Yoga gives you mental and physical benefits when doing it regularly. In yoga practice, you need to be accustomed to various poses that affect different parts of your body. Among them, it is better to practice poses with a partner, such as your friend or relative, for more motivation.
With 18 yoga poses for two people in this article, you can try with your ideal partner at once. Prepare to be surprised and motivated because of the great health perks. Partner yoga also builds a close relationship and makes good communication.
Whether you’re looking for 2 person yoga poses for beginners, intermediates, or advanced yogis, we’ve got you covered.
About Yoga And Its Benefits
The word “Yoga” originated from Sanskrit with the meaning “to unite”, “to join”, or “to yoke”. Having arisen in India about 5,000 years ago, yoga has been popular in different countries worldwide with numerous practitioners.
This is a spiritual discipline including groups of poses and stretches to improve physical and mental health. The postures being a series of designed movements at different positions are the key component of yoga.
After millennia, the science-backed health benefits of this practice remain significant and unexpected. Yoga poses can boost the strength of muscles, keep your heartbeat stable, increase flexibility, and improve balance. Doing yoga is a great method to calm your mind and reduce stress.
Besides, it also encourages metabolism and lessens cholesterol in the blood for a healthy body.
18 Yoga Poses For Two People
Yoga Poses For Beginners
Forward Fold
If you are a beginner, this pose is the easiest to take up with your partner. It is beneficial to stretch the hamstrings, one of three muscles posterior to your thigh. They start from your hip to under the knee and allow you to extend your legs behind your body or bend your knee.
The forward fold focuses on the thigh muscles and spine to increase flexibility and strength. It improves the internal organs, such as digestion or metabolism stimulation. Cooling your body and calming your mind are also great benefits of this yoga pose.
To do it, sit on the floor opposite your friend. Spread two legs apart and straighten them in front of you. Put your feet soles against your partner and take hold of their forearms.
Gently hinges at the waist forward and lets your partner pull you toward. Keep such movement til your hamstrings have deep stretch and hold this posture for a few breaths.
Slowly swap for your partner to hold onto your forearms and bend forwards. Hold the pose for a few breaths until feeling your hamstrings stretch.
Seated Cat Cow
This is one of the popular beginner yoga poses for 2 persons with the classic cat-cow variations. It is great to release body parts such as the upper neck, spine, back, or abdomen. Your hips or chest also get a deep stretch when doing this posture.
Apart from the physical benefits, it is a miraculous therapy for your mind and soul. You will feel comfortable and de-stress after practicing it.
For a seated cow pose, sit cross-legged on the floor in a face-to-face position with your partner. Carefully hold onto your partner’s forearms with equal resistance. Both of you pull your shoulders back and down. Push out your chests while inhaling and lifting your heads. Keep this posture a moment, and both breathe out while touching your chin to your chest and rounding out your upper back for a seated cat pose. Hold it for a few seconds and switch these 2 people yoga poses a few times.
Twin Tree Pose
This posture is hard to do alone, but it becomes simple with two people. The twin tree pose, with support from your partner, is ideal for improving your balance. Being considered as one of the yoga poses for two people easy, it will boost your confidence and concentration.
To perform it, stand close to each other with your feet, hip width apart. Keep your weight on the partner’s inner leg and spread your toes. Slowly lift your outer leg upwards and place your foot sole against the calf or thigh, except your knee.
Bring up each others’ outside arms in front of you and place your palms to touch your friend’s palm. Raise the other arms above your head and join your hands together like a prayer’s hands.
Chair Powerful Pose
Chair pose is among the easy 2 person yoga poses allowing you to lower your hip and thigh to form a chair-like stance. Your partner assists you in doing it with ease to achieve muscle stability and strength for both.
You can expect a toned thigh and leg with an improved posture when performing this partner pose. It also develops the strength of major joint muscles, including shoulders, ankles, or knees. Your quads and glutes are stronger as well, thanks to this exercise.
Let’s start by standing back to back with your friend and opening your feet hip-width apart. Lean against the back of your partner for assistance and interlace your arms with the arms of your partner.
Move your feet further and squat down to make a chair pose. Maintain such a pose for a few breaths, get your feet to come back.
View more: 16 Crazy Yoga Poses To Test Your Patience And Courage
Temple Pose
If you want to free your chest, arms, and shoulders with a great stretch of hamstrings, the temple pose is one of the best two people yoga poses. It is a peaceful practice to improve your mental health. This pose also stimulates your pelvic organs and the urogenital system.
Begin with an upright position, extend your feet hip-width apart and opposite your partner. Breath in a while, extend your arms, and move them forward until meeting with your partner’s arms. Slowly bend forward till your hands, elbows, forearms rest upon your friend.
