Sit with your knees bent, feet on the floor. Place your hands behind your knees, lift the chest, engaging the back muscles as you inhale
Engage your inner thighs and draw your lower belly in and up
Tip back on the back of your sitting bones and lift your feet up to about knee height, toes spread out
Bring your arms parallel to the floor
To go further, straighten your legs
Stay for 2-5 breaths, work up to 10 breaths
To come out of the pose, on an exhalation bring your feet down, and sit with a straight spine, holding on to your legs for a couple of breaths
Beginners’ tips
To draw your lower belly in and up, imagine zipping up a tight pair of jeans then closing the button
You can keep your hands behind the knees instead of bringing your arms parallel.
Try placing a block between your thighs to engage the inner thighs.
For the full Boat Pose you can start with a strap around the soles of your feet to help straighten your legs. You can also hold the pose for longer with this support.
Benefits
Strengthens core, hip flexors and spine
Improves digestion
Watch out for
Focus equally on keeping your lower belly and your back muscles engaged
Pay attention to keeping the chest open so you don’t round in your shoulders and upper back
Keep breathing through the challenge
Variations
Test your balance – Once you come into the pose start to rock your boat, waving your arms and legs from side to side. Smile!
Try some variations with a block, holding it with a block between your thighs, or holding a block between your hands and then raising your arms for an extra challenge.
