga Blankets: Have at least two, if not more, on hand.
• Yoga Blocks: Two blocks should do it. Here’s how to choose the best blocks for your practice.
• Yoga Strap: I’d go with an 8-foot or 10-foot strap. These lengths are the most versatile.
• Eye Pillow: The finishing touch. Read this post for more info.

This may seem like a lot. But remember that these props are useful in your regular asana practice as well. Second, Hugger Mugger’s props are made to last. You’ll be able to use these props for many years to come. Think of it as a long-term investment—in your own health and well-being.

How to Use Your Yoga Bolsters

The photo at the top of this post shows just one way to use each of the different bolster types. We’ll start on the left.

Round Yoga Bolster: Round yoga bolsters are ideal for supporting your legs in Savasana (Relaxation Pose). The round profile creates a gentle slope that supports your thighs and calves. Here’s another great pose that uses a Round bolster.

Junior Yoga Bolster: Junior yoga bolsters are slightly narrower than Standard bolsters. So if you want to lie on a bolster for chest-expansion, to counter “computer hunch,” a Junior bolster is really effective. This post offers some more uses for Junior bolsters.

Standard Yoga Bolster: The classic. The Standard bolster, with its flat surface, is the most versatile of the bunch. Much of Restorative Yoga practice has been developed around this design. The flat surface lends stability and overall support. The photo shows Supta Baddhakonasana (Reclining Bound Angle Pose) with the bolster on a slant. Hugger Mugger’s bolsters are firm enough to support with a block without collapsing. Its uses are many. Look in the “Yoga & Meditation Products” section of this blog for more ideas.

All of Hugger Mugger’s yoga bolsters are handmade in our Salt Lake City-based manufacturing facility. After more than 35 years of manufacturing bolsters, Hugger Mugger has developed the perfect formula that balances firmness and softness.

If your idea of Restorative Yoga comes only from photos you’ve seen of it—looks boring, you might say—your view is likely not accurate. While it’s true that Restorative Yoga does involve lying around on blankets and a yoga bolster for long periods of time, it’s anything but boring. Setting your body up in supported positions that you can then hold for long periods requires knowledge, body awareness and a pile of props. The results can be profound.

Restorative Yoga practitioners know its powers well. Restorative practice provides something we all could use in our non-stop lives—deep rest. It is both relaxing and regenerative. Deep rest is not the same as sleep, even though sleep sometimes happens in practice. In Restorative practice, our bodies rest deeply, creating an environment of ease for our minds. We come out of practice refreshed and renewed.

Tools for the Journey

Restorative Yoga is prop intensive. While I’ve taught Restorative classes in situations where only a blanket or two were available to each student, it’s not ideal. The collective where I teach is fully outfitted with everything we need for a Restorative class of 20 people. In other words, there are enough props for everyone to have:

• yoga bolster
• 2 firm blankets
• 2 yoga blocks
• yoga strap
• yoga mat

This may seem like a lot of stuff, but all these props are useful in your regular asana practice too!

The Perfect Yoga Bolster

The most essential tool for Restorative practice is a firm yoga bolster. Hugger Mugger began making and selling bolsters more than 30 years ago. Over the years they’ve perfected the process. While you might accuse me of bias for writing this on HM’s blog, it’s really true that their bolsters are the best I’ve used. HM has perfected the process of creating bolsters that provide the perfect balance of firmness and softness. They are soft on the outside, so that they’re easy on your bones. But most important, they are firm enough so that they retain their shape no matter what kind of stressors are placed on them.

1. Supported poses in Restorative Yoga place your body into a specific shape. Sofa cushions, pillows or more pliable (and usually cheaper) bolsters, have too much “give.” They smash down when you sit or lie on them. When this happens, you end up in a collapsed pose instead of the open position that feels so great. (For example, the lateral stretch in the photo directly above wouldn’t happen if you’re on a squishy bolster or pillow.)
2. Many Restorative poses require that the bolster itself be supported, usually slanted on a block or two (as in the photo at the top of this blog). When you rest your body weight onto a flexible yoga bolster or run-of-the-mill cushion, it will collapse downward wherever it’s not being supported by a block. This can be uncomfortable and hard on your back.

3 Yoga Bolster Choices

Standard Bolsters are the most versatile type for Restorative practice. If you’re buying your first yoga bolster and are planning on having only one—for now—the Standard Bolster is the way to go. Round and Junior bolsters can also provide great support in specific situations and for people with varying body types. All of Hugger Mugger’s bolsters are handmade in their Salt Lake City-based facility.

A high-quality yoga bolster is an investment—in your own well-being. And they’re made to last. I still use bolsters I bought from Hugger Mugger decades ago. Give yourself the gift of relaxation time to regenerate your body and mind.