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Practice Difficult Poses With Help From Yoga Bolsters
Yoga Bolsters Are Also A Good Aid For Meditation |
Unlike love, yoga doesn’t have to hurt.
Many people feel a good workout requires some level of pain (no pain, no gain, right?). In yoga, you will encounter a healthy amount of resistance, but not pain, when you practice it correctly. If you experience pain, you may need a little boost.
Enter yoga bolsters, which offers the support you need to comfortably and successfully complete your poses without putting yourself through the wringer or permanently injuring your body. Think of them as a silent partner in your yoga journey, a shoulder to lean on that doesn’t demand a thing in return.
Generally, bolsters are made from cotton. They are similar to pillows, with cushions that are firm yet flexible. They come in a variety of shapes and sizes to fit your yoga needs, and are commonly used in everything from Bikram yoga to prenatal yoga. The most traditional bolster styles include rectangular, cylindrical, zafus (wide, thick and round) and pranayama (a longer, cubelike rectangle).
Yoga bolsters provide a comfortable level of support when it comes to various spinal stretches, meditative poses and postural recuperation. The practice of yoga is at least as much about the journey as it is the result. If you can’t comfortably do a pose on the first try – which isn’t abnormal – a prop such as a bolster can help.
Yoga is highly beneficial to the body, but it’s not magical. One session isn’t going to transform your hamstrings, gluts, abdomen or back. It takes dedication and practice. That means you need to find an effective way perform your poses. Leaning, lying or sitting on yoga bolsters can make difficult poses a more comfortable experience. Yoga should challenge your body, but it should also be enjoyable and relaxing. Bolsters allow you to balance these two goals, all the while developing enough stamina and skill to tackle difficult poses. Think of them as training wheels.
Yoga mats, too, aren’t very forgiving on the knees, butt or back, particularly when they are set on top of a hard surface. Yoga bolsters can provide an extra cushion, allowing you to focus on your workout instead of how much your body aches. The zafu style, especially, is great for meditation since it offers a wider surface and extra thickness. You’re almost floating, making it easier to concentrate and block out your surroundings as you meditate.
With so much variety in shapes and sizes, yoga bolsters exist for every body type and purpose.
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