Five Ways to Use a Bolster

A bolster is a firm, weight-bearing support. Its whole function is to take the load a muscle would otherwise carry, so that the muscle can stop working and something else can happen.

That is the test for every use below: if anything is still working, the bolster is in the wrong place or is not tall enough.

1. Under the knees, lying down

The setup: lie on your back, bolster under the knees so they bend twenty to thirty degrees. Blanket under the head.

What it does: with straight legs, the weight and angle of the legs pull the pelvis into a forward tilt and arch the lower back off the floor. Bend the knees and the lower back settles.

Who needs it: anyone whose lower back complains in Savasana, which is a very large number of people. For them this is the difference between ten minutes of rest and ten minutes of endurance.

How long: the whole of Savasana. Ten minutes and up.

2. Under the spine, lengthwise — supported backbend

The setup: sit at one end of the bolster, with your tailbone just off it. Lie back so the bolster runs the length of your spine, from the lower back to the head. The head should be supported by the bolster, not hanging off the end — if the bolster is short, add a folded blanket for the head. Arms open. Legs straight, or knees bent with the soles together.

What it does: a passive backbend held for minutes rather than breaths. It opens the front of the chest and the front of the ribs, and it lets the ribcage expand in a way that a day of sitting has prevented.

Who needs it: everyone who works at a desk. This is the highest-value restorative shape there is and the case for owning a bolster rests largely on it.

How long: five to ten minutes.

Coming out: roll to one side first. Never sit straight up from a supported backbend.

Adjusting the intensity: raise the head end on a block for more, or use a lower-profile bolster for less. A rolled blanket is the mildest version.

3. Under the chest, kneeling — supported child's pose

The setup: kneel with the knees wide and the big toes together. Place the bolster lengthwise between your thighs, one short end near your pelvis. Lie forward over it so it supports your whole torso, and turn your head to one side.

What it does: the torso is fully held, so the back muscles let go completely. The hips open passively. Turning the head releases the neck.

Who needs it: anyone at the end of a hard practice, anyone with an aching lower back, anyone who needs the practice to stop for a few minutes.

How long: three to five minutes, turning the head halfway through so the neck is even.

If the hips do not reach the heels: put a folded blanket between the heels and the buttocks. It should be restful, and it is not restful if you are suspended.

4. Under the hips — supported bridge and inversions

The setup, bridge: lie on your back, knees bent, feet on the floor. Lift the hips and slide the bolster underneath, under the sacrum — the flat bony plate at the back of the pelvis, not the lower back. Rest fully.

What it does: a mild backbend and a very mild inversion, with the whole weight supported. It can be held for five minutes, which a bridge you are holding cannot.

The setup, legs up the wall: bolster a hand's width from the wall, hips on the bolster, legs up the wall. The lift changes the angle and makes it a genuine inversion rather than a resting position.

How long: five to ten minutes for either.

Watch: the bolster must be under the pelvis, not the lumbar spine. If you feel compression in your lower back, it is too high up.

5. Along the side — supported side-lying and supported twist

The setup, twist: lie on your side with the bolster in front of you, running away from your body. Knees bent and stacked, resting on the bolster. Now turn your upper body away from the knees and let the top arm open, keeping the knees on the bolster.

What it does: the bolster stops the knees dropping, which means the pelvis stays put and the twist stays in the mid-back where it belongs. The support also means you can hold it for three minutes rather than thirty seconds.

The setup, side-lying rest: lie on your side with the bolster lengthwise between the knees and ankles, and a blanket under the head. The most comfortable resting position there is, and the alternative to Savasana for anyone who cannot lie on their back.

How long: three to five minutes per side.

Choosing a bolster

The shapes differ in one variable: height, which is intensity.

Round — the tallest and firmest. The most opening in a supported backbend, and the most support in restorative work. Also the least stable underfoot; it can roll.

Rectangular — flat-based, so it never rolls. The most versatile shape, and the one to buy first. Broad enough to support a torso.

Oblong — between the two. Contours to the side body, so it is the best for side-lying work and for anyone who finds a round one too much.

Low and long (pranayama style) — a gentle lift along the whole spine, from tailbone to head. For breath work, for long Savasana, and for anyone who finds a full-height backbend too strong.

Firmness matters more than shape. A bolster that compresses under your weight is not supporting you. Kapok holds its shape well; cotton batting is softer and compacts over time; polyester fill collapses.

Substitutes

Two or three blankets folded and stacked will do most of this, and a firmly rolled blanket does the spine-lengthwise work.

The place substitutes fall short is anything where you are lying with your full weight on the support for five minutes — folded blankets compress and shift, and you spend the pose adjusting rather than resting. That is the case for the real thing.