Partner Yoga: Poses for Training

Partner Yoga Sessions

One of the names for partner yoga is trust yoga. Although there are many other names for practicing with a partner, this one probably best reflects the deep essence of partner training.

Choosing a Partner

Practicing partner yoga poses develops mutual understanding, strengthens trust, and provides a sense of security. Therefore, it is often recommended to do yoga in pairs with a spouse or close friend. In group classes, you can, of course, choose a training partner from other singles, but only if there is a strong mutual affection.

Often, partner yoga is practiced by mothers with their children: special routines have been developed for different ages.

Beginners practicing partner yoga at home are not recommended: the risk of injury is too high. However, if at least one of the partners is an experienced practitioner and can ensure the safety of the training, you can practice at home using video lessons.

Partner yoga – exercises for the lazy or another dimension?

There is a myth that in partner yoga, exercises are performed in a fairly relaxed state, and therefore there is no need to give your all. After all, with a partner, many poses require less physical effort, meaning that such powerful physical conditioning as for solo practice is no longer necessary. This is often why partner yoga is called “lazy.” This is a profound misconception because interacting with a partner requires different, equally demanding effort. It is important to make efforts to achieve movement synchronization, to be attentive to the partner to ensure their safety, and to adjust your breathing to theirs. Laziness definitely has no place here.

Of course, when one partner in the pair is just beginning their yoga journey, they become a passive “player.” But as they gain experience, the pair reaches a new level: poses are performed equally, and partners achieve deep emotional and spiritual unity. However, you should not use the practice as family psychotherapy. It’s better to resolve all relationship issues before starting training and approach the practice without negative emotions towards each other.

Partner Yoga Exercises and the Problem of Over-Control

Partner yoga can be used as therapy in a completely different context. From childhood, most of us learn to control everything maximally. The problem of over-control is a modern human ailment. We stop trusting the world, don’t know how to ask for help, are afraid to share our anxieties, and avoid appearing weak.

Practicing yoga in pairs can teach you to fully open up to another close person. You can ask for support, confess your fears, and share emotions. This way, mutual responsibility is born in the partnership, the need for self-sacrifice is formed, and sensitivity is developed. At the same time, each partner learns to relax, trust the other, and let go of the obsessive desire to control the surrounding world.

What results do partner poses in yoga provide?

Practicing partner yoga offers many positive effects:

• achieves a balance between setting boundaries and trusting the world;

• develops sensitivity, attentiveness, and emotional flexibility;

• forms a creative approach to working on relationships;

• strengthens health and increases physical endurance;

• creates prerequisites for breakthroughs in individual practice.

Partner Yoga: What to Pay Attention To?

First and foremost, special attention should be paid to the skills of proper breathing. Only by mastering this technique can the desired result be achieved. It is important to feel your partner’s breath, and control the synchronicity of breathing. At the initial stage, it’s better to first synchronize breathing with each other and only then proceed to perform the asanas while continuing to monitor the synchronicity.

Before training, a small warm-up should be done to minimize the risk of injury. As in solo yoga, no exercise in a pair should be performed forcefully. Therefore, if discomfort occurs, and especially if pain arises, it is necessary to immediately inform your partner and carefully exit the asana together.

Partner Yoga Poses: Approximate List of Asanas

The most popular asanas in partner yoga include:

• Navasana;

• Paschimottanasana;

• Upavistha Konasana;

• Ardha Matsyendrasana;

• Adho Mukha Svanasana;

• Combination of Adho Mukha Svanasana plus Dhanurasana;

• Combination of Dandasana plus handstand.

Of course, there are more complex partner yoga poses, but during pregnancy and postpartum, it’s important to approach organizing workouts with particular caution.