Couples Yoga: Cupid’s Struck My Yoga Mat

Valentine’s Day is back! For some, it’s a pressure test, for others, it’s about butterflies, and for a few, it’s about expressions, and the rest just flow with the feeling.

We are breaking the monotone this Valentine’s and making it adventurous! Breaking the ice with a new partner or deepening connection with your old flame will take on a new meaning henceforth. Flowers, chocolates, and diamonds can take a back seat, and you can now connect with your favorite person on the yoga mat.

These six yoga poses will help you have fun, recharge, and heat up the chemistry beyond the mat, plus they’ll enhance the six basic ingredients of a thriving relationship—harmony, intensity, balance, support, attraction, and compatibility, in just the right proportions.

1. Harmony. Start in a seated position with your backs resting against each other and hands on the knees. Allow yourself to feel and connect with the breath rhythm of your partner and practice alternate nostril breathwork (Nadi Shodhana Pranayama). To connect better, breathe alternately with your partner, so as you inhale, they exhale; as they inhale, you exhale. Practice for three to five minutes. Beginning with breathwork will help harmonize your breath patterns and calm the initial apprehensions of couple’s yoga.
2. United Intensity. Seated Forward Bend (Paschimottanasana). Facing each other, sit on the floor and reach towards your toes in a forward bend. Press the soles of your feet into your partner’s and clasp hands to feel intensity to its edge! This position helps stretch the back and hamstrings and massage and tone the pelvic organs and shoulders.
3. Strike the Right Balance. (Double) Tree Pose (Vrikshasana). Stand side-by-side facing the same direction, and wrap your inside arm around your partner’s waist. Standing firmly on your inside leg, rotate your outside leg, bringing the sole of your foot to your ankle, calf, or thigh. Lift your outside arm above you, or press your palms together to unite the pose. Hold the pose for five to ten breaths on each side. This pose is rejuvenating, stretches the legs, back, and arms, and invigorates you. It brings balance and equilibrium to your mind and helps improve concentration.
4. Support Systems. (Buddy) Boat Pose (Navasana). Sit facing one another with your legs bent and your knees near your chest. Hold your partner’s hands or wrists and bring the heels of your feet together. Slowly straighten out your legs as you bring your feet upward. Release your shoulders, straighten your spine, and lean back. The Boat Pose strengthens the back and abdominal muscles and helps tone the leg and arm muscles.
5. Opposites Attract. Sitting Half Spinal Twist (Ardha Matsyendrasana). In this pose, both partners sit in a cross-legged seated position facing each other. Inhale and lengthen your spine up and away from your tailbone. Exhale, and each partner twists to the right, both of you reaching your right arm behind your back and holding your partner’s left hand. Repeat on the other side. Deepen this pose by gently pulling on your hands. Twists help cleanse the body and assist in the detoxifying process. This is also a fun way to initiate playfulness with your partner.
6. Being Compatible. Downward Facing Dog Pose (Adho Mukha Svanasana). One partner gets into Downward Facing Dog Pose. The other partner (you), position your feet on either side of the down-dogging partner’s hands and use your hands to lower yourself onto your partner’s back. Then, stretch your arms overhead, letting your weight rest upon your partner’s back. Stay for a few breaths, and then trade places. This pose combination is a perfect give and take between yoga partners and helps you build your compatibility and communication.

   Partner yoga is one of the best ways to strengthen your connection while having fun together. It is now an increasingly popular concept that’s been interpreted in a variety of ways—from AcroYoga to couples yoga to mom-and-baby yoga. Each offers a unique opportunity to relate deeply to another person—whether it’s someone with whom you plan to share your life with or a new friend you’ve just met. By exploring physical give-and-take, you and your partner can dive deeply into the principles that govern successful and supportive friendships and loving relationships.