25 Couple Yoga Poses That Will Make You Feel Healthier & Get You Ready For 2019
Couple yoga is a great way to stay fit and connect with your partner spiritually.
As the holidays come and go, many people decide that working out will be their New Year's resolution. However, most do not follow up with their resolution and fall back into their old routines.
Does this sound like you? If it does, maybe it's time to try couples yoga!
In general, yoga is a great way to keep you focused and stress-free in your life. Couples yoga is an activity that both of you guys can do and will make exercising enjoyable rather than a chore.
It is a great way to start your health kick this new year and bring you closer to your partner.
Couples yoga requires you to depend on your significant other for most positions, creating more intimacy between you two. Being close with one another while you are hot and sweaty is a very vulnerable thing to do. If you trust your partner to hold you up in a yoga position, you can be sure that they are someone you can trust for the long haul.
Check out these couples yoga positions, ranging in difficulty from beginner to advanced.
1. Seated Cat-Cow.
Sit across from each other, cross your legs and face your partner, making sure that your kneecaps touch. Grab each other's forearms and slowly pull away from one another with equal resistance. Once you both are in the position, inhale together, look up and slowly exhale at the same time as you roll and tuck your chin down. Repeat this step multiple times.
2. Back to Back Dialogue.
Sit back to back with your partner in a crossed-leg position. Take a few deep breaths in silence and focus on your breathing in relation to your partner's. You will notice that your breathing will become synced with his or hers.
If you two have found it hard to get some time to talk, this is a great time to do so. You or he can start by talking for about three minutes about what is on your mind or how you are feeling. This is a perfect way to listen to one another without interruption and to be fully aware of how you guys are feeling in that moment.
3. Back to Back Backend/Forward Fold.
Begin seated back to back. Have someone start off with their legs fully extended and leaning forward. The other partner should bend their knees, putting their feet flat on the ground, and slowly press backward, potentially in a gentile backend. This is a great way to stretch in a fun and intimate way with each other.
4. Back to Back Shoulder Stretches.
Stand back to back with your partner with your arms extended in T-shape. Interlace your hands with one another, pressing your palms together. Keep your arms engaged as one partner gently pulls the other's hands forward. This will help open and stretch your partner's chest. Alternate pulling each other's hands forward.
5. Back to Back Chair.
Stand back to back, with your hands gently placed in front of you. Either you or your partner will slowly walk feet to hip-width apart, leaning on each other for balance. Then, the other person will do the same. Slowly, you will both end up with your legs in a 90-degree position; it should look as if you are both sitting on invisible chairs. Hold for three to five minutes, focussing on your breathing. Once the time is up, you will slowly lean on your partner come back up, working together until both of you return to a standing position.
6. Flying Warrior.
This pose requires a lot of strength and trust in one another. The base partner will be on his back, with his knees bent and legs lifted to the sky. His partner, "the flyer," will slowly lean into the base's feet, clasping hands while the base adjusts his feet to the crease of his partner's hips. With trust and communication, the base slowly extends his legs, while she takes flight.
7. High Flying Whale.
The base will begin on his back,with the flyer standing over him, her feet near the base's hips, facing his head. The base will slowly place his feet onto his parnter's back. The flyer will slowly lean into his feet while the base adjusts them to her shoulder blades. As the flyer leans more into the base, he will grab her ankles and slowly extend his feet and arms, putting her into a high flying whale position.
8. Camel Pose.
Starting from the High Flying Whale pose, the base will gently invite the flyer to bend one leg at a time. As the flyer slowly bends her legs, she will be arching her back and placing the heel of her foot on the shins of the base. For extra support, the base should have his hands on her knees.
9. Back Bird.
The base begin lying on his back with his heels lifted over his hips. The flyer will then stand with the base's heels almost touching her glutes. The flyer will reach her arms behind her and take hold of the base's ankles. As she does this, the base will place his heels in the middle of the flyer's glutes, his toes reaching up towards her waistline. He will bend his knees as little as possible to receive the flyer, keeping his arms straight as he receives his partner's weight.
The flyer will lean back to connect her shoulder blades to the base's hands. The base should elongate his legs as the flyer connects her shoulders to her partner's hands. As the flyer is lifted by the base, she will draw one foot to touch his knees and extend her arms toward the base's legs. Take one to three breath cycles here and then slowly switch legs. Ask for a less intense backend if desired.
