Has your fitness or wellness routine ever felt a bit dull and in need of a shake up? Maybe you’ve done yoga in the past, but how about yoga poses for 2 people? You might find it’s just what you need.
It’s no surprise that yoga has continued to stay at the top of the wellness industry and is showing no signs of slowing down. There are countless physical and mental benefits, such as improving strength and balance, reducing stress and anxiety, and increasing flexibility. Not to mention the amazing community of people that you get to be a part of. Partner yoga only amplifies those benefits, and you can start at any time in your yoga journey, regardless of your skill level.
- Beginner Yoga Poses for Two People
- More Difficult Yoga Poses for 2 People
- Challenging Yoga Poses for Two People
Explore partner yoga poses and how to prepare below, and learn more about how you can build your own yoga or wellness website with OfferingTree.
How to Prepare for Yoga Poses for 2 People
Yoga for two people will challenge you in new ways and allow you to deepen your stretching and balancing practice. Whether it’s with your partner, your kids, your yoga instructor, or your bestie, yoga poses with a partner can be fun and rewarding. You could even experiment with group yoga poses using modifications. No matter who you choose to do partner yoga with, trust and communication are key.
Doing yoga poses with friends and family members is a great opportunity to improve connection and build trust and teamwork. You’ll undoubtedly strengthen your bond and share many laughs along the way. Everyone is welcome regardless of your skill or experience level, and there’s always room to grow. Start small with some beginner yoga poses for 2, and always remember to stretch beforehand and focus on deep breathing!
Beginner Yoga Poses for Two People
There are virtually endless partner yoga poses for you to try, but we’ll start with some easy two person yoga moves to start your practice with. Whether you have practiced yoga for ages or are just starting out, these easy yoga poses for two people are a good place to begin and will warm your body up for more advanced partner yoga moves. The easier ones are great yoga poses to do with friends before or after a class for warm up or cool down stretching.
Partner Forward Fold
Difficulty: 1/10
The Forward Fold pose gives your body a nice stretch in the hamstrings, calves, and back. Doing a Forward Fold in your partner yoga practice can give you an even deeper stretch and can be performed either seated or standing.
For a seated Partner Forward Fold, sit facing your partner with your legs in a straddle position. Then, lean forward and grab your partner’s hands, rocking back and forth to allow each person to feel the stretch. To ease the pose, you can bend your knees slightly or widen your stance, and to make it more intense, try from a seated pike position instead of a straddle position.
If standing, you and your partner will start back-to-back about one foot apart. Slowly bend forward from the hips, releasing your back and moving your chest towards the floor as far as you can go. To deepen the stretch, you can take hold of your partner’s arms and pull towards one another. Keep a slight bend in your knees and your hands on your quads to lessen the intensity of the stretch.
Seated Spinal Twist
Difficulty: 1/10
Another fantastic partner yoga pose for stretching is the Seated Spinal Twist. This pose will stretch your back, chest, and ab muscles and can be adjusted based on intensity level.
To start the Seated Spinal Twist, both of you will sit cross-legged with your backs touching. Each person will begin by sitting tall, moving the right hand to their partner’s left knee, and moving the left hand to their own right knee. Twist as far as you’d like, keeping your chest and head lifted as you do. When you are ready, do the same thing on the other side.
Double Tree Pose
Difficulty: 2/10
In addition to deeper stretching, another benefit of yoga with two people is that you can help support one another when doing balancing poses. An example of this is the Double Tree Pose.
Stand side-by-side with your partner, with your feet about a foot apart and your hips touching. Plant the inner leg firmly into the ground while slowly lifting the outer leg, bending the knee, and placing the foot either on the side of the calf or the thigh (avoiding the knee). With your arms, you can either place the inner arms behind one another with the outer arm lifted in the air or at the hipbone, keep one arm in prayer position, or lift both arms in the air. Feel the security of having your partner next to you, and get creative with your arms!
Temple Pose
Difficulty: 2/10
Temple is an easy two person yoga pose that will give both partners a deep stretch in the chest and shoulders. Start by facing one another a few feet away with your feet hip width apart. Take an inhale, bringing the hands overhead and starting to hinge at the hips. Lean forward until you meet your partner’s hands, and then continue until your forearms and elbows meet as well. Press into your partner to deepen the stretch through your chest with a slight arch in your back.
