Boat Pose (Navasana)

What is Boat Pose (Navasana)?

Navasana, also known as the Boat position (from the Sanskrit words nava, which means “boat,” and asana, which means “pose”), is a fundamental yoga practice that increases focus, balance, and core strength. This pose is frequently performed as part of a yoga sequence to improve general endurance, spinal stability, and abdominal strength.

This position for the boat can clear up a lot of physical misunderstandings. Naukasana strengthens the lungs, liver, and pancreas. It improves blood circulation and helps to maintain blood sugar levels. It increases blood circulation and oxygen around the belly and significantly speeds up the process of lowering the back at a time. Naukasana is beneficial for people who would like to tone their abs and lose belly fat.

Which muscles are used in the Boat pose?

• Rectus abdominis
• transverse abdominis
• erector spinae
• Quadriceps
• Hip flexors
• Hamstrings
• Upper back and neck muscles
• Biceps
• Triceps Brachii

What Health Benefits Does Boat Pose Provide?

• Helps in digestion. The diaphragm is lifted during boat posture, which encourages more airflow through the abdomen and energizes the internal organs. By reducing the workload on the stomach and liver, this airflow can aid in digestion.
• Makes the torso stronger. The boat position strengthens your hip flexors and adductor muscles, which improves hip extension, while also raising your chest while activating your core muscles.
• Hamstrings are stretched. Boat posture can aid in relieving hamstring strain, which can restrict the range of motion or even be harmful.
• Tone and Energise Abdominal Organs: When you come out of Naukasana, your abdominal organs align, stretch, and relax, which helps to reduce belly fat. The digesting, absorption, and transport functions feel better when the gastrointestinal organs are healing. In addition to maintaining a strong metabolism, Naukasana’s healthy digestion aids in reducing acidity and constipation.
• Iliopsoas Muscle Redevelopment: Aspected by the Psoas and Iliacus, the Iliopsoas muscle is the strongest hip flexor. This muscle determines the purpose of standing, running, and walking.

Which positions are necessary to prepare for boat pose?

Adho mukha svanasana, Uttanasana

How Should to Perform Boat Pose, or Naukasana?

• You can begin the boat pose seated on the floor or supine. Starting in a supine position is more difficult.
• If you’re starting from a seated position, sit with your legs straight and your knees slightly bent.
• Take a deep breath, tighten your back muscles, lean back slightly, and elevate your legs till they are at a 45-degree angle with the floor to balance on your tailbone.
• Raise your toes towards your forehead while keeping your back straight to straighten your legs. Maintain your shins parallel to the floor if this is too difficult.
• Maintain your arms parallel to the floor, palms facing inward, and your chest relaxed.
• The duration of this position is 10–20 seconds.

Boat Pose (Navasana) Video

Which Boat Pose Tips Are Best for Beginners?

• Imagine pulling your lower abdomen in and upward by zipping up a tight pair of jeans and then pressing the button.
• You can keep your hands behind your knees instead of moving your arms parallel.
• You might use a block between your inner thighs to help develop those muscles.
• To finish the Boat Pose, reach out and wrap a strap around the bottoms of your feet. Long-term stance maintenance is also made possible by this support.

What are Boat Pose Follow-Up Pose?

Utkatasana, Adho mukha svanasana, Halasana, Sirsasana, Shalabhasana, Bhujangasana, Dhanurasana, and Baddha Konasana

Which Boat Pose Types Are There?

Three varieties of Naukasana occur.

• Ardh Naukasana (half boat pose)
• Paripurna Naukasana (full boat pose)
• Eka pada Naukasana (One leg boat pose)

Half-boat pose (Ardh Naukasana)

What is Half-boat pose (Ardh Naukasana)?

Ardha navasana, another name for the half-boat position, is a sitting balancing pose that requires a forward bend. The position falls into the middle range due to the level of strength and difficulty required.

The supine position is used in Ardha Asana. It decides to target the abdominal muscles, adductor muscles, and hip flexors. It also strengthens the quadriceps, hamstrings, and spine. It enhances the facilitator’s physical and mental health in addition to providing strength and flexibility.

How to Perform Half Boat Pose (Ardh Naukasana)?

• Sit in dandasana on the floor with your legs straight and out in front of you.
• Place your hands to your knees and push yourself to keep your lower legs parallel to the floor and raise your feet off the ground.
• Using your sitting bones, try to find balance. Raise your arms and release your hands with your fingers indicating forward, keeping the collateral on the ground parallel with the lower legs.
• Hold the pose for 30 to 60 seconds. Keep breathing normally. encourage yourself by relaxing your upper body.
• As opposed to reaching their hands to knee level, mixed-fingered hands bend back and return to the back of the head.
• The legs are then extended gradually forward and rigidly at an angle of 30 to 35 degrees.
• The other steps involved in quitting the position follow the same procedure.

Full boat pose (Paripurna Naukasana)

What is a Full boat pose (Paripurna Naukasana)?

Identifying strength in this posture will help you position and move your body, mind, and emotions even though all the efforts and numerous tasks required. Take a seat on the floor with your legs together, feet flat, and knees bent.

