Ardha Navasana is a SANSKRIT word that means, Ardha means "half", Nava means "Boat" and Asana means "Pose". This is also known as "Half Boat Pose" in English. Ardha Navasana is performed in the supine position. This pose especially works on abdominal muscles, adductor muscles, and hip flexors, and also involves the quadriceps, hamstrings, and spine. Continued practices of this asana help to improve physical health as well as mental health.
Proper sit on the floor and spread your leg in front of you. Hands should be on the sides with your palms on the floor. bend your knees and slowly keep your leg on the floor. Lift your legs up, make ensure your back is straight and leaning at the back. also, lift up your knee, the calf muscles are parallel to the floor. lift your hand parallel to the floor and keep your palms close to your body. Breathe slowly and hold this pose. relax few a minutes and again start.
Benefits of Ardha Navasana yoga:
There are the most important health benefits of Ardha Navasana are,
1. Ardha Navasana is help to improve your body balance.
2. Half Boat Pose is useful to increase digestion and immunity system.
3. Continued practices of this asana helps to increase confidence and self-worth.
4. This asana helps to stimulate the thyroid.
5. This pose helps to stimulate glands.
6. Ardha Navasana helps to control and regulates the menstrual cycle and hormonal imbalance.
7. Ardha Navasana help to build strength in your body.
8. Continued practices of this asana helps to tone Muscles and Kidneys.
9. This pose helps to remove the toxins from the body and reduce stress, anxiety, and depression also. Ardha Navasana also serves as a stress buster.
10. Ardha Navasana helps to reduce excess fat in the abdominal area. continued practices of this asana help to burn belly fat.
Step by Ardha Navasana 2 yoga:
1. Sit on the floor. Stretch the legs out in front and keep them straight. (Step 1)
2. Interlock the fingers and place them on the back of the head just above the neck.
3. Breath out, recline the trunk back and simultaneously raise the legs from the floor, keeping the knees tight and the toes pointed. The weight of the body rests on the buttocks and no part of the spine should touch the floor. (Step 3.) One feels the hold on the muscles of the abdomen and the lower back.
4. Keep the legs at an angle of about 30 to 35 degrees from the floor and the crown of the head in line with the toes.
5. Stay in this posture for 20 to 30 seconds with normal breathing. A Hold for one minute in this posture indicates strong abdominal muscles.
6. Do not hold the breath while holding this asana, though the tendency is always to do it with suspension of breath after breath in. If the breath is held, the effect will be felt on the stomach muscles and not on the abdominal organs. Deep inhalation in this asana would loosen the grip on the abdominal muscles. In order to maintain this hold, breath in, breath out and hold the breath and go on repeating this process but without breathing deeply. This will exercise not only the abdominal muscles but the organs also.
7. There is only difference between Ardha Navasana and Paripurna Navasana is in the latter, the legs are moved higher and the distance between them and the stomach is less than in the former.
