intermediate · Navasana
Boat Pose
Navasana
Animated Boat Pose
Scroll to move from a neutral stand into Boat Pose. With reduced motion, the final shape stays still.
Alignment cues
- Sit with knees bent and feet on the floor
- Lean back slightly and lift both shins parallel to the floor
- Extend arms forward parallel to the floor alongside the legs
- Balance on the sitting bones without collapsing the chest
- Keep the chin level and breath steady
Variants
- Feet on floor. Keep toes down and lift the chest while building the shape
- Hands behind hips. Support the lean with fingertips on the mat
Boat pose (navasana)
Navasana balances on the sitting bones with shins lifted, torso leaned back, and arms reaching forward parallel to the legs.
Why it helps
NCCIH reports yoga is generally safe for healthy people under qualified instruction; that summary is about yoga broadly (Yoga: Effectiveness and Safety (NCCIH)).
How to do it well
Sit tall, bend knees, and set feet flat. Tip onto the sitting bones, lift shins to knee height, and reach arms forward with palms facing each other. Keep the heart lifted so the spine stays long rather than rounded. Keep breathing steadily while the legs stay lifted.
A common mistake and how to scale it
A common mistake is tipping back enough that the low back rounds and the feet droop below the knees. Scale by keeping toes on the floor or fingertips behind the hips until the chest stays proud and the shins stay level.
When to use caution
Pause navasana when seated flexion aggravates lumbar spine disease, and talk with a clinician first if severe high blood pressure is part of your history (Yoga: Effectiveness and Safety (NCCIH)).
Practice with the atlas
Hold for three breaths, lower feet, and rest in staff pose before the next core shape.