Partner Boat Pose
Difficulty: 3/10
Boat pose is a balancing posture that can be a relatively easy pose for couples. If done correctly, your bodies will form a W in the air.
You’ll start seated with your knees bent, facing your partner with your feet flat on the floor and toes touching. Grab hands and begin to move one leg at a time into the air and press into your partner’s foot. Once the soles of your feet are pressed against your partner’s, slowly straighten one leg at a time until both legs are straight in the air. You should feel a nice stretch in your hamstrings and shoulders. For an added challenge, you can try this pose wide-legged.
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More Difficult Yoga Poses for 2 People
Once you’ve warmed up with the two person yoga poses above, you can move on to some intermediate level yoga partner poses. These more advanced couple yoga poses build upon some of the classic yoga moves like downward dog and plank pose. Before jumping in, make sure both partners are comfortable and you’ve warmed up your bodies.
- Supported Backbend Pose
- Partner Downward Facing Dog
- Double Dancer Pose
- Double Plank Pose
- Downward Dog Bow Pose
Supported Backbend Pose
Difficulty: 4/10
The Backbend pose helps open the chest and stretch out the back, and the partner version allows you to go further into the stretch. Stand facing your partner with your toes touching, and grab one another’s forearms. On an inhale, lengthen your spine and slowly begin arching your back, releasing your neck as well. Utilize your partner’s support and weight to get into the stretch. When you’re ready to release, brace your glutes and core and roll up to stand.
Partner Downward Facing Dog
Difficulty: 4/10
You’re probably familiar with the traditional downward dog pose, as it’s a key part of nearly every yoga class. When done with a partner, this pose gives you both an even deeper stretch throughout the entire body, especially in the back, shoulders, and calves.
One person will begin in a regular downward dog. Once the base person is secure and comfortable, the other will place both hands on the ground a couple feet in front and then slowly place one foot at a time on their lower back. You can experiment with moving the feet up and down the back and bending the knees slightly; just be sure to place the feet on either side of the spine to avoid injury. Switch places when you’re ready!
Double Dancer Pose
Difficulty: 5/10
If you’re an experienced yogi, you’ve probably done the dancer pose in a class before. When done with a partner, the extra support allows you to open your heart even more and get a better stretch in the shoulders and hip flexors.
You’ll both start standing, facing each other on opposite ends of the yoga mat. On an inhale, raise your left arm and slowly lean towards one another until your hands are resting on each other’s left shoulder. Next, place the weight on your left legs, bend your right legs back and bring your right hands to the inner right feet. Once you’ve grabbed ahold of the right foot, you can press further into it and raise it higher in the air, giving your back a deep stretch. Try holding the posture for a minute or so, and then switch sides. You might find that one side is easier than the other.
Double Plank Pose
Difficulty: 6/10
Plank posture on its own is excellent for your core, and with a partner, the added balance required makes it even more challenging. One person will start in a regular plank position. When ready, the second person will grab ahold of both of their partner’s ankles. Then, one at a time, they’ll place their feet on their partner’s shoulders, avoiding stepping directly on the spine. Both partners should engage their cores and gaze straight down or slightly forward. Try holding the plank for 30 seconds to one minute, and you will both start to feel it in your abdominals and shoulders.
Downward Dog Bow Pose
Difficulty: 7/10
The Downward Dog Bow Pose combines the classic downward facing dog with the bow pose. One partner will start in a downward dog while the other partner sits facing their head on their lower back with feet straddling. The standing partner can begin to lean back onto their partner’s back until they are arched completely with the head tilted back in the opposite direction. Slowly reach the hands to the feet to complete the bow pose.
Partner yoga poses can challenge your mind and body and is a great way to build a yoga community!
Challenging Yoga Poses for Two People
Now that you and your partner have covered some of the basic and intermediate level two person yoga poses, you can start to challenge yourselves even more with the following hard yoga poses for 2 people. These poses involve varying degrees of acrobatics, also known as acroyoga, that require a lot of training and expertise. Acroyoga is great to do with kids because one person is much lighter.
If you’re looking for a yoga challenge, hard yoga poses for two people like these are it. Many are expert-level poses, so remember to take your time and listen to one another as you go. It’s okay if you fall at first! With practice, you’ll get more and more comfortable with the poses.
