Boat
Ah, Boat pose. That ab firing pose that causes most of you to clench your jaw and hold your breath (but please don’t - keep breathing). Boat pose does work your abdominal muscles to create core strength. A strong core is key not just for this pose. It helps you stand taller, helps prevent injury, and makes you better at other activities outside of yoga. It is also a great precursor to building core strength for inversions.
Boat Pose also strengthens your hip flexors, adductors (groin), and the lower back muscles that support your spine. It offers a mental test, as well. You need to dig deep in Navasana to extend, expand, and open your body while pushing through heat and discomfort. But it’s a pose with enough variations to allow you to find your way to a Boat pose that works for you where you are right now. If you are working on building the core strength to hold the pose with your arms and legs outstretched, try holding on to your legs behind your knees. In time, you’ll find Boat Pose smooth sailing complete with a relaxed jaw and breathing!
Please, before you play with Boat, warm up first. Sun Salutations are a great way to awake the body. Also, targeted ab work before going into Boat will help you find ab engagement easier when moving into the pose. Lay down on your back with bent kness and draw your low abs up and back without allowing your chest or side body to initiate the engagement. Subtle, focused ab work.
Start by sitting on your mat with your knees bent and your feet on the floor. Lift your heels off the floor and press your toes into the floor. Imagine you’re trying to pull your mat toward you with your tiptoes. Feel your hip flexors begin to kick into gear.
As your hip flexors light up, draw your lower belly toward your spine. Lengthen up through your spine and lift your chest.
Keeping your chest lifted and broad, raise your shins until they’re parallel to the floor.
Squeeze your inner legs together to engage your adductors. Can’t quite figure out that inner leg engagement? Place a block in between your inner thighs and squeeze into the block. Reach your arms forward so that they’re parallel to the floor. If you want to challenge yourself, you can reach your arms toward the ceiling. If you are losing ab engagement when you lift your arms, place your hands back on the floor.
Draw your shoulder blades in towards the spine to keep the chest lifted* . Continue to draw your navel up and in*. Lift up out of the low back and sacrum*
Continue working with your knees bent and your shins parallel to the floor. If you can maintain the ab engagement*, chest lift*, and lifting out of the low back* while straightening the legs, then straighten the legs. If you can’t (you are collapsing), then stay with the bent knee version until you have built enough strength in your core to to support straight legs.
After 3-5 breaths in the pose, slowly lower your legs and rest. Repeat 3 to 5 times.
Variations:
Prepare to come into the pose but keep your feet on the ground. If you like, lift one leg at a time. You can keep the lifted leg bent or straighten it. Hold onto the back of your thighs for extra support or bring your hands behind you on the floor. Try transitioning back and forth between legs with your breath, switching legs on an exhalation.
Want to take it up a notch if you have good core engagement? Try doing Boat sitting on a block!