5 Benefits of Partner Yoga
Yoga is often considered a solo activity – a time for self-reflection, for being quiet and achieving inner peace. Successfully practicing yoga with a partner, however, requires a different set of skills: communication, awareness of others and a sense of cooperation outside the self.
Partner yoga may seem intimidating, especially if you’re new to yoga in general. But everyone, from experienced yogis to beginners, can benefit from grabbing a buddy and joining a practice with a partner!
See below for a list of the ways partner yoga can help both your relationship and your practice.
- Enhances communication. Achieving a synchronized yoga practice involves listening to both your partner’s verbal and non-verbal cues. Partners that practice on the mat together often report increased communication in other aspects of their relationship, as well.
- Accelerates Stretching. Partner yoga helps to deepen the impact of a yoga posture, without any pain. One partner’s body weight can be used to increase the pressure of the other partner.
- Improves alignment, balance and posture. Your partner serves you like a mirror, to help you with proper alignment, balance and concentration. You can think of it as having a personal yoga teacher at your fingertips, giving you adjustments in each pose.
- Deepens connection. We’ll be honest. Partner yoga isn’t always easy. There’s a level of connection that’s required to raise, lift and trust that the other partner has your (literal) back. The physical and emotional challenges involved in mastering these postures together can help foster connection and closeness in a unique way.
- Increases FUN! Some days, practicing yoga with a partner is like having your own personal blooper reel. Not all transitions are seamless, and things like playfulness, fun and laughter are welcomed.
The postures of partner yoga may be very low-intensity, with both partners seated, or high-intensity, with one partner flying. But in either case, the purpose of the partner is the same – to assist and adjust one another, and to deepen the sensations of the pose.
If you and a partner would like to learn more about starting a yoga practice, visit one of our locations below to view our various mind body facilities, designed especially for you: