Strengthen your back, core, and more with Boat Pose! Here’s how to do it – plus a quick video tutorial that makes it a bit easier…

Boat Pose (Paripurna Navasana) is a great core-strengthening exercise, and it also helps to improve posture, strengthens the back and the hip flexors, and is thought to stimulate digestion and relieve stress.

While it is often considered a basic yoga pose, Boat Pose can be quite challenging for those with weak core muscles, which is why I consider it more of an intermediate-level pose.

If you have neck injuries, you can perform this pose close to a wall and use the wall to help support the back of your head. If you have weak core muscles or lower back problems, strengthen your core first by practicing with a chair as described in the “Beginners Tips” here until you feel strong enough to do the full pose or a variation. Pregnant women should probably skip this one.

Here’s how to do Boat Pose, from EkhartYoga.com:

• Sit with your knees bent, feet on floor, hands behind you, fingers pointing towards the feet.
• Lengthen the spine, draw the belly in and widen the collar bones to open the chest.
• Lean back on the tripod between sit bones and sacrum and lift your feet off the floor, bringing the shins level with the floor.
• Maintaining the lift through the spine and keep the chest open, arms extend to the front parallel to the floor.
• When possible straighten the legs out, still keeping the lift through the spine.
• Stay for 2-5 breaths, work up to 10 breaths.

Watch this tutorial for some more guidance: