Boat Pose

3/1/2021

Boat Pose - Paripurna Navasana

Step by step

Sit with your knees bent, feet on the floor. Place your hands behind your knees, lift the chest, engaging the back muscles as you inhale.
Engage your inner thighs
Draw your lower belly in and up.
Tip back on your sit bones
Raise your feet up to about knee height,.
Splay your toes.
Bring your arms parallel to the floor.
To go further, straighten your legs.
As you settle, make adjustments to optimise your steadiness and ease.
Settle with where you are. Hold it.
As you sense the challenge, reassure the body with your steady breath.
Work up to 10 breaths.
To come out of the pose, on an exhalation bring your feet down, and sit with an erect spine, holding on to your legs for a couple of breaths.

Beginners’ tips

To draw your lower belly in and up, imagine zipping up a tight pair of jeans then closing the button.
You can keep your hands behind the knees instead of bringing your arms parallel.
Try placing a block between your thighs to engage the inner thighs.
For the full Boat Pose you can start with a strap around the soles of your feet to help straighten your legs. You can also hold the pose for longer with this support.

Benefits

Watch out for

Focus equally on keeping your lower belly and your back muscles engaged.
Pay attention to keeping the chest open so you don’t round in your shoulders and upper back.
Keep breathing through the challenge.

Variations

Test your balance – Once you come into the pose start to rock your boat, waving your arms and legs from side to side. Smile!
Try some variations with a block, holding it with a block between your thighs, or holding a block between your hands and then raising your arms for an extra challenge.

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