Keep your body with your chest and abdomen at a 90-degree angle. Rest equal weight upon each other, push your hands and arms and allow the chest to release towards the floor. After a few breaths, pace forwards to each other, keep your torso upright and free your arms.
Double Downward Dog
This pose is amazing for two people due to creative and energetic movements. To do it, the first person folds the body forwards with a deep stretch of arm muscles and hamstrings to make a bottom. The second person on the top must use the upper-back strength to prepare for handstands.
One bends a 45-degree angle forwards to make a downward dog posture. The other lifts their legs and places their feet against the first partner’s lower back in the same direction.
You also place your feet on your partner’s back from two sides. Another way is stepping your feet on your friend’s back and standing your hands while stretching straight your legs for a down dog pose.
This yoga exercise can help your blood flow to the brain. You also gain the strengths of your arms, back, shoulders, and legs when doing it. This is a good solution to tone your waist and abdomen.
Buddy Boat
For those who are on the quest for easy yoga poses for two people, this is a wise stop. You can get different health benefits from this yoga posture.
It opens your chest, strengthens your lower back, and releases the tension of hamstrings. Your digestion is also better, and your torso is stronger with the buddy boat pose.
To perform it, take a seat opposite your friend, half leg apart. Lift your legs upwards to reach a 45-degree angle between your hip and torso. Place your feet soles together while holding each other’s hands. Straighten your legs slowly to make a boat shape, straighten your spines and take your breaths.
This posture is not beneficial for those who got asthma or heart diseases. Pregnant women should also avoid this pose to prevent the risks.
Partner Plank
Do the plank with your partner, and feel the changes from getting it alone. This pose focuses on the overall core and body strength.
Your partner begins with an ordinary plank while you put your hands on their ankles. Bring your legs backward and place your toes’ top on their shoulders.
For the modified version, you can lie on your partner’s back and let them place their hands on your ankles. Hold your partner’s ankles and straighten your arms to do the plank. This posture is one of the two person yoga poses giving you quick weight loss. Your posture also gets great improvement if you perform this exercise. It is effective in strengthening your arms and back as well as building your confidence and flexibility.
Square
This yoga pose is interesting to try with your partner when using your body to form a square. Begin with a torso posture like a plank. Your partner takes a seat and raises their arms overhead.
Meanwhile, you straighten and place your hands on your partner’s ankles. Your friend lifts and holds your legs above their head while you fold your hip to make a square shape.
This yoga practice is great for improving your hip flexibility and boosting your hamstrings’ strength. You also feel comfortable in your lower back when bending your body. Even better, the exercise also boosts digestion and releases your shoulders.
Wide Forward Leg
The wide forward led should be ranked among the easy 2 person yoga poses that help you boost your relationship with your partner. Besides, this pose is beneficial to release your muscles and improve your posture.
The simple movements, including legs and arms, help you keep a good balance.
You can make your legs flexible, and your hamstrings relax with simple steps. Stand upright and face your partner with one-leg distance. Lift your right leg and place it at your partner’s left hip. Your partner moves their right leg upward and puts it on your left hip.
Hold your knee straight, and your feet flexed while grabbing your friend’s ankles and holding the leg in place. For more challenges, put your leg on your friend’s shoulder and hold their forearms to keep balance.
Warrior III
Warrior III is a versatile pose in yoga to open your chest and balance. It helps build stability on your entire body with the combined muscles at your arms, legs, or core. Doing this pose is also good to tone your abdomen.
This posture is the perfect solution to improve your focus and memory. A complete warrior III can energize you to do activities and work better.
How to perform?
Stand opposite your friend and keep your feet parallel. Place your feet and extend your toes to have an even weight distribution. Your partner moves your body forward into warrior III. You also do the same posture after your partner is stable.
Both of you wrap the arms towards the inner thighs and hold each other’s calf. Slightly bend your knees and press your hips into each other to stay balanced. Lower your legs down and switch to the forward folding pose to stand upright.
Shoulderstand And Chair
With this yoga posture, you can receive great support from your partner. It improves your circulation and mood by influencing your muscles and core. You can gain strength and mobility through keeping the balance, opening your hips, and stretching your shoulders.
To do this pose, your partner can form their torso like a chair. They can rest upon a wall when starting to stay balanced. You push into a shoulder stand and place your feet on your partner’s thighs. Maintain this posture for a series of breaths and relax.
Advanced Yoga Poses For Two People
Supported Wheel
Starting our list of advanced two people yoga poses is the wheel posture – a back-bending challenge. Your front body moves upwards, and your spine bends backward with your hands and feet on the floor.
Your partner lies on their abdomen in the cobra posture. You lay on their back, and your partner raises their hands to grab your ankles. Bend your arms backward and hold your partner’s ankles. Push up through your arms as a single-person wheel posture.
