Yoga for two people may not be the first thing you think of when you think about yoga, but partner yoga poses are so much fun! Everything is better with a friend, right? Our class last week focused on partner poses. We tried several different yoga poses paired up with a friend and we learned that it’s a lot easier to get something accomplished when we work together instead of having two people try two different ways to accomplish the same goal.

Partner yoga poses offer a unique way to create a shared bond between children while introducing them to healthy physical exercise. Not only can these poses offer health benefits, but they can also provide children with emotional, mental and social perks, allowing kids to develop their interpersonal relationships. Moreover, partner yoga poses can help to improve body awareness, teamwork and coordination skills.

For one of our partnered pairs, yogis were back to back with arms interlocked. The goal was to come to a standing position. It took a couple of tries but the students figured out rather quickly that using their own body weight to push on the back of the other person helped them stand up.

Another partner pose is to sit on the floor, facing your partner, with legs in the “toe touch” position (think dragonfly pose), with partner’s feet touching the other person’s feet. grab hands and gently pull the person toward you, then the partner takes a turn and pulls the other person toward them.

Partner poses are great for a group too. Try getting in a circle and hold hands. Use a hula hoop to pass between friends and see if you can get the hula hoop all the way around the circle without the circle breaking. Students can also sit on the floor in boat pose and have their feet come together in the center of the circle (below). These poses work well in a classroom setting or at home as a family activity.

Yoga for two people (or more!) is a great bonding activity for those who may not be familiar with others in a group. Back to school and Valentine’s Day are both great occasions to use partner yoga. You can purchase our Valentine’s Day Partner Yoga and Movement Pose Cards on TpT.