It’s rewarding to accomplish a new yoga pose that you’ve been practicing for a while, but it feels even better when sharing that excitement with a friend.
Today we’re showing you how to do fun partner poses. Partner poses are great because they give you a sense of how much further and deeper you can go into your own practice. Plus, it’s fun to be able to assist someone else in his or her practice, and it’s always great to have human contact. So often in life we are shy, but yoga is a wonderful place to find that union. Let’s get started.
Partner Tree:
Stand side by side next to your partner. Both partners get into a tree position, placing their right foot against the inside of their left thigh. Next, thread your hands around your partner’s waist and lift the outside arm up. Try to touch each other's hands overhead to create an arch.
Back-to-Back Pose:
Sit back to back with your partner so the spines are aligned. Next, both partners twist their torsos to the left, placing their right hands on their left knees and their left hands on their partner’s right knee to aid each other’s stretches. Then twist to the other side.
Next, swivel back to center and raise arms up like cactus branches. Have both partners loop their hands together, so the elbows are pressing against each other. One partner leans forward for a great shoulder-opening stretch. Hold the stretch for about five to eight breaths, then switch. This gives your digestive tract a great massage and helps you stay regular.
Next, still seated on the mat, both partners place their feet hip-width apart out in front of their body. Both partners hook inner elbows together as they try to come up to stand together. Feel free to reverse the movement and try to come back down to the mat in the same way.
Lizard On A Rock Pose:
Have one partner get into a child’s pose. The other partner will sit on her back, resting hips against each other. Next, the top partner will extend her legs out long in front of her and raise her arms back behind her head to get a deep back bend that opens up the chest. The bottom partner below will get a stretch along the back of the body. Switch positions.
Gate Pose:
Have both partners come to stand on the knees, facing forward. One partner lengthens her left leg out to the left, while the other lengthens her right leg out to the right, crossing the legs in front of each other. Both partners then reach their outside arms over towards the center, creating a kind of gate overhead. This move strengthens the arms and stretches the side body.
Partner Boat Pose:
This is a great move for engaging the core. Sit facing your partner, each with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Lift out of your lower back and lean your upper body back slightly, engaging the core. Both partners float the legs up to 45 degrees, touching the soles of the feet together and grabbing opposite wrists for a supported boat pose.
