yogabuch / asanas / navasana

paripurna navasana
„boat“

  instructions and details with working links as PDF for download/print

Feedback: We’d love to hear what you think about this description, give us feedback at:
postmeister@yogabook.org
last update: 30.12.2018
Name: paripurna navasana
Trivial name: Boat
Level: A

• Classification: A
• Contraindication
• effects
• Preparation
• follow-up
• derived asanas
• similar asanas
• diagnostics
• Instruction
• details
• Variants

Classification

classic: posture

Contraindication

In the case of disc problems in the lumbar spine, care must be taken to ensure that the lumbar spine does not round convexly. If this can be achieved, this posture should even have a beneficial effect due to the pull of the hip flexors on the lumbar spine in the direction of its extension. However, if there is a lack of postural awareness and strength in the autochthonous back muscles, this posture can cause the familiar complaints to flare up again when the back is rounded. Due to the powerful work of the iliopsoas, the posture can also often not be performed in the case of insertion tendinopathies of the lesser trochanter(psoas syndrome).

Effects

• (672) Strengthening of the long abdominal muscle rectus abdominis
• (602) Strengthening the back extensors
• (712) Strengthening the hip flexors
• (812) Strengthening the quadriceps (moderate only)
• (817) Strengthening the rectus femoris

Preparation

By far the most important preparation for navasana is that of the back of the leg. The flexibility of the hamstrings is decisive in determining which flexion angle can be realized in the hip joints, how much work it requires and how long it can be held. Prepare the back of the leg well with:

1. uttanasana including different variations as generally effective and efficient stretches of the hamstrings
2. prasarita padottanasana
3. parsvottanasana
4. pascimottanasana
5. janu sirsasana
6. tryangamukhaikapada pascimottanasana
7. downface dog as another good preparation for the hamstrings when the pelvis is tilted powerfully
8. hip opener 5 as a very effective stretch of the hamstrings that goes beyond uttanasana
9. warrior 3 pose
10. trikonasana
11. parivrtta trikonasana
12. parivrtta ardha chandrasana

If the short hip extensors in/around the pelvis, such as the pomus muscles, also make flexion in the hip joint difficult, practise beforehand:

1. half lotus forward bend
2. hip opener at the edge of the mat
3. hip opener 3
4. parivrtta trikonasana
5. parivrtta ardha chandrasana

If the rectus femoris, as one of the performers of the hip flexion, tends to cramp due to the extension in the knee joint, it can be stretched beforehand:

1. ardha supta krouncasana
2. supta krouncasana
3. supta virasana
4. Quadriceps stretch 1 on the wall
5. Quadriceps stretch 2 on the wall

The other hip openings probably target the rectus femoris too little and place too much strain on the quadriceps, which is not very suitable as preparation. Strong hip flexors are needed for this pose, strengthen them with:

1. setu bandha sarvangasana: eka-pada variation
2. Urdhva dhanurasana (bridge): eka-pada variation
3. upface dog: Variation with inverted feet
4. supta dandasana with lower flexion angles in the hip joint

Follow-up

If the intensive work in a very short sarcomere length and therefore close to the active insufficiency in the rectus femoris has led to a tendency to cramp or a cramp, the exercises that are also suitable for preparation will help:

1. ardha supta krouncasana
2. supta krouncasana
3. supta virasana
4. Quadriceps stretch 1 on the wall
5. Quadriceps stretch 2 on the wall

derived asanas:

similar asanas:

Geometry:

1. Back extension
2. Head down dog pose
3. urdhva hastasana variation of dandasana
4. supta dandasana
5. right-angled uttanasana
6. right-angled headstand
7. right-angled handstand
8. dvi-pada variation of the handstand

Diagnostics (No.)

(712) Strength of the hip flexors

A lack of strength in the hip flexors in this posture will mean that the legs cannot be held up or cannot be held up for long, or that the flexion angle in the hip joints remains very small (i.e. the angle between the thighs and pelvis is very large). To assess this, however, the flexibility of the hamstrings and the other hip extensors in/on the pelvis must also be examined!

(650) Kyphosis and lordosis of the spine:

If there is a clear hollow back here, the abdominal muscles are far too weak or the hollow back tendencyis very pronounced, and the hip flexors must be checked for shortening. See also the FAQ on the hollow back. The shape of the thoracic spine is also very interesting here. Normally it should be able to be stretched straight. Deviations in the direction of lordosis would indicate a weakness of the abdominal muscles, in the direction of kyphosis a weakness of the back muscles or hyperkyphosis with low flexibility. In both cases, the back must also be examined in normal zero, forward bend and backward bend.

(611) Unequal shoulder height/scoliosis of the spine:

The lateral deviations of the spine from the median plane known as scoliosis may also be visible in this posture, even if other postures make this more visible. FAQ.

(818) Rectus femoris:

A tendency to spasm of the rectus femoris, which is involved in extending the knee joints and flexing the hip joints and works at a very short sarcomere length and therefore close to active insufficiency, appears relatively frequently in this posture. It is important to check whether another factor such as a lack of strength or increased tone is also responsible.