Move your hands slightly behind your hips, elbows bent away from you, fingers raised towards your feet. Elevate your heels one or two inches off the ground and take a mild angle back. The English term “full boat stance” was created because “marijuana” means entire, full, or complete in Sanskrit, “Nava” means boat, and “asana” indicates posture.

How to Perform Full Boat Pose (Paripurna Naukasana)?

• Instead, rise down the top of the sternum and bend back, being cautious not to twist your back. Stability of your weight, which is supported by your sitting and tail bones. Maintaining a bent knee position, raise your thighs 45 degrees off the ground. If at all possible slowly raise your knees until the tips of your toes are just above your eyes.
• If you can’t, keep your knees bent and your ascending collateral to the floor. Keep your spine long and your heart open as you draw your shoulders back and extend both arms forward beside your legs, palms facing in, collateral to the ground.

One leg boat pose (Eka pada Naukasana)

What is One leg boat pose (Eka pada Naukasana)?

Avoid having a large and tight lower abdomen. Instead, keep it flat and hard. Point your toes or flex your heels as you inhale. Maintain the posture for ten to twenty seconds, then progressively extend it to one minute.

Eka pada savasana is a basic sitting position that strengthens the abdominal muscles. Eka means “one,” pada means “foot” or “leg,” nava means “boat,” and asana means “position” or “posture.” These Sanskrit words are the origin of the name.

Eka pada savasana, a pre-savasana stance and a simplified form of savasana, is defined by a “V”-shaped body structure that balances on the buttocks with the arms straight and the legs up. The eka pada form is a one-footed reminder on the floor with the knee bent. In one more leg shape, the bent knee drops to the side. Similar to the hook posture, the grounded leg rises straight for a deeper stretch.

Navasana is a crucial component of Ashtanga yoga’s primary sequence and, because of its mental and physical benefits, is also regarded as essential in other yoga systems. In addition to strengthening the core, the Eka Pada form is known for improving focus and concentration. In along with strengthening the core, the Eka Pada form is known for improving attention and concentration.

The asana is commonly considered a method of initiating the Manipura (solar plexus) chakra due to its focus on the center of the body. The eka pada navasana exercise opens the Manipura chakra, which offers the yogi a sense of strength and energy as well as self-approval. A healthy Manipura chakra makes yogis more self-aware and stimulated.

How to Perform One Leg Boat Pose (Eka pada naukasana)?

• Place the leg down, turn the hip outward, and place it in a half-butterfly posture. If required, balance on your tailbone, gently compress your stomach, raise the leg, and grasp the ankle using your right arm and leg strength.
• There are numerous variations of the One-Legged Half Boat Position in the under-signal and yoga sequences that yoga instructors have introduced, depending on the place in the sequence and the ability level of your students. Start with Dandasana or Staff Position.
• Stretch your right leg forward while seated, then encircle your right thigh with your left foot. Raise the arms above the straight leg like you would on the ground, palms facing everyone.
• Raise the right leg till your gape rests on the big toe, then slowly lean back and press out over the heel.
• To open and lift the chest, pull the arms over the middle of the body and then relax the shoulders away from the ears.
• As much effort should be placed into raising the chest as the legs when holding your breath for two to six breaths.
• Lower the arms and legs slowly to the floor to release.
• On the other side, repeat.

What Modifications and Variations Are There in Boat Pose?

You can alter the starting position to make the boat posture better. You can also alter the ultimate posture by bending your knees to keep your shins parallel to the floor.

To modify this pose and reduce strain, add a ballast or yoga strap. While a hard pillow or ballast behind your back could help you stay balanced and reduce the pressure on your back, a strap can help you maintain your legs in position.

Practicing with these variants can help you understand the form’s foundations. It will be harder and put your talents to the test if you gradually remove the changes.

Contraindications for a boat pose

• Back pain or injury
• Neck pain or injury
• High blood pressure
• Pregnancy
• Menstruation
• Hernia
• Asthma
• Recent abdominal surgery
• Headache or migraine

Summary

Navasana, also known as Boat Pose, is a potent yoga pose that strengthens the core and improves stability, balance, and concentration. It strengthens the hip flexors, works the abdominal muscles, and enhances spinal health. Frequent Navasana practice strengthens the body, increases stamina, and grows mental strength.

Practice with appropriate position, regulated breathing, and progressive progression to get the most out of it. In yoga, Navasana is a crucial pose for building core strength and general body awareness, whether it is performed statically or as part of a dynamic flow.

FAQs

References

• EkhartYoga. (2021a, March 4). How to do Boat Pose or Navasana – Ekhart Yoga. Ekhart Yoga. https://www.ekhartyoga.com/resources/yoga-poses/boat-pose
• Navasana Yoga  (Boat Pose) | Yoga Sequences, Benefits, Variations, and Sanskrit Pronunciation | Tummee.com. (2018, February 12). Tummee.com. https://www.tummee.com/yoga-poses/boat-poseCopy
• Smith, L. (2024, August 16). Yoga How-To: The Boat Pose. WebMD. https://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/yoga-how-to-the-boat-pose
• Sorathiya, D. (2024b, October 10). Naukasana: Health Benefits, How to do?- Variations. Mobile Physiotherapy Clinic. https://mobilephysiotherapyclinic.in/naukasana-yoga-pose/