You must have heard about yoga, from celebrities, social media influencers, friends, families, and work colleagues in today’s world.
Yoga dates back to around 400 BCE and it aims to create a union between the body, mind, and spirit. Traditionally it was transmitted on a one-to-one basis. But in today’s world, many people do it together to bond with each other.
There are many benefits of yoga which help to better your body image, becoming a mindful eater, enhancing fitness, and also helps in weight loss.
It should not be mistaken with exercise, but it makes you feel good about yourself and plays a major part in relieving mental stress. Check out our article on Mental Wellness, it might help you in understanding about the importance of mental wellness and it also gives you various tricks and ideas to feel relaxed and on top of the world.
There are many benefits of couple’s yoga which helps you to strengthen your relationship. It helps you to communicate both verbally and non-verbally. It helps you to know them, trust them, and motivate them by performing different poses together.
It allows you to be vulnerable to each other and embrace your strengths and weaknesses.
Couple’s yoga should be taken as a challenge to embark on together to kick the difficulty up a notch and achieve it satisfactorily with great achievement.
Luckily, we have put together some couple yoga poses for beginners as well as advanced individuals explaining what they are and how to do them exactly with proper care taken.
1. Sukhasana (Back-to-Back Meditation)
Photo credits- Deportee-es-salud.com
Sit back to back with your partner with your backs straight and keeping your legs crossed. Use each other’s back as support and try to relax your muscles. Try taking deep breaths by closing your eyes.
This exercise helps you build your physical and mental balance. It reduces stress and anxiety and helps to calm you down.
2. Adho Mukha (Seated Forward and Back Bends)
Photo Credits- Juruyoga.com
Cross your legs and sit back to back with your partner. Extend your arms up and hold them, now one of you has to bend forward by bringing the other in a backbend. After a few seconds, repeat by taking your partner’s position.
It improves body posture, strengthening your arms, and tones your core muscles.
3. Parivritta Sukhasana II (Facing Twist)
Photo Credits- Life Hack
Sit in a cross-legged position facing your partner, with your backs touching. Now one of turn towards your left, trying to face the direction that your partner is facing. Let your partner do the opposite of what you are doing.
It helps to stretch your hips, knees, and flexibility between your spine and shoulders.
4. Navasana (Boat Pose)
Photo Credits- Meditation Magazine
Sit across your partner while keeping some distance between the two of you. Try to bend your knees and touch your toes towards each other. Extend your hands towards each other and hold them in place. Now try to bring your legs upwards while keeping your back straight. Try to hold this position for a few seconds.
It helps in strengthening your spine and hip muscles and improves your digestion and balance.
5. Acro Yoga
Photo credits- The Guardian
We will be taking one step more advanced. To perform this particular pose, The stronger partner has to lie down straight and raise both legs straightly. Now the more flexible partner has to climb on to the legs by placing their front hips onto the end of the legs. Both partners need to maintain coordination and trust each other. If a solid balance is achieved the partners can even let go of their hands. But you should be careful and only perform it very carefully.
It helps to improve concentration, build relationships, and most importantly overcome your fear of falling.
6. Dandasana and Adho Mukha Vrikshasana (Staff Pose and Square Pose)
Photo credits- Yoga Rove
This is a great exercise to practice the strength of your shoulders and your arms. One partner has to sit with their back straight and extending their arms and legs. The other partner has to perform a handstand and putting their legs on the partner’s hands, trying to recreate a square shape.
7. Uttanasana and Hasta Vrischikasana (Forward bend with handstand Scorpion)
Photo Credits- Marcia Shrap
This is an amazing example of a fun yoga pose. One of you can do a simple handstand and the another can do a scorpion pose by doing a handstand at first and then trying to touch their toes to their head.
This helps to strengthen their arms and improves in maintaining balance and coordination.
8. Adho Mukha Svanasana and Ado Mukha Vrikshasana (Downward Dog and Handstand)
Photo Credits- Real Weddings
Have your partner perform the downward dog pose. Place your hands in front of them while maintaining some distance and try to put your legs on their back. Make sure you are doing it while keeping your back straight, otherwise you might lose your balance and fall.
This is another pose that helps you strengthen your muscles, keep your core tight, and help in maintaining balance.
9. Salamba Urdhva Dhanurasana (Supported Wheel Pose)
Photo Credits- fulllotusyoga.com
Many people love this pose because it can be quite easy to do. Stand in such a way that your backs are touching and hold hands. Now one person has the bend forward, trying to lift the other one in the air, by taking their weight on to your back. When your partner gains her balance, try to keep your legs straight. After a few seconds, perform it again by taking your partner’s position.
It helps to stretch your lungs and chest and is very therapeutic for asthma, back pain, etc.
10. Utthita Urdhva Padasana (Supine Leg Raises)
Photo Credits- Yoga Studio Marta Mahou
This is one of the easiest exercises in yoga to do with your partner. All you have to do is lay down on your backs, in such a way that your heads are touching. Try to reach your partner’s shoulder and hold onto them. Now, bring your feet together and raise them, trying to make them absolute straight. Now try to suck your stomach in and slowly bring your legs up and down.
This improves the tone and strength of your abdominal and thigh muscles. It creates pressure by improving their function.
11. Utthita Hasta Ardha Uttanasana (Standing Shoulder Open)
Photo Credits- Dreamstime
Stand opposite to each other, facing each other. Now bend forward trying to form a 90 degree angle with your body and extend your arms straight.
This will help you create a strong stretch in your shoulders and will help in flexibility. It helps in calming the nervous system and helps in good blood circulation.
12. Ustrasana (Double Camel pose)
Photo Credits- Medium
This pose is not that difficult, start by sitting on your knees and your back facing towards each other. Place your toes between your partner’s leg. Now, easily lean backward trying to touch your toes with your hands and placing your head on your partner’s shoulder.
This pose helps in reducing fat on your thighs and helps in stretching your hip flexors. It also improves digestion, your posture and relieves lower back pain.
