What do you know about yoga for couples? Are you ready to do it with your partner? Let’s talk about this a little bit more.
We live in a hectic world, and stress plays an enormous role. It is necessary to find a way to relax and get in touch with our authentic selves. We can do that by practicing yoga.
Yoga is an ancient method for relaxation, coming originally from India. It combines specific postures, called asanas, with breathing and meditation techniques. All these things may be accompanied by calming yoga music so that the person can fully connect with his inner soul and relax. Practicing yoga positively affects lower back pain. It deals with depression, reduces the heart rate, lowers blood pressure, and improves breathing. It takes us spiritually to a calm and harmless place where we can fully relax.
Yoga is getting more and more popular. Entrepreneurs open yoga studios and organize yoga classes or retreats out in the open – on beaches, in forests, and on mountain sites.
Many people prefer to spend their money on yoga classes instead of paying for a gym membership. Now we are much more aware of the importance of our spiritual condition than we used to be. It’s not only about being physically strong. If we want to keep our sanity and deal efficiently with life’s hardships, we must also work on our minds. Yoga is accessible because it can be practiced everywhere – at home, at the yoga studio, at the beach, at your parent’s house, or in the hotel room. You can find instructions on how to do it yourself on the internet. You don’t need much equipment except a yoga pat and a device to play meditation music.
Yoga for couples
Yoga is usually considered an individual activity. But there are also postures suitable for two. Suppose two partners want to become closer physically and spiritually, spend more together and bring a new spark to the relationship. In that case, they can start practicing yoga for couples. Here are some of the positive effects of partner yoga:
- Yoga helps the partners improve communication and understanding within the couple. While doing the yoga asana poses, partners discuss the positions of their bodies, the limits of their physical strength, and body flexibility. They should know the weaknesses and strong sides of their significant other and whether they can count on each other. The partners should feel free to reveal their vulnerability if they’re unsure what to do next.
- Building a better sense of trust is another benefit of couples yoga. Some postures are all about the right balance. Isn’t it the same with relationships? If the partners don’t trust each other, they will have difficulty maintaining a stable and balanced position. But if they rely on each other, they probably lack fear of failing and give their best to perform the asana. Here the phrase “Catch me if I fall” fits perfectly. If you trust your yoga partner, you are pretty sure they will prevent you from falling. Saving you in this concrete situation means they can fully support you all the way.
- Individual yoga reduces stress, sense of anxiety, fear, and depression and chases away panic attacks. The same applies to yoga for couples. Sometimes just holding the other person’s hand removes all the pressure and insecurities. Yoga involves a lot of touching, so it’s an excellent way to help your partner relax. Once the stress is out of the picture, the issues that usually turn into massive scandals are resolved in no time. The partners continue to feel positive about each other without even the slightest taste of resentment.
- Yoga for couples brings excitement, new energy, and experiences for the partners and keeps the relationship alive. It creates new memories and ignites the spark. Sometimes people are too busy to pay enough attention to their partner. They are so consumed by everyday struggles they have no time for anything else. The relationships suffer. The other person may feel underrated, as if they are unimportant, and love slowly dies. Some try going on date nights, visiting the cinema, going for walks, or traveling together to exotic destinations. Those things may not always work. One of the most intimate ways to strengthen your relationship and breathe new life into it is yoga for couples. Partners spend more time together while doing yoga positions. They maintain visual, physical, and mental contact. What a pleasant way to fall in love with your soulmate over and over again!
- Studies show that yoga increases sexual drive and satisfaction and helps people with sexual dysfunction, both men and women. Yoga poses for couples create strong sexual attraction between the partners (read here about Tantric Hatha Yoga as well). The feeling we get doing physical exercise, and yoga has a lot to do with exercise, is very similar to the arousal we feel when we are sexually attracted to someone. Being close to somebody’s body and watching how it moves can be very seducing. Some people even try nude yoga. This way, partners become more comfortable with their own bodies. Playfully they discover new depths of their sexual life as a couple. They also learn how to concentrate and control their sexual desire.
Easy Yoga Couple Positions
There are yoga couple poses with different difficulty levels. If you and your partner wish to take your first steps in yoga, you should start with some basic and easy positions.
