Partner Yoga

Happy Valentine's Day! A day we express our love to others, whether it's loving ourselves, our pets, parents, children, friends, or a significant other. Partner Yoga is a beautiful way to express your love with someone else (you could try and do these poses with a pet, as well -- yes, there is such a thing as yoga classes with your dog. While performing my Sun Salutations each morning this week, I've had to learn to Chattarunga without squishing a kitty!! It's been fun watching how intrigued my cats are with yoga.) You really can just google "partner yoga" and find some wonderful sites as well, but I wanted to highlight some fun poses for you to explore with someone. During partner yoga you will feel additional benefits and find new meaning in the poses. It's fun; feel free to laugh and enjoy each other. If any of my descriptions confuse you, do not hesitate to ask for further clarification. So... here it goes!

- Mountain Pose, back to back. This one is pretty easy to visualize. Stand in mountain, facing away from one another, with your backs gently touching. Enjoy the breath of one another (you can even work on matching your breath). Open yourself to the connection of touch. A wonderful way to begin your partner yoga practice -- checking in with yourself and your partner.
- Warrior I, back to back. Again, you begin facing away from one another. Both will perform Warrior I with the same foot forward (so, both with the right leg in front). You are standing very close to one another, so the legs overlap, but you aren't actually touching. You can, of course, stand closer and touch, or you can reach your arms up and find one another's fingertips or hands.
- From Warrior I, you can open into Reverse Warrior (this is a deeper pose for the lower back, so listen to your body and never force). You will reach your front arm up and back, finding your partner's hand and unite!
- Revolved Triangle, back to back. Again, you will be performing the pose with the same leg forward, facing away from one another (do you forget on all of these poses to do both sides!!). So, assuming the right leg is forward, come down into revolved triangle, pretty close to one another, with your legs overlapping. As you twist, open up toward each other, marrying your palms together. You can look at one another, up to the united palms, or you may choose to close your eyes, feeling within.
- Warrior III, facing one another. Holding hands, or holding each other's wrists, walk away from each other, arms stretching out long and then begin to lift one leg. Does your partner help or hinder your balance??
- Tree, standing side by side. Wrap your arms around each other's waists and raise your outside knee and outside arm. Again, easier or harder?
- Balancing 1/2 Moon, backs together. Still working on balance, lower opposite hands to the ground and raise opposite legs (so one person has the right leg and right arm down and the other has the left leg and left arm down). Use your sense of touch to stabilize your balance by gently relying on your partner's back, helping one another to open deeper into the pose.
-Chair Pose, backs together. Press your backs into one another and walk your feet away from each other, so you are now standing in a diagonal. Squat down into chair and continue to press back into each other. Sink maybe all the way, until your thighs are parallel with the floor.
- Mountain to Wheel, taking turns. This pose will not be performed together, but uses the assistance of a partner. One person stands in mountain and the other faces them, wrapping their arms around their partner's waist, perhaps standing in a staggered-leg stance. From mountain, gently bend back, pressing into your partner's arms and reach overhead, working your hands down toward the floor--maybe touching it! When ready, carefully lift back to mountain and switch.
- Handstand and Forward Fold, rotating partners. Now this one is tricky, but it is great and builds trust with your partner (if your partner is a dog, you may want to omit this one!!). Standing, both facing the same way, the person behind lifts into a handstand, placing their feet at their partner's shoulders. The front person grabs a hold of their partner's feet and begins to forward fold, lowering their partner down in front of them, placing their feet back on the ground. Now, the front person is in the back, ready to perform their handstand!! Continue as far as space with allow and try not to get dizzy!
- Wheel and Cow. One partner lifts into wheel, the other partner crawls underneath and performs cow. A fun combo and you must trust your partner in wheel not to collapse on to you!! Don't forget to switch.
- Child's Pose and Fish. One partner comes into child's and the other sits on top of them, "tail to tail." The person on top gently rolls back, opens up to the sky, expanding their chest, and releases their body. Don't worry about crushing your partner in child's. This combo feels amazing to each person-- a must to try!
- Owl with a Spinal Twist, back to back. A great final pose before entering relaxation (remember you can do some massage before beginning relaxation together in corpse). Owl is sitting in Easy Pose. With your backs pressing against each other, place one hand on your thigh (each going to the right or to the left thigh), and place your other hand further back on their thigh. So, your both doing a spinal twist to your right or left, making a complete circle.

HAVE FUN, bonding through Partner Yoga. -em