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Lower back, hips, knees and neck

Navasana: Classic

A strong core-strengthening pose that builds deep abdominal endurance and hip flexor strength, developing the motor control that supports your spine during challenging activities.

Stability / Core20 to 45 seconds
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How to do it

  1. 1

    Sit with your knees bent and your feet flat

    Sit up tall first and take hold behind your thighs. Lift your chest before you go anywhere.

  2. 2

    Lean back until your feet feel light

    Tip back onto the back of your sitting bones, not onto your tailbone, and keep your chest open. Your middle should switch on straight away.

  3. 3

    Lift your feet so your shins are level

    Let go of your thighs if you can and reach your arms forward alongside your knees. Your back stays long and lifted, this is active work throughout.

  4. 4

    Straighten your legs towards a V shape

    Only straighten as far as your chest stays open and your back stays long. If it starts to round, keep the knees bent or rest your toes on the floor.

  5. 5

    Hold for 20 to 45 seconds, then rest and repeat

    Set the feet down between rounds and sit tall again. A shorter hold with a long back beats a long one that collapses.

What to watch for

The lower back sagging into a C shape as the legs straighten. Straight legs are not the goal, an open chest and a long back are, so bend the knees the moment the shape starts to slump.

Ways to adjust it

  • Bent knee
  • Toes floor
  • Reduce hold time

If this one is too much today

Try the gentler version instead. It asks less of you and does much the same work.

Other ways to do this movement

Every version below is the same movement set up differently, so one of them usually suits. See all Boat Pose versions in one place, ordered from gentlest to strongest.

Before you try it

Move within a range that stays comfortable. Stop if this brings on sharp pain, dizziness, or symptoms that travel down an arm or a leg, and speak to a clinician before repeating it.

One movement is a start. A session is the thing.

A few questions about your body and how it is today, and Vinys builds a session around it, including which movements to leave out.

Start your first session

From the clinically authored Vinys movement library.