Partner Warriors In Yoga

Most times when I teach group Yoga classes, I enjoy letting the energy of the room guide me. The energy of the room inspires the opening meditation, the sequence of the class, the configuration of the mats, and the over all class. Too often people come into class with the weight of the world on their shoulders, this always translates to "I'm alone". This is when I like to adjust the mats and have them partner up a little bit. When we do Warrior Poses solo, we breathe and dig deep, but when we do it together, the stretch becomes fun and often times deeper. Especially when we extend our arms to the person in front for Warrior Two and give a little tug, it is awesome! Life is all about relationships, we coexist on this planet. While there is collective consciousness with synchronized movement and breath in yoga classes, how beautiful when we use our bodies together with touch to adjust deeper and support each other in the journey. Even if it is just a smile at the person across from you when face to face in Yoga, we take for granted how much you may have made their entire day!!! These precious moments remind people that "we're in this together", so when we hold a pose for a long time and I repeat the sequence while saying "second time is the best", it really is the best! For Instructors, it is important to be able to remain grounded so to still guide the energy of the room, especially when it is with partner work, so that the harmony maintains consistent. Thank you to the Teacher Trainees and the members of Bamboomoves who continue to enjoy the spontaneous, sweaty yoga classes that I like to teach. Love you all!

Yoga fun with partners

Sometimes Yoga classes can be smaller in size, and in the event that this happens it is always nice to pull things out of your Instructor yoga bag of tricks, like Partner work. Sometimes people call it partner yoga, acro yoga, but I prefer to call it Yoga. While we are all made up of vibrational energy, it is so lovely when we can share our practice beyond our mat together. In this particular class students worked on a variety of partner poses from warriors, to double dogs (handstand/forearm prep), tree pose and more. It is a chance for people to smile, enjoy and see how beneficial life can be when we are open to sharing an experience. Students learn to communicate with each other verbally and energetically. This concept of working together in Yoga also allows students to fine tune alignment, and support each other, and it is also tons of FUN!!! Thank you Doris, Sandi, Martha, Nicole, Dr. Robert & Maria for a fun class.

Partner Yoga in Group Classes

As I have mentioned before, in life, in NYC, we tend to feel like we are all alone. We cling to our yoga mat, and forget that we are sharing in the vibrational energy of others around us. While it is wonderful to dive deep into the spirit on our mat, sometimes sharing the experience with another person can be incredible. When we share, we can go deeper, we can support, we can encourage, we can feel love, we can feel support, and we can have fun! Every once in awhile I like to reconfigure the mats in the middle of a yoga class, and have students work with a partner. This builds community, helps synchronize the pranayama energy, and it's fun! A wonderful tool for instructors to use when designing a yoga class. It's important to remind people that this world is there to support us, but we must be open to that love to and be able to give that love back, in order to receive it.
Photo: Saturday level 1 yoga @ Bamboomoves, BX

Partner Yoga

I am so thankful for the many opportunities I have had with couples, to enhance their yoga practice. When I get to work with couples, it is amazing to see how the bond grows between the two partners, and the compassion for each other. Often times, individuals have different abilities, limitations, and thought processes when approaching their yoga practice and when working with their partner it brings the bond deeper. Even if it is just a matter of a hint of comedy between the two, it is such a wonderful way to improve intimacy and respect for each other. Sharing in meditation can deepen the love between people as the subtle body energy is increased. The couples I have worked with have displayed eagerness to commit to their practice, much like a gym buddy for people who like to go to the gym.

Recently, during the 12 noon level 1 yoga class at Bamboomoves, we had a class full of various levels including one prenatal person. The entire class was improvised joy, and towards the end I guided the students to rearrange the configuration of yoga mats to face each other, and we engaged in partner yoga poses, including some prenatal yoga stretches. It is so funny how we get trapped inside ourselves in a yoga class, confined to our yoga mat, and detached from the rest of the community around us except to share breathing space and energy. Just like when I work with couples, partner poses in a group class can build bonds, respect, and a hint of comedy.