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Partner Yoga Poses For Friends and Lovers

FitSugar — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 13:44:44 PST

This Valentine's Day, forget the chocolate and flowers. Spend some time together connecting with your favorite person by doing some partner yoga. Move through this eight-posture sequence, and not only will you experience a deep stretch in your muscles, but you'll deepen the connection with your loved one as well.

Source: AcroYoga and Flickr User lmpicard

AcroYoga: Partner Yoga Takes Flight

Jenny Sugar — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 10:02:52 PDT

I am so fired up, not to mention extremely sore, from my first AcroYoga workshop. This style of partner yoga takes traditional asana to a gymnastic level combining trust, strength, flexibility, and a lot of courage. Regardless of your yoga background, nothing compares to the feeling of taking flight for the first time.

The workshop, taught by Vermont's first certified AcroYoga teacher, was based on the partner yoga style created by Jason Nemer and Jenny Sauer-Klein. AcroYoga blends Contact Yoga (therapeutic flying), acrobatics, and Thai massage. Having previous experience with partner yoga, I honestly thought this workshop would be pretty easy; maybe I'd learn a new trick or two. Wow, was I wrong. The class moved right into practicing headstands on our partner's thighs while they held Half Wheel. We were all a little leery about placing our heads in between a stranger's legs and lifting into headstand, but surprisingly, it was tremendously easier than I thought, and much, much more fun.

To find out what else you can expect from an AcroYoga workshop, keep reading.

Partner Yoga Pose: Double Bridge

FitSugar — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 09:00:00 PDT

If you're looking to increase flexibility in your neck and spine, half wheel is the pose to do. It also tones your glutes, hamstrings, and quads, so it's a great pose to include in your stretching routine. To make it slightly more challenging and offer support to a friend doing a modified shoulderstand, do this pose called double bridge.

To see a picture of how to get into this pose,

Partner #1 (man) lies on his back, brings his feet over his head, and comes into Plow pose.
Partner #2 (woman) sits behind him with her knees bent. Both partners clasp hands.
Partner #1 lifts his legs up to the ceiling, bends his knees, and gently places the soles of his feet on his partner's knees. He presses firmly into her knees and lifts his hips up so his thighs and torso are in one straight vertical line.

Once Partner #1 is stable, Partner #2 lifts her hips off the floor, coming into Half Wheel.
They stay like this for at least five breaths, and then Partner #2 lowers her hips to the floor. Partner #1 comes back to Plow pose, and then Partner #2 does Plow. Partner #1 lowers his spine onto the floor, bends his knees, and places his feet on the floor. Now each partner is in position to switch roles and repeat the pose.

Source

Partner Yoga Pose: Forward Bend Lounge

FitSugar — Fri, 01 May 2009 12:00:00 PDT

Tight hamstrings and lower backs are common complaints among runners, office workers, and people who are on their feet all day. Doing forward bends regularly can help tremendously, but doing them on your own just isn't as effective as when you can get some help. I've already showed you how to do Seated Butterfly Lunge and Seated Straddle Lounge, so here's another variation to try. The person on the bottom gets an amazing stretch for the backs of their legs, and the person on top feels an incredible lengthening in their spine.

So grab a friend and

Partner #1 sits on the ground with his legs extended straight out in front of him. He folds forward as far as he can, coming into a Seated Forward Bend.
Partner #2 gently sits down on Partner #1's sacrum at the base of his spine (aka back of pelvis), and begins to lie down on Partner #1's back. Partner #2 should move slowly because this is a really intense stretch for Partner #2's hamstrings. Partner #2 can stay here (as in the picture shown to the right), or if it feels OK, she can extend her arms overhead and straighten her legs.
Both partners talk to each other, making small adjustments if necessary. When either partner is ready to get out of the pose, Partner #2 lifts her torso and sits up.
Then each partner switches roles.

Source

Partner Yoga Pose: Twisting Seated Straddle

FitSugar — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 13:30:00 PDT

When I need a good hamstring stretch, Seated Straddle is one of my faves. To feel an even deeper stretch in the backs of my legs, I like to do this pose with a friend as in Seated Straddle Lounge. If you liked that one, here's another variation to try. This partner yoga pose, Twisting Seated Straddle, is also an incredible spinal twist.

To learn how to do this pose

Both partners face each other in a Seated Straddle with their legs wide and feet touching. If one partner is shorter or less flexible than the other, she can place her feet on her partner's inside ankles.
Both partners sit up nice and tall, elongating their spines. They actively press the backs of their knees to the floor to increase the stretch in their hamstrings.
Then they hold right hands and lean over to their right leg, holding their right toes with their left hand. To deepen the twist, they can walk their hand up their partner's arm, holding onto the forearm or elbow. They stay here for at least five deep breaths, gazing up toward the ceiling, and working on drawing their upper shoulder behind then to bring the stretch into their chests.
Then they gently release and switch sides.

