When it comes to buying a yoga bolster there are a myriad of decisions to make. Size, shape, colour and filling.
Yoga bolsters typically come filled with with a polyester hollow fibre filling, kapok or buckwheat. All of which can have their benefits but to me a buckwheat yoga bolster is king and let’s explore why.
Polyester Hollow Fibre
Polyester hollow fibre is the filling that tends to fill entry level yoga bolsters. It will be the same kind of filling that fills the cushions on your sofa. But that means that it can also have the same problems that your sofa cushions have. Over time and with use it begins to flatten and lose its plumpness, therefore decreasing the amount of support it can give. This tends to be workable around when it is a scatter cushion and can be re-plumped but with a bolster you really want it to remain supportive.
Kapok
Kapok is a natural fibre derived from the seed pod harvested from the Ceiba tree. It has a resemblance similar a fine fluff or teased out wool and is a great eco friendly alternative to the polyester hollow fibre. As this filling is once again a fibre it can have the same sort of problems as the hollow fibre has. The loftiness of this fibre comes from the air space in between the fibres and eventually with time this becomes more compacted and gradually the ability for the fibre to re-plump and regain it’s shape is diminished.
Both of these fillings will help your bolster support you for a certain amount of time but might not necessarily provide the longevity you are after.
This is where buckwheat comes in…
When I started developing yoga bolsters for Yogipod I knew that I wanted our bolsters to be filled with buckwheat. To me it is the most supportive and restful filling for a bolster.
What is buckwheat?
Although yoga bolsters are often described as being filled with buckwheat, the whole truth is that they are filled with the hulls of the buckwheat seed. This hard outer casing breaks open to reveal the seeds and what is left is what goes into bolsters making it a by product of the harvested seed itself.
As the filling is made up of these tiny seed casings rather than a fibre and it’s trapped air the filling is firmer but with an ability to change shape without losing that firmness. There is space for the filling to move around, shift underneath your body and support you fully. This in turn means you are more likely to find a comfortable spot to rest.
Buckwheat hulls are also hypoallergenic which make them a great alternative to fillings such as feathers or down.
The buckwheat hulls in Yogipod bolsters and meditation cushions are organic and filled into the cushion inners right here in the UK. Every inner has a zip on it which means that you can replenish the buckwheat when the durable hulls do eventually begin to lose their sturdiness, increasing the usable life and support of your bolster, it really should last forever.
Why our bolsters are buckwheat filled
For me what makes buckwheat hulls the ultimate filling for yoga bolsters though is there ability to solidly hold shape and the weight they bring to a bolster. Yogipod bolsters weigh almost 4kg and although this might not seem important it’s a really lovely additional element to the practice. Supporting your body on something that feels sturdy helps you to relax more. A heavy bolster also means you can place it onto the body and experience some of the anti anxiety benefits of weighting like those that are experienced with a weighted blanket.
Sounds positively dreamy to me, how about you? I truly believe once you’ve experienced the support of a buckwheat bolster you’ll never go back