Valentine’s Day can mean roses, chocolate and lingerie. In our yoga-soaked culture, it can also mean a lot of romantic workshops on offer around the country: from tantric to couple’s massage.
Partner yoga may be a way to add a little spice to your relationship while keeping your toes in the shallow end of the pool of kinky. These poses can be done with or without clothing. We’re just saying.
All kidding aside, partner yoga allows for a great amount of support, helping you to give and receive, stretch more deeply, and touch the person you love. Give these three exercises a whirl:
1. Sit cross-legged back to back. Take your hands to press down lightly on your partner’s thighs. Try to feel the breath through the back of your partner’s body and match it with your own. Once matched, come into a spinal twist by bringing one of your hands onto one of your knees and the other one to your partner’s thigh. Switch sides, bringing fluidity to both of your spines and helping to nurture a deeper connection through shared breathing. **Go here for a picture - Sukhasana (Easy Pose)
2. Have one partner comes into child’s pose, hips towards the heels and forehead to the mat. If one partner has tight hips and can’t get their hips towards their heels, have the other person massage their shoulders as they relax and switch. Alternatively, if both partners are flexible, have one partner sit on the other person’s sacrum and lay all the way back, grabbing arms. This provides a backbend for one, as well as a forward bend for another. Switch and sigh sweet contentment. **Picture is the featured photo for this post.
3. Those who balance together, stay together. Stand side by side. Lift your outside foot and put it on your inner thigh or lower leg. Take your inner arms and wrap them around one another’s waists. Then take your outer hands and bring them into a prayer position. You are strengthening your legs, improving your balance and representing metaphorically how you support each other. Make sure to switch sides. ** **Go here for a picture - last one on page.
End your practice with a shared savasana, lying down and letting go of any tension in the body as you hold hands. Place your free hand over your heart as you connect to your heart centre. Bathe in gratitude for your partner and your capacity for loving them. Go here for photo
We’re not responsible for what happens after this sequence…
