by Jasmine | Mar 5, 2018 | Couples Retreat, Couples Yoga, Date Night, Partner Yoga
Couples Yoga Moves for Beginners or Seasoned Yogis
Tantra Yoga for couples is a fun adventure into intimacy, play and relaxation. The poses are simply a doorway for you both to step deeper into your connection. When you stretch with you partner, your bodies melt each other’s tension and tightness. Whether your relationship is new or old, partner yoga will reinvigorate your life and renew your connection.
Tantra Partner Yoga is a great way to learn surrender, build trust, and deepen intimacy. Partner Yoga can be practiced by anyone – no previous yoga experience is necessary. Some poses challenge your balance, strength and flexibility, others require your total trust and surrender. Each exercise and breathing technique uses the power of the partner dynamic to achieve more than one person could alone. From creative exercise to profound spiritual work, Partner Yoga delivers a diverse range of benefits to a wide array of people. This well rounded practice requires no special equipment and can be done in any open space (the living room, gym, or park).
For couples who want to explore safe, playful ways of being tender and loving together. You will take turns placing each other in restorative poses and then massaging your partner’s hands, feet, neck and face while they simply get to relax and melt. In poses and exercises, partners rely on each other’s support to keep correct body alignment, balance, and concentration. In a deeper sense, this physical support fosters deeper feelings of nurture and acceptance. Couples are reminded to respect their own and their partner’s limitations of stretching and physical fitness and not push beyond them to the point of discomfort.
When you feel safe and supported you develop the courage to trust others and the strength to confront your fears and embrace your true self. No previous yoga experience is necessary. Beginners and the inflexible are especially welcome. Partner Yoga uses various movements and poses to focus the mind and increase strength, stamina and flexibility which are done in the spirit of nurturing and play. Since yoga is usually such an internally-focused practice, being focused on your significant other is a way to enrich not only your own spirit but your loved one’s as well.
4 ways to get the right start in partners yoga
1. Don’t assume partner yoga is only for couples.
Some partner yoga classes allow you to sign up as a solo participant and seek out a partner in the class itself. If you go this route and you’re new to partners yoga, try to pair with a student who’s about your height and weight. Mahoney notes that as you get used to the practice, learning to adapt the postures to two different body types is a rewarding challenge.
2. Don’t expect miracles.
If you begin a couples yoga class with an existing partner, talk with each other before going to the first class about what you want from this. Try not to let your expectations get overblown in terms of how the class can remedy any specific relationship challenges you’re having. Go in with an open mind and heart — not with a sense that this is going to fix something, but a willingness to learn and grow together by sharing and connecting through yoga.
3. Be ready to be giving.
As a supportive partner, your role is to listen as well as share openly, and to treat the person you’re practicing with as you’d like to be treated. Sound familiar? By exploring physical give-and-take, you and your partner can dive deeply into the principles that govern successful, supportive friendships and loving relationships.
4. Enjoy the moment.
Be present and focus on each other during your partner yoga class or practice — and try not to take anything too seriously, cautions Mahoney. “Take a deep breath and relax. Laugh together. Partner yoga is full of the hilarious and the divine.”z
by Jasmine | Dec 5, 2016 | Couples Yoga, Date Night, New Age, Partner Yoga, Romantic Date Ideas, Spirituality, Yoga Retreat
Teaching Yoga for Couples at a Spiritual Retreat near Philadelphia and Tantra in Pennsylvania
What Happens in Yoga Couples Classes
A lot of people ask how we decided to teach couples yoga. Actually it was because of my sweetie… my best friend, partner and hottie hellenic hubby.
I have been practicing yoga for over 15 years. When we first started to live together I used to practice to yoga DVDs in the living room. Occasionally he would practice with me but then he said once, ” I really want to do the poses where we are touching each other and helping each other get in the poses.”
So I started to research more couples and partner yoga poses. Most of the partner poses that were out there were fairly acrobatic, very challenging and demanding physically and there didn’t seem to be many poses that were geared towards people that were nonathletic and that didn’t want a Cirque Du Soleil audition.
I wanted to find a mix of poses that were silly, giggly, challenging, strengthening, bonding and once in a while a little scary (adrenaline can add really add some spice and passion to a relationship that is in a long rut) and where you could get that sense that you were beyond gravity in some of the poses. I bought tapes, DVDs, book, went to other partner yoga trainings and classes. I practiced the poses with other yoga teachers.
Almost every Friday night we teach couples yoga in Philadelphia.. in Manayunk, a hip, happening part of town and we teach them quarterly at Temenos in West Chester as a couples spiritual retreat as well.
Although it is work for us to promote the classes, set up, clean up, prepare and organize the classes, we mostly do it because the two of us get so much out of it. It has sort of become our date night although we are sharing it with other couples, most of which we have met for the first time.
At the beginning of class there is usually a mix of giddiness, anxiety, nervousness and excitement. I work with a lot of yoga newbies and people that do not have a regular exercise practice.