10. Boat Pose.
Start in Back Bird. The flyer should slowly rise up, using the abdominal muscles and legs to create a v shape. Breathe for seven breath cycles.
11. Reverse Star in Scorpion.
Start with the base on his back. He should have his legs standing straight with his feet lifted toward the sky. The flyer will stand in front of his legs and slowly lean her shoulders towards his feet. While leaning into her partner, the flyer will extend her feet towards her legs, creating curvature in the abdomen while the base holds the flyer's arms against his calves.
12. Hangle Dangle
The base should start on his back with one leg straightened toward the sky. The flyer should stand on the side opposite the base's leg that is in the air, near his waist.
As the flyer leans toward the base's body, she should slowly put one foot in the air, holding it with her opposite hand. The base will slowly nestle his foot in between the flyer's handstand. He will slowly lean her sideways and put his hand on the side of her shoulder to support her. The flyer should have both legs pointing in opposite directions, diagonal with the free hand pointing straight up to the sky.
13. Firefly Pose on Two-Legged Inverted Staff Pose.
The base should begin on his back. He will do an Inverted Staff pose with his head, forearms, and legs as the support for the flyer, who will place her hands on the base's hip area to slowly lift herself and invert her legs forward.
14. Beach on Plank
With the base in a plank position, the flyer will stand on the side of the base, facing him. She will slowly lean up against the base's body and lift herself up with the support of both of her arms lying across the body of the base. The flyer will then spread her legs out evenly to create a V shape.
15. Loop de loop
The base should begin on his stomach. The flyer should lie on her back on top of the base's back with her head near his ankles and feet pointing toward his head. The base will slowly push the flyer's legs upward while arching his back. The flyer should slowly arch her back and lift herself up as the base pushes all the way till his body is off the ground, creating a loop de loop shape.
16. Peacock Posture.
The base should begin this pose in a fetal position with his legs exposed and arms bent and his hands tucked under his chin. The flyer will stand behind the base, facing the same direction. She will slowly put her chest on the base's back and hands on his things. The flyer will begin to lift her body up using her hands, with her head nestled into the base's neck, creating a peacock shape in the air.
17. Backbend Yoga Pose.
With the base lying on his stomach, the flyer will stand over the base's hips, facing the same direction as the base is facing. The base will slowly extend his arms backward as the flyer latches her hands onto his. She will slowly lean backward, curving her back and lifting the base's chest off the ground.
18. Thick Tree Poses.
Both partners will start in a tree pose, standing side by side, making sure to have the opposite leg lifted against your inner thigh.
RELATED: 15 Best Free Yoga Videos On YouTube
19. Twin Warrior Poses.
Each partner will begin doing the Warrior pose behind one another. Both partners should extend their hands so they touch just above one another's head.
20. Forearm Standing Pose.
While the flyer is doing a forearm stand, the base should stand with his arms parallel to each other on either side of the flyer's feet. Switch positions so you both can enjoy this pose.
21. Star Pose.
The base should lie on his back with his legs and hands up in the sky. The flyer will start standing over the head of the base, facing him, and connect hands. The flyer will then place her shoulders onto the base's feet and jump with her hips and legs up in the air while pushing into her partner's hands to find balance.
22. Mono Plank.
Both the flyer and base will start off in the Bird position. The flyer will slowly extend one of her legs to the air shifting her weight. Once the flyer is stable, the base will slowly put his free leg down.
23. Foot to Foot.
Start in the Bird position. The base should slowly guide the flyer into the Chair position, her sitting on the base's feet. The flyer will then connect one foot at a time with the base's feet while keeping her arms extended the entire time.
Helpful tip: The base should drop his legs to help the flyer connect feet. Once the flyer is in a sturdy position with feet connected, the base should slowly straighten his legs.
24. Hold the Throne.
The base should begin on his back, with both hands in the sky facing up. The flyer will take one hand and one foot from opposite sides and slowly place them into the base's hands. Once balanced, the flyer should slowly lift her free leg and extend it to be parallel to the base's body and point her free arm straight up.
25. The Box.
The base should lie on his back with both arms and legs stretched upward. The flyer should stand at the base's head and slowly place her feet into his hands while using the base's feet to balance on. Once in a steady position, slowly angle yourself to create a ninety-degree angle.
Jonathan Mui is a writer who covers astrology, pop culture and relationship topics.