PHOTOS: RORY EARNSHAW; MODEL: JASON CRANDELL; STYLIST: LYN HEINEKEN; GROOMING: VERONICA SJOEN/ARTIST UNTIEDpose benefits
Relieves bloating
and gas
Strengthens the
abdomen and backcontraindications
Pregnancy
Menstruation
Diarrheapose like Navasana can penetrate beyond
the muscles, nerves, bones, and organs to
your Self—your innermost core.
Navasana is a compact pose that re-
quires you to draw everything into your
center: The abdomen moves toward the
spine, and the spine moves forward to
support the front of the trunk. The shoul-
der blades move down and in toward the
chest, the chest spreads, and both the
arms and the legs stay firm. It’s a lot to
pay attention to, but the integration of
all your body parts in Full Boat Pose will
leave you feeling strong and supple as well
as mentally and emotionally steady.
If your mind begins to wander, the
inner firmness you’ve cultivated will start
to waver, and you’ll lose your balance. So,
to find your in ner core and stability in the
pose—and maintain your focus—keep
your face soft and your breath relaxed.
The idea is that when your brain is tense
and your eyes bulge, your focus becomes
more ex ternal. When you’re mentally
relaxed and your facial features recede,
however, your attention draws inward,
and you can easily find stability again.
Although Navasana will work your
core muscles, it’s no gym crunch. Instead
of bringing your chest and pelvis close
together and shortening the front body,
you’ll pull your ribs away from the
lower back), and it can facilitate smooth
and efficient breathing as you do your
asana practice or go about your day.HALF-MAST
Full Boat Pose is like a balancing version
of Dandasana (Staff Pose), so if you can-
not sit up straight in Dandasana because
of tight hamstrings, you may find it dif-
ficult to bring your legs toward your torso
without rounding your back and sinking
into your chest.
Bending your knees in the first varia-
tion (figure 1) will take your hamstrings
out of the equation, enabling you to prac-
tice the pose without sagging in the spine.
If your abdomen, back, or legs are not yet
strong enough to manage the dynamics of
the full pose, the second variation ( figure
2 ) will show you how to lift your spine
while straightening your legs. Both varia-
tions give you the op portunity to learn
the pose gradually so that you can experi-
ence the dynamics of the back, legs, and
abdomen working together to bring you
into your core.
To do Navasana with bent knees, be -
gin by sitting in Dandasana, and then
place your palms on the floor beside your
hips. Press your thighs down and stretch
your heels away from your pelvis to fully
straighten your legs. Lift your torso away
from the floor and open your chest. Your
back should feel as though it’s moving for-
ward, toward the front of your body. Now
lift the front of your body all the way from
the bottom of your pelvis to the top of
your chest. To create some space between
your torso and legs, press the very tops
of your thighbones into the floor and
lift the bottom of your abdomen up away
from your thighs without leaning on the
back of your buttocks. Lift your rib cage
away from your abdomen and roll your
shoulders back.
Next, bend your knees and place your
feet on the floor. Hold the tops of your
knees with your hands and pull on them
slightly to lift your sternum. Raise your
feet until your shins are parallel to the
floor, and then flex your feet. With your
legs touching and your knees still bent,
bring your thighs closer to your chest and
lift your chest.1
abdomen to lift the chest—all while bal-
ancing on your buttocks. Practice this
pose often, and you’ll discover how to
engage and stretch the abdomen simul-
taneously. Lengthening the front body
like this is an essential action for many
asana and pranayama techniques. It sup-
ports the entire chest cavity (as opposed
to a tight, short front body, which puts
pressure on the lungs, internal organs, andBent knees
support bringing
the thighs and
torso together
with a long spine.abdominals
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