(812)(817) Quadricepsstrength:

In this pose, the quadriceps are required to keep the legs extended against the flexion moments in the knee joint, which come from the hamstrings. The gravitational force of the lower legs is probably the smaller problem. This can lead to a tendency to cramp, which can have various causes such as the supply of blood to the muscles, electrolyte deficiency or neurological causes. If you stand intensively in the posture for a long time, you will inevitably reach the limits of your muscles‘ strength endurance. A certain amount of trembling in the muscles is physiological during great exertion. If it occurs with little or no exertion, this can be a symptom. Compared to the monoarticular parts of the quadriceps, which only stretch the knee joint, the demand on the rectus femoris, which also flexes the hips, is much greater, meaning that the effects are much more pronounced.

(721) Ischiocrural group:

In forward bending movements(flexion in both hip joints) various disorders can be found:

1. Shortening of the ischiocrural group, resulting in a smaller angle of hip flexion and a greater flexion inclination of the knee joints, see FAQ.
2. Damage to the hamstrings that causes pain or functional limitations can also be easily recognized here, from simple tension to strains to muscle (partial) tears. Tears would lead to relief on the affected side.
3. Irritation of the sciatic nerve: irritation of the sciatic nerve, which innervates the leg and foot, can become symptomatic during forward bends in particular, even if they are otherwise rather calm. See the FAQ
4. Irritation of the origin of the hamstrings at the ischial tuberosity (at the ischial tuberosities, also known as PHT: proximal hamstring tendinopathy) may become apparent in this posture, but the force exerted is often not great enough. If they do, they need to be protected from intensive stretching, as required by this posture; see the FAQ.
5. Baker’s cysts produce a feeling of tension or foreign body sensation, see FAQ.

(704) Hip joint:

Due to the great pull with which the psoas holds the legs, the femoral heads are pressed firmly against the upper edge of the acetabulum, which can trigger hip damage if hip damage is present:

1. Arthrotic change (degenerative with cartilage atrophy) of the joint
2. Arthritis (joint inflammation) of various kinds
3. Perthes‘ disease in children or hip dysplasia in general can react to this posture, but usually more in postures with exorotation of the thigh
4. Dislocation / subluxation, which would cause a significantly increased sensation of tension in various muscles covering the hip joint
5. joint trauma, which may cause pain in the joint even after many weeks or months

(644) LUMBAR SPINE:

Due to the heavy load that the psoas exerts on the lumbar spine, existing damage to the lumbar spine may become apparent. Intervertebral disc disorders can cause symptoms if it is not possible to keep the lumbar spine physiologically lordotic or at least extended. If a concave curvature beyond the physiological lordosis can be achieved, this posture can cause symptoms in the case of spondylolisthesis or spinal stenosis. At the same time, a hollow back and presumably shortened hip flexors are suspected, which must be checked.

(182) Cervical musculature:

In this pose, the ventral neck muscles are strained for strength endurance in order to keep the head in the extension of the thoracic spine. If this is not successful or leads to cramping, the muscles are too weak and may be too toned.

(672) The rectus abdominis muscle:

In this pose, the rectus abdominis is required; without it, a hollow back would result because the psoas major pulls on the lumbar spine. On the other hand, the back muscles have to work hard because otherwise a kyphosis of the lumbar spine and a hyperkyphosis of the thoracic spine (round back) would result. This gives us the interesting situation that agonist and antagonist work simultaneously, which is ultimately due to the fact that the work of the back extensors(erector spinae in all its extensor parts) cannot be controlled segment by segment.

Variants:

urdhva hastasana

Instructions

1. Assume dandasana and pull the buttocks well back.
2. Place the two hands (or fingertips) next to and slightly in front of the pelvis.
3. Press the hands firmly onto the floor so that the pelvis and upper body tilt backwards and the legs tilt upwards into navasana. Ideally, the upper body and legs should be at approximately the same angle to the vertical.
4. Stretch both arms horizontally forward so that the hands reach in front of the knees.

