Yoga

Boat Pose: Set Sail For a Stronger Upper Body and Lower Belly

This yoga pose gives new meaning to “float your boat”. Practice the Boat Pose daily and your abs and back will thank you later. Read to learn how.

Boat Pose is well-known for increasing core strength and toning the abdominals. It gets its name from the Sanskrit words, Navasana (NAV-AAHS-uh-nuh). Nava means boat, and asana means posture.

Level of Difficulty: Beginner

Boat Pose benefits

body awareness

Strengthens and tones the back, abdominals, arms, and hip flexors
Stretches hamstrings
Improves digestion
Relieves stress
Stimulates thyroid, prostate, kidneys, and intestines
Increased body awareness

Precautions for Boat Pose

neck injury
Do not practice this yoga pose if you have any of the following conditions:

Low blood pressure
Heart problems
Asthma uncontrolled by medication
Severe headache or migraine
Spinal disorders, current or in the recent past
Neck injuries
Pregnant women
Women who are on the first two days of their menstrual cycle
Diarrhea

Prep poses

yoga mat

Boat Pose step-by-step instructions

full boat pose

Lie on your back with your legs and feet together and arms by your sides, palms facing upward.
*You can also begin this posture in a seated position with the legs outstretched*
Take a deep breath in and as you exhale, lift your chest, legs, and arms off of the ground, stretching your arms toward your feet, parallel to the floor. See if you can position your thighs at a 45-degree angle to the floor, sitting in a V-shape or an upside-down capital A.
Contract your abdominal muscles and find a balancing point around the base of your spine and sit bones. Keep breathing deeply while maintaining the pose.
Hold this posture for 10-20 seconds. As you practice, you can gradually increase the time to 1 minute.
On an exhale, release your arms, and legs, and head back down to the floor. You can relax here with your legs straight or bend your knees to your abdominal muscles and chest giving your knees a hug for a few breaths.

Boat Pose modifications and variations

half boat pose
To modify: Feel free to keep the knees bent. If needed, hold onto the back of your knees for extra support and balance.
For an added challenge: Try doing ‘boat crunches.’ On an exhale, lower your legs and arms so they are just hovering above the ground, and then come back up into the Boat on the inhale. This is one repetition. Complete 5-10 repetitions and then rest flat on the ground or hug your knees into your chest.

Follow-up poses

plow pose

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