Misstropolis

Wednesday, May 23, 2007

Navasana

by Allison Newman

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May’s Yoga Pose of the Month is dedicated to all you hot, proud mamas with belly rings.

That cute, wrinkly button hanging out in the middle of one of the toughest battlefields of women’s body image war, deserves some bling for its hard work over the years. From feeding you life in those early days, to holding your skin together through third trimesters, to anchoring the tough pose described below, your belly button deserves a little love.

In preparation for bikini season, one of the best poses to practice is navasana, or “boat.” It will help strengthen your core and get you psyched for a little belly bling. Begin the pose by sitting down. Bend your knees and draw them together. As you tilt your torso slightly back, inhale and lift your feet off the floor. Extend your arms straight, parallel to the floor with your palms facing one another. Draw your navel toward your spine engaging the muscles in your core.

Try to extend your legs with the feet together and toes pointed at eye level. If this is too much, bend your knees and take a hold behind them. The chest should be lifted. Imagine that you are bringing your chest through your shoulders. 

To create more strength in the core, bring your arms to one side and pretend you are holding a big beach ball. Continue to lift the lower back and shoulders. Take your beach ball to the other side.  In whatever variation you choose, make sure you are BREATHING. Follow every inhale with a nice long exhale. 

Remember, the greatest challenge of this pose is to keep the lower back lifted. The muscles you build in your core will alleviate tension you may unknowingly take into your lower back. This is a good rule of thumb to follow every day in boat pose or not. So whether you are lifting a cooler, a stack of boogie boards, or a dropped bottle of sunscreen, use your core muscles and let your lower back relax.