Details

1. This posture relies on a very flexible hamstrings. The maximum achievable angle between the legs and upper body depends largely on this. The work of the hip flexors is limited by the restricted flexibility of the ischiocrural group or (rarely) other hip extensors to flex the hip joints(passive insufficiency).
2. The legs are as in tadasana: extended in the knee joints, the ankles in standard anatomical position, i.e. neither dorsiflexion nor plantar flexion, and neither supination nor pronation; the thighs are also neither turned innor out in the hip joints.
3. The requirement to extend the knee joints and simultaneously flex the hips can easily cause a tendency to spasm in the rectus femoris, as it works in a very short sarcomere length, usually due to passive and active insufficiency. In some other postures, the work of the hip flexors can be differentiated slightly between the hip flexors located in the pelvis, when using which you can feel the ischial tuberosities and the buttocks moving away from the heels, and the rectus femoris located in the thigh, which tends to cramp easily when the knee joint is extended, typically radiating from its origin under the hip bone(spina iliaca anterior inferior) into the mid-thigh. In navasana, this differentiation is more difficult because these parts of the body are pressing on the floor with maximum load. To reduce the tendency to cramp, it can help to first bend the hip joints to the maximum and then straighten the knee joints, accepting a slight reduction in flexion in the hip joints.
4. Extending the heel to prevent the foot from falling into plantar flexion can lead to increased flexion of the knee joint; this is due to the biarticular gastrocnemius, which both plantarflexes the ankle joint and flexes the knee joint. In this pose, this represents an additional challenge, as the bending tendency in the knee joint is already quite high due to the pull of the hamstrings as a limiting factor for bending the hip joints. To make matters worse, you have to work against gravity rather than with it, and the flexed hip joint and the extended knee joint mean that there is a tendency to spasm in the rectus femoris, the muscle that performs the hip flexion.
5. The upper body is also subject to an interesting interplay of forces in this posture: while the hip flexors pull the pelvis as close as possible to the legs, the upper body, which is no longer subject to the influence of the hip flexors (the psoas major only reaches up to the 12th thoracic vertebra), would tilt backwards and downwards due to gravity. To prevent this, the abdominal muscles (the rectus abdominis) are usually used automatically to shorten the distance between the pubic bone and the sternum, i.e. to prevent the upper body from extending the thoracic spine in line with gravity. However, as the rectus abdominis causes the upper body to bend significantly into flexion, even above the lumbar spine, the autochthonous back muscles („back extensor“ or „erector spinae“) must be used to counteract this, so that after construction we obtain a posture in which the abdominal and back muscles work intensively at the same time.
6. Following the above explanation, navasana cannot be seen primarily as an abdominal exercise, as is commonly the case. Instead, the legs are held by the hip flexors. All abdominal muscles lack any connection to the legs that could achieve this. They only have a stabilizing effect on the upper body and only contract concentrically up to an anatomically zero state, no further, otherwise the back would be round.
7. Work – following the above derivation – so intensively with the abdominal muscles that the lumbar spine does not fall into a hollow back (hyperlordosis). If the lumbar spine or its musculature is clearly more noticeable due to the flexing pull of the psoas major on the one hand and the stretching force of the concentric contraction of the autochthonous back muscles on the other, this is perfectly normal, but the sensation should not have any pathological notes such as stinging or cramp-like. It should also be ensured, if necessary with the help of a mirror or a supporter or by applying a lot of force to the abdominal muscles, that no hyperlordosis of the lumbar spine actually occurs.
8. The intensive work of the rectus abdominis (long, straight abdominal muscle) naturally makes inhalation more difficult and encourages exhalation. This posture therefore requires an increased degree of breathing discipline and strength for inhalation. Trembling in the abdominal muscles and a burning sensation are normal in this posture as a sign of the unusually intensive work of these muscles.
9. Depending on the angle of the upper body in relation to the legs and therefore also to the vertical, the muscles in the neck area (i.e. ventrally) are subject to significant work, similar to the more intensive form of supta virasana, which is not held due to flexibility restrictions.
10. The shoulder blades are in depression (moving towards the pelvis) and are more retracted (pulled towards the spine ).
11. The arms are turned out, extended, horizontal, the wrists are extended, the fingers are closed, the hands are a short distance from the knees or further forward if the flexibility is good.
12. As this is a straight flexion in the hip joint without abduction or exorotation, the corresponding, similar preparations of the hamstrings, which also stretch the biceps femoris as the outer part of the hamstrings more than its inner parts, are the more important ones.

Variants

urdhva hastasana

Instruction

1. Take the pose as described above.
2. Bring the arms into the position corresponding to urdhva hastasana.

Details

1. The arms stretched above the head (as they cross the vertical in space dorsally ) induce a lever that causes a frontal abduction moment in the glenohumeral joint and, in turn, extensionmoments in the segments of the thoracic spine. This promotes extension of the thoracic spine and relieves the autochthonous back muscles in this area. If the focus of this posture is on strengthening the autochthonous back muscles, this variation is therefore not the best choice.

Lift into the posture by the feet

Instruction

1. Take dandasana.
2. The supporter grasps both ankles and lifts the legs until balance is achieved.

Details

1. This support makes it easier to take the pose, but finding and maintaining balance can hardly be relieved from the performer.

with a belt

Instruction

1. Take the pose as described above, but use a belt around the feet if the strength of the hip flexors is not sufficient to hold the legs up.

Details

1. There are two main reasons why the legs cannot be held up. By far the most common is restricted flexibility in the hamstrings. These set a soft-elastic movement limit against lifting, with increasing streching sensation in the hamstrings as the legs are actively or passively lifted. As a rule, however, the hip flexors should not be strong enough to cause a significant stretching sensation. The situation is different in the case of external intervention, although lifting the legs more strongly will almost certainly lead to a loss of balance. However, if the legs cannot be actively lifted very far, even though further passive lifting does not produce a stretching sensation, it must be assumed that there is a lack of strength in the hip flexors. Then the use of the belt makes sense.