Navasana: Modify Your Boat Pose

A robust core is crucial to so many facets of our every day lives. Tending to our core muscle tissue—the abdominals and again muscle tissue—is core (so to talk) to our yoga asana observe. Yoga’s most iconic stomach strengthener, Boat Pose (Navasana), might be extraordinarily difficult, and sometimes contraindicated for individuals simply beginning out in asana observe. For that purpose, a modified model of Navasana might be a good way to wade into core strengthening.

Advantages of Core Strengthening

Listed below are among the advantages of strengthening your core:

• Promotes wholesome posture
• Improves stability and coordination
• Stabilizes the physique, in order that accidents reminiscent of sprains and strains are much less possible
• Reduces again ache
• Promotes deeper respiration
• Makes on a regular basis actions reminiscent of lifting, rising up from the ground extra easy

After we consider the core, our minds typically go proper to the abdominals. Nevertheless, our again muscle tissue are additionally important gamers in core power. Whereas Navasana is principally an abdominal-strengthening pose, it additionally has a secondary good thing about strengthening the again muscle tissue as nicely. As well as, as a balancing pose, it helps us construct our balancing abilities.

Why Modify Navasana?

Not like the photograph on the prime of this publish, the normal type of Navasana is practiced with straight legs. This model of the pose poses a number of challenges. First, straightening the legs in Navasana requires stretchy hamstrings. A practitioner with tight hamstrings will invariably need to flex their lumbar backbone to an excessive. Second, the additional leverage straight legs exert on the physique may cause pressure.

The third problem applies principally to males. The middle of gravity for a feminine physique is decrease than it’s for a male physique. For most ladies, the middle of gravity is within the pelvis; for males it’s within the low again. Which means the leverage straight legs exert on the physique will make it actually tough for males to seek out stability in Navasana, particularly if it’s coupled with tight hamstrings.

A pair paragraphs in the past, I discussed lumbar spinal flexion (convex curve) in Navasana. Whereas it’s not wholesome to flex the backbone to an excessive in Navasana, a bit of little bit of flexion, in order that the lumbar backbone is straight, is okay. In truth, that small little bit of flexion will allow the abdominals to have interaction a bit greater than if we’re attempting to keep up our lumbar (concave) curve. With a view to keep a concave curve, we now have to stability on the entrance edges of our ischial tuberosities (aka “sitting bones”). Have you ever ever tried that? In my expertise, it’s in no way conducive to balancing.

Methods to Observe Navasana

1. Collect your props: a Yoga Mat is all that’s mandatory.
2. Begin in a seated place within the middle of your mat.
3. Bend your knees and place the soles of your toes in your mat.
4. Place your palms behind you on the ground in order that your torso leans again at a diagonal.
5. Along with your palms nonetheless on the ground, raise your legs. Bend your knees in order that your shins are parallel to the ground. Your weight must be in your glutes. Keep away from attempting to balancing on the ahead fringe of your ischial tuberosities.
6. Take a breath or two on this place. This pose generally is a useful prelude to working towards Navasana. It engages the abdominals with out producing any again pressure.
7. When you really feel prepared, raise your arms up and lengthen them straight ahead at shoulder degree. Your palms can face your legs, or face up or down, relying on what feels finest for you.
8. Take 3 to five, or extra, deep breaths right here.
9. Then launch the pose and relaxation together with your toes on the ground, palms behind you on the ground. Repeat in case you like.

About Charlotte Bell

Charlotte Bell found yoga in 1982 and started educating in 1986. Charlotte is the writer of Aware Yoga, Aware Life: A Information for On a regular basis Observe and Yoga for Meditators, each printed by Rodmell Press. Her third e book is titled Hip-Wholesome Asana: The Yoga Practitioner’s Information to Defending the Hips and Avoiding SI Joint Ache (Shambhala Publications). She writes a month-to-month column for CATALYST Journal and serves as editor for Yoga U On-line. Charlotte is a founding board member for GreenTREE Yoga, a non-profit that brings yoga to underserved populations. A lifelong musician, Charlotte performs oboe and English horn within the Salt Lake Symphony and people sextet Purple Rock Rondo, whose DVD received two Emmy awards.