Boat pose is one of those yoga moves that’s as hard as it looks…if not harder. The exercise—which involves balancing on your butt while you reach your arms forward and extend your legs, all while holding as still as possible—is a serious core challenge. To do it correctly, you need to fire up essentially every muscle in your midsection, plus some in your legs, back, and arms too.
The level of strength needed to pull this off is pretty high, which is why mastering this move is no easy feat. But take the time to do it and you may see some pretty big payoffs, including decreased back pain, stronger hip flexors, and a priceless sense of empowerment.
To that end, we chatted with Candace Harding, PT, DPT, a physical therapist and a registered yoga teacher in Arlington, to learn all you need to know about boat pose. From which muscles it works, to its awesome benefits, what makes it so damn hard, common form errors to avoid, and step-by-step instructions for doing it properly (plus a more beginner-friendly modification), here’s your complete guide to boat pose.
What muscles does boat pose work?
People tend to think of boat pose as a core exercise, Dr. Harding tells SELF. And they’re not wrong: To get into the posture, you need to fire up your rectus abdominis (frontside abs), she explains. Then, once you’re there, you need the strength of all your abdominal muscles to hold steady, including the obliques (muscles on the sides of your torso) and transverse abdominis (deep core muscle that wraps around your spine and sides), Dr. Harding says.
But there are more muscles at work too. Your hip flexors—specifically the psoas major and iliacus (which bring your thighs closer to your body)—are firing to keep your legs hoisted and hold your torso in that upright position, Dr. Harding says. At the same time, players in your back—including the erector spinae (muscles that help arch your spine) and lats (biggest back muscle)—are pitching in to help you maintain an upright posture through your spine, she adds. And while it’s definitely not an arms exercise, those muscles are peeking into the party, too, since traditional boat pose has you holding them out straight in front of you, Dr. Harding says.
What are the benefits of boat pose?
Given the intense core activation required to nail boat pose, it’s no surprise this move is great for bolstering your midsection muscles. And that, in turn, can help alleviate back pain by fortifying the deep trunk muscles that support your spine. To maximize this benefit, think about subtly drawing your belly button in toward your back, Dr. Harding says. This will help activate more of your transverse abdominis, which stabilizes your back and can contribute to chronic pain there if it’s not firing correctly.
Boat pose can also help with back pain if you have weak hip flexors. Ideally, you want a balance between them and the opposing muscle group (your butt), but if your glutes are way stronger, they can pull your back into a more rounded position, Dr. Harding explains. And that can trigger the aches. Enter boat pose: Since it’s great for activating your hip flexors, it can bolster this muscle group so that it’s more balanced with the glutes, potentially relieving related back pain.
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