Boat Pose: How To Do the Boat Pose Effectively
Many yoga poses will help build core strength and overall body awareness, including the boat pose. So if you need a challenging pose to add to your routine, the boat yoga pose should be on your list.
There are several ways you can make the boat pose easier or more challenging, depending on your fitness goals. This guide covers this yoga movement, how to execute it effectively, the many modifications, and its benefits.
What Is the Boat Yoga Pose?
The boat pose, also known as Paripurna Navasana, meaning full boat posture in Sanskrit, is a seated floor pose that works more muscle groups than you think. This isometric exercise is where muscles contract and you hold still to build strength.
Some individuals will recognize it as the V-sit, where you balance on sit bones with your legs extended up and arm out to create an upside-down A.
How To Execute the Boat Pose Effectively
It’s simple to perform a boat pose when you follow these steps. So, remember that with practice, this pose will become easier to execute. Start off slow and maintain proper form to avoid any possible injuries.
Step 1: Get Into Position
Start by sitting comfortably on the floor on a yoga mat. Next, sit upright, bend your knees, and place your feet flat on the mat in front of you.
Step 2: Lean Back and Find Your Balance
Take a deep breath, and lean back slightly, keeping a straight back. Be sure to tuck your tailbone under and find your balance on your sit bones. Engage your buttocks for stability and find your comfortable spot before moving to the next step.
You should feel stable as you lift your sternum bone to the ceiling and open your chest. If you need to, you can place your hands at your sides behind your hips to help you find your balance.
Step 3: Exhale, Lift, and Extend Your Legs and Arms
Next, exhale, lift your feet up from the floor, and maintain your balance while you start to extend your legs as straight as possible.
Your body may resemble a V-shape at a 45° angle, but it’s ok if it doesn’t “look perfect.” Roll your shoulders back, spread the shoulder blades, and extend your arms straight out in front, reaching for your legs. This position should mimic an upside-down letter A. Your hands should align parallel to the floor and remain outside the knees.
Boat Pose Adjustments
If you are just beginning or have limiting conditions, there are adjustments you can make. Alternatively, some alternatives can make this movement more difficult to present a more significant challenge.
For example, if you cannot keep your legs straight and up toward the ceiling, you can keep your feet flat on the floor to ensure your back position is correct as you build more strength. This alternative is for beginners as they explore yoga for the first time or while recovering from an injury.
Another adjustment, if you cannot straighten your legs, is to bend them at the knees keeping your shins parallel to the floor. This adjustment is perfect for individuals who aren't flexible enough to straighten their legs during the boat pose. You can also lift one leg at a time, keeping the other foot on the floor, to build strength.
If you can straighten the legs but cannot keep them steady, you can try another simple alternative. This adjustment allows you to hold the legs steady at your thighs with your hands until you develop more muscle strength to execute this pose without assistance.
If you’d like to make it more challenging, You can include a yoga block between the thighs for more intense movement. This addition helps isolate the hamstrings and inner thighs for a more complex exercise.
If you are a chair user or need additional support, boat pose can be done in a chair as well! Even better, you have the back of your chair for support.
Step 4: Hold Steady
Try to regulate your breathing as you hold the pose steady. Ensure you keep your chest up, your chin level, and your gaze forward to your toes. You can maintain this pose for 20 seconds, then slowly work up to one minute to help build your core strength.
Step 5: Finish the Pose
When you are ready to finish the pose, you can release your legs and arms on an exhale. After that, you can rest, then repeat the pose as necessary.
The Benefits of the Boat Pose
Yoga has several benefits, including improving circulation, flexibility, and muscle strength. In addition, specific poses can target main muscle groups to help improve balance and overall fitness.
The boat pose has several benefits for the body, including:
Activates the kidneys and thyroid
Stimulates the intestines and aids digestion
Balance
Core strength
Coordination
Enhances focus
Improves overall range of motion
It helps to relieve stress
Strengthen the torso
Stretching the hamstrings
Strengthen the hip flexors
Tips for Performing the Boat Pose
At Yoga for All Humans, you may notice that we try to avoid saying that there is a “correct” way to do a yoga pose. This is because everyone’s body is different and unique. However, following one or more of these helpful tips will protect you from injury and help you see the many benefits the boat pose can bring.
Ensure you don’t round your spine. Keep your back straight throughout the movement. You will lift the chin and align the spine by focusing your eyes forward and up to your toes.
If you find your chin curling towards your chest, open your heart to the sky and lift with your breastbone.
Some individuals use a strap looped around the feet to push against it as they extend their legs.
If you find your back rounding when extending your legs, try using an adjusted pose until you can keep a straight back while performing this movement.
Trying the Boat Pose Yourself
Yoga For All Humans believes everyone should be able to participate in yoga, regardless of fitness level or experience. So, if you are ready to try out the boat pose, you can explore the online yoga classes with YFAH.
As a virtual yoga studio, Yoga For All Humans aims to bring the healing benefits of yoga to everyone, regardless of financial situation or physical skill.
Author - Derek Haigler
Founder of Yoga for All Humans