Boat Pose

Boat Pose: Step-by-Step Instructions

Paripurna Navasana, also known as "Boat Pose," tones your abdominal, hip flexor and lower back muscles simultaneously while you balance on your sitting bones and tailbone. It is one of the most effective seated yoga postures for building core strength and improving balance.

Paripurna Navasana

(Pronounced as "par-ee-POOR-nah NAH-VAHS-anna")

Detail	Description
Sanskrit Name	Paripurna Navasana
Meaning	Paripurna = "full or complete"; Nava = "boat"
Visual Cue	Body takes the shape of a boat with arms representing the oars

Paripurna means "full or complete," and nava means "boat." Your body takes the shape of a boat with your arms representing the oars that row it.

How to do Boat Pose

Follow these step-by-step instructions to safely enter and hold Boat Pose with proper alignment.

Step	Key Action	Focus Area
1	Sit with legs extended, press palms by hips, lengthen torso	Posture setup
2	Lean back onto sitting bones, bend knees, thighs at 45°	Core engagement
3	Straighten legs, raise ankles to eye level	Balance and leg strength
4	Lift arms to shoulder level, reach forward	Upper body integration
5	Hold 10 seconds to 1 minute, then release	Endurance and breathing

Step One:

Take a seat on your yoga mat with your legs stretched out straight in front of you. Press your palms into the floor by the sides of your hips as if you are about to push your buttocks up off of the floor.

Your fingers should point forward. Inhale as you stretch your chest up and keep your arms straight. Feel your whole torso lengthen upward.

Step Two:

Keeping your back and arms straight at all times, tighten your stomach muscles and exhale as you start to lean back.

Press your palms down at your sides for extra support as you bend your knees and lean back to put all of your weight onto your sitting bones and tailbone.

Your thighs should be at a 45 degree angle above the floor. Keep lifting your chest up and pull your bellybutton in toward your spine.

Step Three:

If you can go further, gradually stay balanced on your sitting bones as you straighten your knees and point your toes. Try to hold your ankles up at the same level as your eyes and tighten your thighs to help support yourself.

Step Four:

Without disturbing the position of your legs or your balance, hold your back straight as you lift up your straightened arms to the level of your shoulders.

Do not grab your legs. Instead, reach forward through your fingers into the air as if you are about to grab something a small distance away from you.

If you can't maintain your balance while lifting the arms, you can keep pressing your palms into the floor next to your hips.

Step Five:

Keep breathing as you hold the pose for at least 10 seconds, and you can gradually increase the hold up to one minute. Lift yourself up and hold the back straight by pressing your sitting bones down further into your yoga mat.

Feel your spine lengthening from your tailbone all the way up through your neck, keeping your head and back in perfect alignment.

Breathe out as you lower your legs and return to a relaxed sitting posture.

Beginner's Tip

Boat Pose Information

Here is a quick reference summary for Boat Pose, including level, Sanskrit name, and key cautions.

Detail	Information
Sanskrit Name	Paripurna Navasana
Pose Level	Level 1 (Beginner-Intermediate)
Primary Muscles	Abdominals, hip flexors, lower back
Hold Duration	10 seconds to 1 minute
Key Cautions	Heart conditions, pregnancy, neck injury, migraines

Sanskrit Name

Paripurna Navasana

Pose Level

Level 1

Contraindications and Cautions:

• Breathing Troubles

• Excessive Bowel Movements or Diarrhea

• Migraines

• Heart Conditions

• Insomnia

• Menstruation

• Pregnancy

• Low Blood Pressure

• If you have a neck injury: Sit with a wall behind you as you practice this pose. After leaning your torso back, rest just the back of your head against the wall.

Modifications and Props

To help lift and extend the raised legs, bend your knees and place a yoga strap around your feet. Grab both ends of the strap tightly in your hands. Breathe in as you lean back. Exhale and use the strap to help pull your legs up, pushing your feet against the strap as well.

Deepen the Pose

Full Boat strengthens the deep hip-flexor muscles along with the abdominals. Remember to press these inner-thigh bones down to anchor yourself as you practice this pose.

When you do this correctly, you can keep the lower front belly relaxed while maintaining your balance.

Boat Pose Benefits

Boat Pose offers a range of physical and functional benefits, particularly for core stability and organ health.

Benefit	Description
Core Strength	Strengthens abdominals, hip flexors and lower back muscles
Pain Relief	Reduces lower back pain through strengthened support muscles
Organ Stimulation	Improves circulation in abdominal organs, kidneys, thyroid and reproductive organs
Digestion	Boosts digestive function through abdominal compression
Balance	Improves overall balance and proprioception

• Reduces lower back pain

• Stimulates circulation in the abdominal organs, kidneys, thyroid and reproductive organs

• Strengthens the hip flexors

• Boosts digestion

• Improves overall balance and postural awareness

Boat Pose Variations

Once you are comfortable in Full Boat Pose, try these variations to deepen your practice or modify the intensity.

Variation	Difficulty	Key Difference
Ardha Navasana (Half Boat)	Moderate	Legs lowered, toes at eye level, hands behind head
Low Boat (Hover)	Advanced	Shoulders and legs hover just above the floor
Partnered Boat	Beginner-friendly	Partner supports between shoulder blades for chest lift

Ardha Navasana (pronounced "ARE-dah." Ardha means "half.")

From Full Boat Pose, put your hands together to support the back of your head. As you exhale, lower your legs a little so that your toes are at eye level.

Shift your body weight onto your sacrum while keeping your lower back off of the floor. You can bring your head forward, but try to keep most of your torso fairly straight.

Stretch your elbows out to the sides and hold the pose as long as you can while you keep breathing.

Partnering

Ask a partner to stand behind you. When you lean back, they can bend their knees and press their knees in between your shoulder blades.

This provides extra support to feel how much you need to lift your chest, which is critical to keeping your back straight in this posture.