Maybe you’ve done yoga in the past, but how about yoga poses for 2 people? It might turn out to be exactly what you need. Here are some yoga poses that two people can do together.
Yoga can be practiced in groups or by yourself. In fact, practicing partner yoga together can be a fantastically enjoyable way for friends, lovers, or even random park visitors to get to know one another better.
It’s crucial to remember before you start that you should only work as far as you feel comfortable. Everybody is flexible to varying degrees. When your body doesn’t feel comfortable in a position, don’t force it into it because this could result in harm.
Furthermore, if you feel any severe pain whilst performing these yoga poses for 2 people, you should stop immediately and if necessary seek professional advice. Grab a mat, a water bottle, and a partner, then let’s start exercising!
Table of Contents
Yoga Poses for Two People: Warm Up
You should warm up your muscles before attempting the couples yoga poses in this article, as you should with any form of exercise. Cold muscles should never be stretched because doing so could cause damage.
Additionally, warm muscles can stretch a little bit further! You can simply jog for 5 to 10 minutes, perform star jumps, heel kicks, or skipping to get the blood flowing throughout your body without having to do anything strenuous or complicated.
Easy Yoga Poses for Two People
We’ll go over some simple yoga poses in this section that can be used as warm-up poses for more experienced yogis before they move on to more challenging poses, or as yoga poses for beginners.
Yoga Poses for Beginners
1. Partner Forward Fold
Benefits: This easy yoga pose for two stretches the hamstrings
How to do it: Both of your legs should be spread apart and extended straight in front of you as you sit across from your partner. As you grab hold of each other’s forearms, place the soles of your feet up against your partners’. The other will then pull you gently in their direction as one of you slowly hinges forward from the hips. Hold this position for a few breaths after continuing until you feel a significant stretch in your hamstrings. Then slowly stand back up and switch places, with the second person this time bending forward and the first person gently pulling them toward you. If they experience a stretch in their hamstrings, they should hold this position for a few breaths once more.
2. Twin Trees
Benefits: This balance pose improves balance and posture and opens up the hips
How to do it: Your feet should be about hip width apart as you stand shoulder to shoulder. Both spread your toes and plant your inside leg into the ground while maintaining full foot contact. After that, slowly raise the other leg, bending the knee, and placing the sole of your foot against the side of your lower leg or, if you feel stable enough, the inside of your thigh. As it will put unnecessary pressure on the joint, avoid placing your foot up against your knee. You can either hold each other’s arms out in front of you, which is a little easier, or you can raise your arms above your head, which is a little more difficult.
You can practice your balance by doing this pose with a partner because you can both support one another.
3. Seated Cat Cow
Benefits: This couples yoga pose is a great stretch for the hips, core and back, and it also helps open up the chest
How to do it: The traditional cat-and-cow move is modified in this way. Cross your legs in front of your partner and hold tightly onto each other’s forearms. Draw your shoulders back and down while finding an equal amount of resistance with your partner. After taking a breath, slowly raise your heads and simultaneously push out your chests. In essence, this is the cow pose performed while seated. Next, both of you exhale while maintaining this posture. You both round your upper backs and tuck your chins into your chests as you exhale. To keep your back arched and make sure your shoulder blades are stretched, look towards your belly button. In a seated position, the cat pose looks like this. After a brief period of holding this position, slowly switch a few times between the cow and cat positions. To be in sync with each other during this pose, communication is necessary.
4. Chair Pose
Benefits: This partner pose strengthens the quads and improves posture
How to do it: With your feet hip width apart, stand back to back with your partner. Slowly walk out your feet a bit and lean into their back for support. If you feel comfortable doing so, you can interlace your arms for stability. To make sure you are on time with one another during the next step, you will need to communicate. Slowly squat to assume the chair position. In order to strike the chair pose, you might need to move your feet further apart. To maintain stability, continue pushing against each other’s backs. After a few breaths in this position, slowly exhale and walk your feet back out.
You can do this a few times more or, as a fun exercise, try seeing how long you can hold the pose. in the same vein as the wall-sit challenge. You will feel the burn in your thighs!
Related Post: How To Do Chair Pose In Yoga?
5. Temple
Benefits: A great partner pose to open up the shoulders and chest
How to do it: As you begin, stand facing each other with your feet hip-width apart. Taking a deep breath, raise your arms overhead. Next, gently hinge forward from the hips until you are holding hands with your partner. Once you’re in this position, slowly start to fold forward until your hands, forearms, and elbows are resting against your partners. By pressing into your hands and arms to release your chest toward the ground, you must rest equal weight against each other. As you approach one another slowly, lift your torso off the ground and let your arms hang down. Hold for a few breaths.