Source

Partner Yoga Pose: Down Dog Scorpion

FitSugar — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 15:00:00 PST

Backbends top my list of favorite yoga poses. It feels great to arch my spine and stretch through my abs and chest. Some backbends are more challenging than others though, like Scorpion. Since it involves balancing on your forearms as well as bending your back, you might need a little help getting into it. You can do Scorpion on a ball or in front of a couch, but if you have a friend nearby, give this partner pose a try.

To see a video showing how to get into this,

Partner #1 (black shirt) comes into Downward Facing Dog.
Partner #2 (lilac shirt) stands to the left side of Partner #1 and places her hands behind Partner #1's hands. Then she lays her belly on Partner #1's back, so her feet are off the floor.
Then Partner #2 presses her belly into her partner's upper back, lifts her legs up and bends her knees. She raises her head up, too, actively arching her spine, working on lowering her feet to her head.
Then Partner #2 lowers her legs back down, and steps her left foot and then her right onto the floor and stands up. Then they switch roles and Partner #1 gets a chance to try Scorpion.

Partner Yoga Pose: Sleeping Straddle Scissor

FitSugar — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 13:00:00 PST

I am always up for a good hamstring stretch and have found this series of partner poses not only fun but also effective in stretching my legs and working my abs. It's similar to the Double Standing Straddle, but you're lying on your back with gravity helping you deepen your stretch. Not only will you feel an intense stretch in your hips and the backs of your legs, but you'll also work your abs at the same time. Check out this video from Expert Village to see how the series of moves are strung together.

For a detailed description of this partner pose

Both partners lie on their backs, with their bums touching and their feet pointed straight up. They touch their heels together and place their arms out in T position.
Then both partners separate their feet and come into a wide straddle, continuing to keep the contact with their heels.
Keeping the legs apart, both partners lift their shoulders off the ground, reach their arms through their legs, and hold onto each other's hands. They stay here for a few breaths, drawing their torsos toward the center, and then they release their backs to the floor. Then they lift their legs back together, so their feet are pointing straight up toward the ceiling.
Now each partner draws her right leg toward her own head, and her left leg toward her partner, coming into a split. Then bring their legs back together and scissor them the other way, with the left foot toward their heads.
Then they bring their legs back together and repeat this little sequence one more time. After they're finished, they can roll over to one side and come to stand up.

Partner Yoga Pose: Feet to Back

FitSugar — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 15:30:40 PST

If you have sore shoulders from typing, sitting, driving, or just general stress, a heart-opening pose is just what you need. So grab a friend and give this a try. While you stretch your chest, shoulders, and upper back, she'll get a nice ab workout. Check out the video from Expert Village to see how to do it.

For detailed instructions on this partner yoga pose,

Partner 1 sits on the floor in a crossed-legged position, resting her hands on her knees. Partner 2 sits behind her about two feet away.
Partner 1 reaches her hands behind her back and both partners hold each others' wrists.
Then Partner 2 leans back so she's resting on her tailbone. Then she steps her toes onto Partner 1's lower back, on either side of her spine. Partner 2 then slowly walks up Partner 1's back as she gently pulls her hands back, opening Partner 1's chest even further. Then she walks her toes back down, massaging Partner 1's back but also using her abs to help stay balanced.
To come out, Partner 2 leans forward, places her feet on the floor, and releases Partner 1's hands. Then they switch roles.

8 Partner Poses That Stretch Your Hamstrings

FitSugar — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 05:30:00 PST

If you're like me, a good hamstring stretch is always needed. Stretching on your own is great, but if you do it with a friend, you'll both benefit from deeper, more intense stretches. Here are some of my favorites that target the backs of your legs. If you want descriptions on how to do the pose, then click on the orange-colored link.

Partner Yoga: Flying Whale

FitSugar — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 14:27:32 PDT

If you tried Forward Flying with a partner and loved it, then give this a try. It's a version of backwards flying called Flying Whale. The key is to move slowly to help the person on top stay balanced.

To learn how to do this partner yoga pose,

The person on the bottom is called the base, and the person on the top is called the flyer. In this video, the base happens to be a guy and the flyer is a woman, but both men and women are strong enough to be the base and lift their partner. So if you're practicing this pose with a guy, make sure you have a chance to lift him up too.
The base begins on his back on the floor with his legs in the air. The flyer stands with her heels touching his shoulders. The base holds onto the flyer's ankles and as she arches back, the base shifts his legs forward and gently places his feet on her upper back.
Once the base feels stable, he pushes the flyer's ankles up and lifts her feet off the ground. They stay like this for a few breaths so the flyer can feel the amazing stretch in her spine.
To release, the base can lower the flyer's feet back toward the ground, or he can help her dismount by doing a supported back walkover. He does this by bending his knees so the flyer's hands can lower to the ground. He walks his feet to her bum as she brings her legs in split position. Then he gives her a gentle push to help her kick over.