Ardha Baddha Padma Navasana or Half-Bound Lotus Boat Pose

Ardha Baddha Padma Navasana at a Glance

How to Do Ardha Baddha Padma Navasana?
Follow the Step-by-Step Procedure

Practice this pose, mindfully to avoid any sprain or discomfort. Get the command over the Padmasana pose and the Navasana pose, before you get into this challenging twist pose.

• Sit on the yoga mat, in the Dandasana pose, and keep your legs stretched and extended in front of you. Keep your thighs connected to the ground and heels pressed to the mat and active.
• Take a deep breath keep your spine lengthened and straight and keep your core engaged.
• Now inhale and bend your right leg (right knee), gently hold the right ankle, and keep it on the left upper thigh, if possible, near the left hip crease and in the Ardha padmasana pose.
• Keep Your left leg straight, grounded, and firm on the mat.
• Inhale deeply and lift your chest straightening your spine.
• Exhale and twist your body slightly toward your right side bring your right arm to your back and try to hold the right foot, or big toe with your right hand.
• Now keeping this position, inhale and keep your core muscles engaged, exhale, and bend forward (fold forward), and catch hold of the outer edge of the to lift your left foot with your left hand, from the mat and keep it straight and active.
• Flex your left foot (toes bent towards you) to keep a balance and keep a grip on the left big toe with your left hand and balance.
• You are balanced on your sit bones and hold this pose for four to five breaths keep your breath gentle and keep your core engaged.
• When you are ready to release, inhale and gently release your legs come back to the staff pose, and relax with deep breaths.
• Next do it on the other side (second side) by bending your left leg (left knee) placing it on the right thigh and keeping your right leg straight.

What are the Benefits of Ardha Baddha Padma Navasana?

• This pose helps to stretch your legs, arms, and back and helps to maintain your posture.
• This pose helps to strengthen your core muscles as it engages your core with a twist and helps to reduce the extra fat in your belly and waist region.
• This helps to tone and strengthen the pelvic floor, glutes, hamstrings, quadriceps, and abdominal muscles.
• This pose engages your abdominal organs, which helps a smooth performance of your digestive system, by improving your digestion and keeping your bloating and constipation away.
• When you hold this pose, balancing on your sit bones, improves your mindfulness and enhances your focus and balance.
• It helps to increase your willpower and your self-control.

Health Conditions that Might Benefit from Ardha Baddha Padma Navasana?

• Like other yoga poses this challenging pose also offers you certain health benefits if practiced regularly under the guidance of your yoga teacher.
• While practicing this pose, it helps compressing the abdominal organs, which helps your digestion to be smooth and keeps your digestive system healthy.
• If you have stiff hips, practicing this pose regularly can help to keep your hips flexible.
• People looking to improve their balance and coordination can include this pose in their exercise routine.
• Proper spinal alignment and maintaining a healthy spine is important for your overall physical health, which could be attained by doing this pose.
• This pose also helps to activate your Manipura chakra, which helps to develop your self-esteem and self-control.

Safety and Precautions

• Always start with the warm-up and preparatory pose to keep the process safe.
• Respect your body’s limitations and act accordingly.
• Modifying the pose according to your comfort is safe.
• Follow the alignment to avoid a knee injury.
• If you have any injury or surgery done, avoid doing this pose or consult or health care professional.
• If you have high blood pressure avoid doing this pose.
• Avoid this pose when you have a headache or feel dizzy.

Common Mistakes

• Avoiding warm-up and getting into the pose directly.
• Avoid Rushing into the pose and rushing to exit the pose.
• Avoiding to engage your core muscles.
• Avoid hunching your back and shrugging your shoulders.
• Avoid lifting your leg too high.

Tips for Ardha Baddha Padma Navasana

• Get command over the base pose, which would ease this pose.
• Do the hip opening poses before you do this pose.
• Engage your core by tucking your navel to your spine.
• Keep your back straight and lengthened.
• Do this pose on an empty stomach, preferably in the morning.
• Props are tools that can be used initially to get into a comfortable pose with safety and can progress slowly.
• Be mindful of your breath and should move with the movement of the pose.

Physical Alignment Principles of Ardha Baddha Padma Navasana

• Keep your spine lengthened and straight.
• Level your hip and keep it squared to the ground.
• Legs are straight and active and don’t lock your knees.
• One arm should be holding the same side foot and both leg and arm should be straight.
• The other should be brought around the back and, grab hold of the same side-bound leg toe.
• Keep your core active and your breath continuous.
• Sit on your sit bones and balance.
• Internally rotate the thighbones.
• Gaze forward at a steady point or to your lifted toes.
• Your toes of the straight leg should be pointed towards you.
• Your core muscles should be engaged to stabilize your spine.
• Place a block or cushion under the hip for support.
• The elbow of the arms in the front should be straight.
• Place your one-foot ankle on the other leg thigh near the hip crease.
• Keep your shoulder away from the ear and relax.

Ardha Baddha Padma Navasanaand Breath

Your breath rhythm should go with the movement of the pose. Inhale and lengthen your spine lift your leg and exhale deeply to bind your arms behind with your bound leg toe. Then inhale and lift the extended leg and exhale with the engagement of the core muscles and let your breath be continuous with focus and balancing the pose on the sit bones and listen to your body and inhale and exit and take deep relaxed breaths.

Ardha Baddha Padma Navasanaand Variations

• Boat pose or the Navasana pose.
• Half lotus boat poses with bending your knee.
• Half lotus poses with block support.
• Use yoga straps, blocks, or folded blankets to support the pose.

Take Away

This is a beautiful, balancing pose on your sit bones and engaging your core. You need to get a command over the base yoga poses to get the proper and safe pose. Beginners should avoid trying it without any guidance. For any health concerns contact your health care professional.

Your breath plays a very important role in easing this pose and with the combination of the physical alignment principles to follow. This pose can enhance your balance, focus, and coordination and also improve your willpower and self-control over your physical and mental body.

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