6. Double Downward Dog
Benefits: A restorative pose which lengthens the spine and allows you to gain focus
How to do it: In the downward dog position, partner 1 gets started. Partner 2 then adopts a similar stance, places their hands in front of Partner 1’s, slowly lifts up their legs, and presses their feet against the lower back of Partner 1. You can start in down dog, step your feet onto your partner’s lower back, walk your hands in while straightening your legs to create the down dog shape, or start a short distance in front of your partner.
In the modified version of this pose, Partner 1 begins in child’s pose while Partner 2 is positioned at arms’ length away. Partner 1 then spreads their arms wide and firmly grabs Partner 2’s ankles. Partner 2 places their hands on the back of Partner 1 while bending at the hips. In order to mimic the downward dog position, partner 2 should make an effort to keep their legs as straight as possible.
Yoga Poses for 2: Intermediate
Intermediate-level yogis should try the yoga poses for two people in this section. Give these a try if you’ve tried the simple beginner yoga poses for two people in the previous section and want a challenge. These poses call for a little bit more flexibility and power than the beginner poses. Let’s get into it!
…Continue reading to try the challenging yoga poses for two if you think the ensuing poses are too simple for you.
7. Buddy Boat
Benefits: This yoga pose for 2 people stretches the hamstrings and lower back, while also working the core muscles
How to do it: The distance between you and your partner should be about one and a half legs. Reach out and take hold of your partner’s hands with your outside legs. Start to bring your feet’s soles together while bending your knees. Instead of sitting on your pelvis, try to find balance with your partner by using both of your sit bones. Sitting up straight and tilting your pelvis into neutral will help you make sure you are on your sit bones. The next step is for both partners to gradually straighten their legs into the boat pose. For the proper posture, raise your heads and lower backs while tightening your abdominal muscles.
8. Double Plank
Benefits: a pose that appears simpler than it is! This one improves overall strength with a focus on the core
How to do it: One person begins in a standard plank position, and the second person steps up and places their feet on the shoulders of their partner after placing their hands on the partner’s ankles. It’s harder than it looks to do this pose! If you’re having trouble, adjust this pose as shown below. As the base partner lies flat on their back, their partner places their hands on the floor, one on either side of the base partner’s ankles. Once the top partner is in a plank position, the base partner straightens their arms and grabs hold of their partner’s ankles. Do not forget to contract your abs!
9. Warrior 3
Benefits: A variation of the well known Warrior 3 pose, this improves balance and opens up the chest
How to do it: Start by assuming a facing-each-other stance with your feet parallel. To evenly distribute your weight, spread your toes and plant your feet. Then, one partner begins to sway forward into Warrior 3. The second partner then enters Warrior 3 once they have reached a state of stability. The next step is for each partner to wrap their arm around the inner thigh of the other and hold onto their partner’s calf. Make sure both of your knees are slightly bent and press your hips into one another to maintain balance. To exhale, slowly stoop your legs and bend forward before standing up straight.
10. Square Pose
Benefits: An interesting pose that stretches the hamstrings and lower back and opens up the shoulders
How to do it: Start out in the modified double plank position as previously mentioned. In order to create the square position, the top partner simultaneously bends at the hips while the base partner sits up straight and raises their arms above their heads.
Why not try this move while performing a set number of sit ups as a challenge? This is a fantastic exercise for developing core strength.
11. Extended Forward Leg Pose
Benefits: You and your partner’s trust will grow as a result of this move, which also helps with balance and posture.
How to do it: One leg’s length apart, face each other while standing. Both of you should keep your knees straight and your feet flexed as you raise your right leg to your partner’s left hip and their right leg to your left hip. Keep the leg in place by holding onto your partner’s ankle. Place your leg on your partner’s shoulder while holding onto each other’s forearms for balance for a trickier balance.
12. Chair & Shoulderstand
Benefits: This yoga pose for 2 improves balance, stretches the shoulders and opens the hips
How to do it: Start with partner 1 in the chair position (they might need to lean their back against a wall at first to maintain balance). After that, Partner 2 pushes into a shoulder stand while placing their feet on Partner 1’s thighs. Several breaths later, release the pose after holding it.
Hard Yoga Poses for Two People: Advanced
The advanced yoga poses for two people that are listed below. Acro yoga is a type of yoga that is used in some of the postures in this section. Acro Yoga is a form of exercise that combines yoga, acrobatics, and Thai massage. These poses, as you might imagine, call for a lot of strength, flexibility, and balance.
