Restorative yoga is just that: a practice aimed at restoring your body through a more meditative, restful, and breath-focused practice. Yoga pillows are designed to help you get the most out of it.

“Yoga bolsters are used most often for yin yoga and restorative yoga to support the body in different poses,” explains Tiffany Cruikshank, founder of Yoga Medicine. “These props are usually used to fill the space between you and the floor so maintaining their shape is especially important if you have limited mobility.”

She notes that yoga pillows are “meant to be both supportive while at the same time soft enough to be comfortable.” To that end, she says the most important feature to look for is a dense and firm pillow. “These props can get softer and more flimsy over time so the more dense they are, the better they will stand the test of time,” she says.

How to shop for yoga pillows

YogaRenew yoga director Kate Lombardo explains that there are generally two types of yoga pillows on the market: meditation pillows and bolsters.

“Meditation pillows are cushions meant to provide comfort and support while seated during meditation during a yoga class or stand-alone meditation practice,” she explains. “A bolster is a yoga pillow that is used during yoga classes to help provide support and modifications in poses.”

Among these two main categories, Lombardo recommends seeking a yoga pillow that’s the right shape for your intended purpose. “Usually, meditation pillows are circular in shape, which makes them ideal for sitting on during meditation,” she says. “Whereas bolsters are typically longer and thinner, which allows you to lay on top of them while ensuring they fully support your spine, almost like a body pillow.”

Here, we rounded up the best yoga pillows on the market according to a range of expert yoga practitioners and instructors.