How to Do the Full Boat Pose in Yoga

Co-authored by Ellen East

Last Updated: November 15, 2025

Performing the Pose

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Modifying the Pose

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Expert Q&A

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Warnings

Full Boat Pose (navasana in Sanskrit) is a great yoga pose for strengthening the abdominal and hip muscles. It is a challenging pose but also a beneficial one, because it builds core strength, stability, and awareness of posture. There are several modifications and variations that can help you work up to the full pose over time.

Part 1

Part 1 of 2:

Performing the Pose

Be sure you have left at least a foot or two of space behind you. Balance your weight between your sitting bones and your tailbone.^{[1]
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^{[2]
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Lift your legs so that your thighs are at about a 45 degree angle to the floor. Lean back so that your torso, too, is at about a 45 degree angle to the floor. The angle between your torso and your legs will be about 90 degrees. Straighten your legs slowly, taking the bend out of the knees to the degree that is possible for you. ^{[3]
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Stretch your arms along your legs, parallel to the floor. Reach out through your fingers. If you can’t do this, hold on to your thighs or rest your hands lightly on the floor by your hips.
- Keep your lower belly flat and firm rather than hard^{[4]
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- Keep your shoulders in a neutral, retracted position. Don’t hunch your shoulders, but think about moving your shoulder blades back and down.
Don’t strain yourself by trying to stay in the pose for too long; stop before you are unable to maintain good form. Try staying in the pose for 1-2 full breaths at first, slowly working up to ten breaths.
Lower your legs slowly to the ground and return to a sitting position. Use your hands on the floor for extra support.

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Part 2

Part 2 of 2:

Modifying the Pose

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Keep your knees bent with your shins parallel to the floor. This is known as “Half Boat Pose,” and makes your abdominal, hip, and thigh muscles do somewhat less work. Keep your back straight, just as in Full Boat Pose.
- This may be an appropriate modification during pregnancy.^{[5]
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Do Boat Pose with a partner. Sit across from your partner, face to face. You should both have your knees bent and your feet resting flat on the floor. Then, rock back on your hips so that your upper body is leaning back slightly and your core is engaged, and wait for your partner to do the same. You and your partner will now both straighten your legs and lift them at a 45° angle so that your feet are touching sole to sole. Reach out and grab hold of each other’s wrists for support.^{[6]
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- This partner pose is a great way to strengthen your core and legs.
Loop the strap around the soles of your feet and hold the ends in your hands. Keep the strap taut as you push your feet firmly against it.^{[7]
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Performing this pose near a wall on which you can rest your head may make it easier to practice this pose if you have a sensitive neck.^{[8]
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Clasp your hands behind your head. Lower your torso and your legs, so that the angle between them is about 45 degrees. This is known as “Low Boat Pose.”
- Try alternating, slowly and with control, between Full and Low Boat Poses, without bringing either your feet or your back fully to the ground. Do this 8-10 times for an excellent, dynamic core workout.^{[9]
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Expert Q&A

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Question

How do you do the row boat pose?

Ellen East
Yoga Instructor
Ellen East is a Certified Yoga Instructor based in Hartwell, Georgia. She has been a yoga practictioner for over 25 years, and owned and operated her own yoga studio, Studio 4 WholeHealth, from 2017 through 2021. She received her 200RYT certification from Yoga Alliance. She became a Certified Health Coach with the Institute for Integrative Nutrition in 2018. Ellen is an entrepreneur, simultaneously pursuing hospitality businesses in tandem with her yoga teaching career. She currently owns and operates The Beacon, a bed and breakfast located on Lake Hartwell in Hartwell, Georgia. She continues to teach, offering yoga classes and events at The Beacon.

Ellen East

Yoga Instructor

Expert Answer

You can do the "row boat" by coming into a half boat, then bringing your knees into your chest and pushing them out again. Repeat 10 times for a great ab workout.

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Warnings

Get advice from your yoga teacher or doctor before trying this pose while pregnant or if you have a neck injury.

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If you feel sharp pain or sudden shortness of breath, come out of the pose. Boat Pose should be challenging and tiring, but not painful or overwhelming.

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