Improving Core Strength with Yoga: Ardha Navasana

By: Virginia Iversen, M.Ed

The practice of Yoga is becoming more and more well known. Over the past few decades, the popularity and accessibility of Yoga has increased by leaps and bounds. Yoga studios can be found in almost every town, and most health clubs now offer an assortment of classes to their members. There are even classes offered in schools, hospitals and prisons by certified Yoga instructors. If you were to ask the average person walking down the street what the main benefits of the practice are, they would most likely answer “ relaxation and flexibility.” However, the benefits of Yoga extend far beyond relaxation and flexibility. 

If you engage in a regular practice of Yoga poses, breathing exercises and meditation at least several times a week, you will most likely experience a buoyant sense of well-being, increased physical strength and a calmer mind. In addition to keeping your muscles limber and pliable, many Yoga poses also help to improve core strength. Some of the most well known asanas for improving core strength are Plank Pose and Boat Pose. In addition, many standing poses and arm balancing asanas also dramatically improve the strength of core abdominal muscles. 

For beginning Yoga students, the practice of Half Boat Pose will help to strengthen the abdominal muscles, so that more advanced postures become more accessible and pleasurable. Half Boat Pose, or Ardha Navasana, is a gentle and effective pose that also helps to strengthen the lower back and arm muscles. The practice of Half Boat Pose is particularly appropriate for students who are new to the Yoga, students who may be recovering from an injury or surgery, and older students who may find the practice of Full Boat Pose to be too arduous. 

The practice of Half Boat Pose is contraindicated in the following situations: pregnancy, menstruation and recent abdominal surgery. Practicing Half Boat Pose can be helpful during the recovery process after abdominal surgery only after a student has recovered from the surgery for some time. If you are teaching a Yoga student who has had abdominal surgery, it is advisable to have your student check with his or her doctor about the appropriateness of practicing abdominal strengthening exercises prior to engaging in Ardha Navasana. 

* Ardha Navasana or Half Boat Pose

Ardha Navasana is usually practiced towards the latter portion of a Yoga class after a full series of Sun Salutations, standing and balancing postures. Some students and teachers like to practice Ardha Navasana prior to back bending poses, while other practitioners prefer to practice this pose prior to inversions and seated forward folds. Half Boat Pose can also be performed as a stand-alone asana for its strengthening benefits. If you find Half Boat Pose to be challenging at first, do not dismay, your core abdominal muscles will become stronger as you continue to practice the posture and in time you will find yourself able to execute more advanced Yoga poses with relative ease. 

When you are ready to practice Half Boat Pose, come to a comfortable seated position on your Yoga mat. With an inhale; raise your bent legs up to chest height with your calves parallel to the mat. Extend your arms out to the sides of your knees with your palms facing each other and your arms parallel to the mat. Continue to breath as you balance the weight of your body directly on your sacrum. This action of finding the point of balance in this pose will help to increase your body’s somatic awareness and improve your ability to balance in more strenuous Yoga postures. Hold Half Boat Pose for three to five breaths, and then release. Repeat two more times. 

If you are recovering from recent abdominal surgery or an injury and Half Boat Pose proves to be too challenging at first, there are a number of modifications you can employ. To ease into the posture, try holding the back of your thighs with your hands, instead of fully extending your arms. This will lessen the abdominal intensity of the asana. Alternately, you may find that placing your hands behind your hips on the Yoga mat will give you enough support to ease your way into the full practice of Ardha Navasana.

© Copyright 2014 – Virginia Iversen / Aura Wellness Center – Publications Division