Airplane Plank
Difficulty: 7/10
Airplane plank is an excellent introduction into acroyoga and yoga challenge poses for 2 people and requires good balance from both parties. One person will lay on the floor with both legs extended straight in the air. The other person, known as the flyer, will stand facing the legs. The base partner will bend their knees and place their feet on the flyer’s hip flexors. The partners will grab hands as the flyer leans forward and the base lifts and straightens their legs to bring the flyer into the air. The flyer should keep the entire body engaged in a straight line. If you’re ready to turn this move up a notch, try releasing your hands.
Folded Leaf Pose
Difficulty: 8/10
Another one of the fun yoga poses for 2 that involves acrobatics is the Folded Leaf pose. From the Airplane Plank pose, you can easily transition to the Folded Leaf. With their feet slightly tilted outwards on the flyer’s hips, the base partner will allow the flyer to release the back and hinge forward gradually. The top of the flyer’s head should be facing the floor, almost touching the base partner’s belly. The base partner can place their hands on the back or shoulders of the flyer for added support and stretch. The flyer should feel a great lengthening and stretch of the spine.
Square Pose
Difficulty: 8/10
Some 2 people yoga poses are a lot more challenging than they look. The Square Pose is one of those poses.
The base partner can start seated in an L position while the flyer places their hands on the ankles of the base partner and their ankles on the shoulders of the base partner. The base can then lift the flyer’s ankles straight into the air while the flyer pikes at the hips to create a square shape in the air. A slightly more challenging way to get into this pose would be for the base partner to start laying down with the flyer doing a plank on top in the opposite direction. With the base partner holding on to the flyer’s ankles, lift up into a seated position while the flyer pikes at the hips.
Flying Superman Pose
Difficulty: 9/10
Flying Superman Pose builds upon the Airplane Plank pose. Start the same way with the base partner lying on the floor and the flyer in the air. Release your hands, and the flyer will begin to arch their back up and open their chest. The flyer can experiment with their arms straight ahead, behind, or maybe one in each position. Switch positions with your partner to see which position you prefer.
Flying Bow Pose
Difficulty: 10/10
One of the most advanced yoga moves for two people that we’ll cover is the Flying Bow. This acroyoga move gives the flying partner a nice stretch in the spine and quadriceps.
The base partner will start laying down with their feet in the air while the flyer stands in front, facing away from the base’s legs. While holding hands, the base partner places their feet on the flyer’s glutes and lifts the flyer into the air. The flyer can start to lower their head backwards while transitioning their hands to reach for their feet. The base can place their hands on the flyer’s shoulders and eventually release the hands entirely to create the flying bow in the air.
How to Teach Yoga Poses for Two People
Adding a partner yoga class to your studio offerings is a great way to create buzz and increase retention by adding variety to your existing clients’ practices. Partner yoga classes are more laid back and playful in nature than traditional yoga classes. They work well with all age groups to increase a sense of playfulness within the practice, as ice breakers in workshops and longer classes, and as a way of building community and a safe space for exploration.
One of the most important things to get across to your students is to not rush through any of the postures. This is not a competition. When cueing partner poses, be aware of any injuries or limitations for each student, focus on good alignment and offer adjustments if and when required. Overall, it should be fun, so encourage your students to explore how poses feel together and to honor their own bodies. With the right support from you, they’ll likely see incredible progress and greater confidence in no time at all
Even if you don’t have your own studio, partner yoga is a fun activity to do at home. Maybe instead of watching TV, you and your best friend could do yoga poses together at a local park. There are infinite resources online that you can utilize to learn. So grab your mat, and have some fun trying out something new!
Teach new yoga poses in your next class or friend gathering, from beginner to advanced!
Teach 2 Person Yoga Poses Online Using OfferingTree
Whether you’re a yoga instructor, studio owner, or just starting out with yoga, grab your BFF and try yoga poses together. You’ll learn something new and have fun along the way. With no fancy studio or equipment required, you can literally do partner yoga anywhere!
If you have a studio of your own, adding partner yoga to your schedule will set you apart from the competition, creating excitement and bringing new clients into your space. Make sure your business is set up for success with OfferingTree’s All-in-One Yoga Software, saving you time and energy to do what you do best.
