Yoga Poses For Two People 5 Best Couples Yoga Poses

And if you’re not yet doing yoga, starting to practice with a partner can help you get and stay motivated, while also working through some of the inhibitions that newbies can feel. Best of all, it can really deepen and enhance your relationship. “Doing poses together builds trust, strength, intimacy—all the components that go into a relationship,” says Patti Asad, a yoga instructor and teacher trainer at Yogaworks in L.A. “As you and your partner begin moving together and synchronizing your breath,” she adds, “it creates a very intimate flow that enhances the sexual energy between the two of you.” Here is a series of yoga poses for two—arranged from easiest to more difficult—that can add some bliss to the state of your union. You can start your practice session by sitting across from one another in a comfortable, cross-legged position, knees touching. Place one hand on your heart, then reach across and place your other hand on your partner’s hand, which is already on his or her heart. Begin to breathe together, synchronizing your inhalations and exhalations. You can close your eyes, or try a little eye gazing—or maybe a bit of both. When you feel centered and connected, you can begin to move into the poses.

Yoga Poses for Two

1. Seated cat/cow

Sitting cross-legged and facing one another, with knees touching, reach out and take hold of one another’s forearms. Inhaling, rock back and forth for a while to establish a comfortable equilibrium. Both partners then arch their backs, lifting the heart skyward. You can drop your head back if it feels comfortable. Exhaling, both partners draw chin to chest, rounding the back and gazing toward the navel. Repeat for several minutes, following the breath and feeling the neck, shoulder and back muscles flex and relax.

2. Seated spinal twist

Start in the same seated position as above. Each partner crosses his/her arms and takes hold of the other partner’s hands or wrists. One partner twists to the right, pulling the other into a twist in the opposite direction. The contrary motion will pull each partner deeper into his/her twist. Move with the breath and concentrate on establishing a give-and-take balance in which you both feel comfortable.

3. Bound angle pose

For this one, you’ll start by sitting back-to-back on the floor or a comfortable mat. One partner bends forward, keeping the back straight, knees bent, hands grasping the feet with the arms either outside the legs (easy), inside the legs (slightly more difficult) or threaded outside the thighs but inside the calves (harder still, for maximum stretch). The other partner leans against the back of the one bending forward, with chest expanded, arms spread out, knees bent, feet together and thighs apart. Breathe together in this pose for a while, then switch positions.

4. Yab yum

This is a nonsexual, but still quite sensuous, variant of a posture often seen in Tantric art and iconography. The name yab yum literally means “mother father” in Tibetan. The larger/stronger partner sits cross-legged on the floor or a comfortable mat. If this partner can get into full lotus posture, with both feet resting on the knees, it will provide the strongest foundation, but any cross-legged posture will work. The other partner then sits on top of the first partner’s thighs, with her or his ankles crossed behind the back of the seated partner. Both partners should keep their spines straight, with their foreheads—location of the spiritual “third eye”— touching. Breathe together, eyes closed or eye gazing.

5. Boat pose for two

Start by facing one another in a seated position. Each partner grasps the other partner’s wrists. With knees bent, each partner presses the soles of his/her feet against the soles of their partner’s feet. Both partners then try to straighten their legs and move them upward. If it’s working right, the two should form the shape of a W. (See image at the top.) Up next, here’s what to know about mindfulness, a very simple form of meditation that increases calm, reduces depression and helps combat anxiety associated with our increasingly frantic existence.