If you want a more challenging start, your partner will be in the cobra position and reach their hands up to grasp your ankles. Put your hands on your partner’s ankles and push up to make a handstand pose. Lower your legs down to touch your partner’s hands.
You shouldn’t practice this pose if you have weak wrists or back pain.
Flying Bow
This yoga pose reduces fatigue and increases the energy for your body. When doing the flying bow to support your partner, your lower body is strong with a versatile spine and chest. You also release your muscle tension and open your chest up by assisting your partner.
The base person catches the top person’s shoulders firmly to give support. The top partner folds their legs and takes their hands to meet their ankles. They need to bend deeply backward to make a bow.
When the base person keeps their feet in place and the top person is stable, release their shoulders to form a flying bow look. Keep holding each other’s hands for extra stability.
This pose is not good for a person having high blood pressure, a hernia, injuries, headaches, or recent surgery.
Flying Paschi Pose
This is an ancient yoga pose that resembles the free shoulders and shape. Paschi gives you mental and physical benefits such as relaxation or pain reduction.
It improves your aches, strengthens the muscles, and fosters injury recovery. Getting this practice, you have a nice sleep and a comfortable spirit. Thereby, your immune system and other organs work better.
To perform it, lie on your back and stretch your legs upwards. Hold your partner’s hands for them to invert into the upside-down position. Hold their hips with your legs and place your hands to meet their shoulders.
Straighten your legs to push your partner’s hip forward. Lower your legs down the floor while stretching your arms upward to support your partner’s arms.
You should place your hand near your partner’s shoulders to keep better stability. Your partner needs to hold their ankles as tight as possible for you to keep an easier balance.
View more: See 10 Couples Yoga Poses – Grab Great Health And Fitness Together
Flying Superman
The superman pose is the same as the flying spiderman that strengthens the chest and lower back muscles. It also stretches your arms, shoulders, and legs to make them firm and flexible.
Performing this exercise boosts your blood circulation and improves your stomach health. This pose also keeps your back spine supple and tones your abdomen.
When doing it, keep deep breaths, relieve your stress, and alleviate your mind.
Lie on your back and place your feet’s soles against your partner’s abdomen. To keep balance, take hold of each other’s hands when pushing up into the pose. Push your legs straight upward, lift your partner laying on their stomach and let them hands-free.
Raise your hands upward, and your partner puts their hands back to keep balance to be a classic flying superman pose.
Flying superman is not suitable for injuries, pregnancy, or chronic back pains.
Flying Handstand Scorpion
This is an advanced yoga pose asking for a combination of various body parts and good skills. This exercise includes an elementary handstand with a challenging scorpion pose. You will bend your entire body into a cured scorpion tail when doing it.
Your physical health is improvable with this challenging pose. It also builds the strengths of your wrists, arms, and shoulders. Your abdominal muscles can get better as well. By stretching your spine and the whole front body, the movement boosts your blood flow to your brain.
Together with the even breaths, it makes your chest open up to help your respiration healthier. The abdominal organs can be reproductive thanks to doing this pose. To begin performing it, lie on your back and place your feet soles to support your partner’s lower back or hip. Your friend moves their hands above your head while arching their back and placing their hands on your abdomen.
When your partner bends backward, you lift and straighten your legs to raise your partner into a flying pose. Your partner arches into a scorpion shape and hooks their legs behind your legs to maintain stability.
See more: 16 Crazy Yoga Poses To Test Your Patience And Courage
Partner Star Pose
This yoga practice is an advanced pose that energizes your feet and arms and opens your chest. This pose starts with an upper partner in an upside-down position while the base partner supports the upper partner.
Your arms and legs are stretched with a good balance and deep breath in this posture. It is beneficial to develop your hamstrings, muscles, and abdominals.
Doing this movement also contributes to aligning your spine and reducing backaches. It boosts circulation and improves respiration for the overall body health.
To practice it, lie on your back and raise your legs upwards, and your partner stands near your head. You two spread and hold each other’s hands.
Your partner leans their body forward and stacks their shoulders over your legs. They raise their legs off the floor and invert into handstands with the extended legs.
If you or your friend have dizziness, chronic headaches, or trouble balancing, you shouldn’t practice this pose.
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Conclusion
Now, you got 18 yoga poses for two people with specific purposes, separated benefits, and complete instructions. These practices are ideal and useful for you and your friend to improve spiritual and physical wellbeing.
This article covered yoga postures from the basic to the advanced level. Choosing the right movements depends on your and your partner’s health condition and ability. Consider the most suitable yoga poses for 2 beginners or expert yogis to get the best result.
However, you should relax your body and mind to avoid unwanted injuries or bad impacts during the session.
Now, grab your partner, warm up your muscles and start doing!
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