- Breathing together: Yoga deals with breathing. Yoga practitioners must focus on the air that comes in and out of their bodies. This comfortable position helps partners concentrate on their breathing. Sit with your partner on the floor with your backs resting and hands on your thighs or knees. Breathe alternatively – while you inhale, your partner exhales. Keep doing this for 3 to 5 minutes.
- Back-to-back twist: Take the same position as the previous pose. Inhale and put your arms over your heads. Twist to your right while exhaling and place your right hand inside your partner’s left knee and your left hand outside your right knee. Your partner should do the same but on the other side. Hold this position for 3 to 5 exhales, then twist to the opposite side.
- Cat-cow position: Sit opposite each other with crossed legs, touching knees. Take hold of your arms. Your hands should be on top of your elbows and your partner’s hands beneath. Rock back and forth. Inhale together, form an arch with your spine like a cat. Exhale and lean forward until you make a C-shape with your back. Suck your stomach in and lean back so you can feel a stretch.
- Double tree: This is a standing position that improves the balance and trust in the couple. Stand next to your partner with hips side by side. Place palms together and wrap your inner arm around the partner’s waist. Place the weight on the leg closer to your partner. Lift the outside leg and place your foot on your other leg’s inner shin or thigh. Hold this position and breath. Then you can change places with your partner.
- Double chair: A good pose for balance and strength. Take a back-to-back standing position with your partner. Intertwine your hands through your partner’s arms and link the elbows together. Start making small steps with the legs until you reach the squatting position. The idea is to squat down in harmony with your partner. Hold this pose for a few breaths. Then slowly walk your feet back until you reach a standing position again.
Yoga couple challenge
Now that you know some basic yoga poses, here are some challenging positions:
- Double Plank: Stand on your legs and arms on the floor and put your legs backward to take the so-called plank position. Your partner holds your ankles at first, then places his feet at the base of your shoulders, thus taking a plank position on top of you.
- The Star: Lie on your back on the floor and extend your legs in an upward position. Your partner stands near your head, and you both extend your arms to hold hands. He leans forward, stacking shoulders over your feet. Then he lifts his feet, takes an up-side-down position, and opens the legs on the sides.
- Flying Bow: Here, the first partner is called a base. He lies on his back with his legs up, soles facing the sky. The other partner, the flyer, stands close to the base’s legs and lightly sits on the raised soles. The flyer grabs the base by the ankles. The base partner lengthens his legs while holding the flyer’s arms and lifts the flyer off the ground. Once the flyer finds the right balance, he leaves the partner’s ankles and reaches to grab his own. This way, he opens the chest fully and takes a bow pose.
Some people are fully aware of the benefits of yoga for couples and wish to combine their family holiday with doing yoga. Travel agencies and hotels offer exclusive yoga retreat holidays with special classes for their clients. The classes help yoga practitioners get to the depths of this ancient culture.
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We can surely say yoga is an effective way of relaxation. It chases the stress and depression away (read more here). It normalizes heart rate and blood pressure levels. Yoga is even more beneficial when practiced with a partner. It is more amusing and helps strengthen your relationship with your significant other. Don’t hesitate! Start practicing yoga for couples now!
FAQ:
How often should we practice yoga for couples?
You can practice couple’s yoga whenever you and your partner have the time and the desire to do something together and relax. Plan your yoga sessions in advance. Schedule the exact day and time you wish to devote to each other and yoga. Your body will get used to doing the same exercises at the same time.
Is there any special outfit we must wear when practicing yoga for couples?
When you practice yoga for couples, put on something you feel comfortable in. Wear clothes that don’t limit the body’s movement in any way. Tight clothes can prevent you from taking some positions with your partner. You can’t reach complete relaxation if you feel uncomfortable.
Is it necessary to maintain visual contact with the partner the whole time?
Visual contact helps you connect with the partner on a deeper level during yoga for couples. It contributes to the relaxation you want to achieve. But you can close your eyes if you inhale or exhale. This way, you can concentrate on your inner self for a moment. Then you can turn your attention towards the partner again.