If you are a beginner, we do not advise trying these poses without the assistance of a qualified professional who can position and spot you to prevent injury. Look for an acro yoga class near you because the practice is growing in popularity and there are more and more of them popping up across the nation.
13. Wheel
Benefits: This pose provides a deep back bend, and assists with flexibility in the hips and shoulders
How to do it: This one calls for some gymnastics! One person begins by lying on their stomach in the cobra position. There are two ways for the second partner to start the pose. They can either lay on their back, and the base partner grabs hold of each ankle one at a time. As the bottom partner pushes up through their arms (similar to pushing up into a single person wheel pose), the top partner bends their arms behind them, grasping their partner’s ankles. The base once more assumes the cobra position and then raises one hand to prepare to catch the ankle of partner 2 for a trickier entry. Partner 2 now positions their hands by the base partner’s ankles, pushes into a controlled handstand, and lowers their legs to meet the base partner’s hands.
14. Flying Bow
Benefits: This advanced pose improves lower body strength for the base person, while opening up the chest, lengthening the spine and releasing tension for the top person
Make this pose easier by doing half bow (keeping hold of each others hands for more stability)
How to do it: The flying superman position allows you to strike this pose. Once in the flying Superman pose (see no. 16 below), the base takes firm hold of the top person’s shoulders to provide support while the top person bends one leg and reaches for their ankle, and then does the same on the other side whilst bending deeply into the back, to form the bow pose. The base can then let go of the top person’s shoulders to create the flying bow look if the top person stays steady and the feet are placed properly. As an alternative, you can alter the pose by holding each other’s hands for added stability.
15. Flying Paschi
Benefits: This pose for 2 improves lower body and core strength for the base person, and stretches through the lower back and hamstrings for the top person
16. Flying Superman
Benefits: The muscles in the chest, shoulders, arms, legs, abs, and lower back are stretched and strengthened in this yoga pose. An all rounder!
How to do it: The base person begins by lying flat on their back and pressing the soles of their feet against their partner’s abdomen. To aid in balance while pushing up into the position, you can hold hands. The partner who is flat on their stomach is lifted up when the base pushes through their legs to straighten them. You can then let go of each other’s hands, the base placing them back by their side and the “superman” partner extending them out in front of them to help with balance and resemble the classic “superman” pose.
17. Flying Handstand Scorpion
Benefits: This yoga pose for 2 builds strength in your arms and core while opening your chest
How to do it: The bottom person, who is flat on their back, places the soles of their feet on the top person’s lower back and glute. In order to place their hands on the base person’s abdomen, the top person then raises their arms above their heads and gradually starts to arch their back. The base lifts their legs and straightens them while simultaneously arching backward to put the top person in the “flying” position. The top person then bends into the scorpion position, hooking their feet behind the base person’s legs to keep them in place.
This pose should not be rushed because it calls for a lot of strength and balance. It might be simpler for the person on top to start in flying camel pose before switching to the handstand scorpion.
Read More: How Many Different Yoga Poses Are There?
Benefits of Two Person Yoga Poses
Here are some key benefits of 2 person yoga poses.
Be Vulnerable
On a deeper level, a lot of people in this day and age—including myself—have an irrational fear of intimacy.
When everyone else on social media seems to have their lives together perfectly, it is difficult to be open and share private aspects of ourselves.
Let Go
Letting go is the main focus of two-person yoga poses. On the mat by ourselves, of course, we experience profound release and internal reflection, but partner yoga takes this to the next level by assisting us in letting go of our ego in a social setting.
Forge Connections
Because they promote connection while calming and energizing our bodies, yoga poses for two people are transformative.
We develop exercise routine accountability while also exposing ourselves to the enjoyment, vulnerablity, and perhaps a little embarrassment of making mistakes and learning from one another.
Yoga for two people is beneficial for enhancing interpersonal connections on and off the mat.
It is possible to connect mentally, emotionally, and physically through couples yoga and its more challenging variation, acro yoga.
Be prepared for lots of laughter, silly mistakes, and hilarious conversations!
Other Benefits Include:
- Build accountability in your yoga practice
- Improved communication skills
- Learning to listen
- Building trust
- Engaging with your intuition
- Feel more connected to your friend or yoga partner
- Get a deeper stretch than you could alone
- Strengthen core, shoulders, legs, and joints
- Laughter medicine!
Related Reading: What Is The Purpose Of Yoga?
The Bottom Line: Yoga Poses for 2 People
So there you have it: 17 best yoga poses for two people. We hoped you were able to learn something from this article, which covered everything from simple yoga poses to challenging yoga poses for two people.
Have you ever performed any of these yoga poses with a close friend or partner? We’d love to know!
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