I never know what poses I am going to teach since I have to gage the ability of the group before I teach a pose. I’m not going to teach a bunch of crazy balancing poses to someone that just had hip replacement. I don’t want to teach a lot of weight-bearing poses, where one partner has to put all their weight on the other’s body if there is a big weight difference or especially if the woman is a lot heavier than the man.
If the couples are pretty athletic then I want to make sure the moves are fresh and challenging enough to keep it spicy so I’ll avoid the easier poses. If the group is really wound up and edgy, I’ll teach a fair amount of yin or restorative poses so they start to become more tranquil.
Teaching Couples Yoga
I also like to position students in class so that two dudes are not looking right at each other, I think men don’t want to appear vulnerable in front of other men so if they are not looking right at each other then it makes for less performance anxiety for the couples at a spiritual workshops or spiritual retreat.
by Jasmine | Dec 1, 2016 | Couples Yoga, Date Night
Dating Ideas in Philadelphia for the Recession Wallet
Here is a list of some of the top things to do in the city of brotherly love. I’ve limited my list to thing that are wallet-friendly.
Take a massage class together. The Mt Airy Learning Tree probably has the most economical option. My sweetie and me did this last year and we left all mushy brain since we were so relaxed.
Grab a camera, charge the batteries, put on some nice clothes and ladies spend some time on hair and makeup and go to a beautiful place and take a bunch of pictures together. Don’t worry about asking someone to take pics of you guys. You can bring a tripod and have it go off on an automatic timer, you can grab the camera and stretch your arm out and do a self-portrait.
You can take turns taking pics of each other. Good times to take pics are around sunset, lighting is very flattering then. Mid-day the sun is at its brightest and will be a bit more harsh. Take a walk around Fairmount park or in front of the Art Museum. Best times of year to do this are spring when the flowers are blooming or fall when the leaves are brilliant and falling.
We are going to go to Longwood Gardens, Take a massage class, whale watching at the Jersey Shore, tubing in the river, go on a Winery Tour of Bucks County and even go to the Pennsylvania Ballet for at least 50% off. There are certain restrictions on when you can use these deals so just make sure and read all the terms of the deal noticing any dates you can’t use the the deal. Make sure to notice the expiration as well. I would check out some online reviews though yelp.com, citysearch or their google reviews before you buy as well.
Philly Date Ideas
If you have a Twitter account then I would set up an alert for something like “Stephen Starr Restaurant” if you really want to go to this restaurant but waiting to see if they offer a deal first. Often when these deal sites run their deals they will show up on all kind of social media, especially Twitter. Since no one could possibly read all their Twitter updates, I just set up alerts for certain terms like “yoga philly” or “yoga philadelphia” and Twialerts sends me updates when there is a post out there. So much easier to moniter it this way instead of having to do a search every day or go onto a bunch of different websites to see if there are deals that week.
Want some more recession-friendly date ideas in Philadelphia? I am actually originally from San Diego and had never been to Reading Terminal Market. I’ve never seen a market like this anywhere ( and I’ve traveled to over 30 countries) and was just astounded by the quality and variety.
Check out Meetup.com and do search for a hobby or topic that fancies you. Do you love dogs but can’t get one soon? A fun date would be to go to a dog meetup (I recommend the Pug Meetup) and you can watch the little rolly polly guys chase and frolic…. truly a delight!
by Jasmine | Nov 19, 2016 | Couples Yoga, Partner Yoga, Yoga Teacher training
Top Ten Tips
How to be a Bad Yoga Partner when you are doing Couples Yoga
Partner Yoga is a niche kind of yoga that is like having a stretching partner. Using the energy of the partner dynamic, you can go deeper in some of the poses, remain steady in some of the balancing poses by using your partner’s weight and get direction and support, while at the same time supporting, guiding and encouraging your own partner. It can be done with two solos who just met or with longtime couples.
You will take turns placing each other in restorative poses and then massaging your partner’s hands, feet, neck and face while they simply get to relax and melt. In poses and exercises, partners rely on each other’s support to keep correct body alignment, balance, and concentration. In a deeper sense, this physical support fosters deeper feelings of nurture and acceptance.
Here is a list of the ways you can be a partner that no one will want to practice with again.
Don’t shower or wear deodorant. You want to smell earthy and musky and be dripping sweat on your partner.
Forget to brush your teeth in class. This is really paramount for couples. . . . . your wife won’t want to get close to your tuna fish onion sandwich breath, especially when she is a few inches away in some of the more cuddly poses.
Another bonus tip – Don’t eat a fish and onion sandwich before a romantic date night.
Rattle your partner. When you are in the balancing poses, keep knocking your partner down and ruin their concentration.
Forget to wear yoga clothes to class. Don’t you love it when you jeans or tight pants rip down the middle and cause a scene. Also the view for your partner must be great now too!
Come to class late. This is really pivotal if you are coming alone and everyone has already been paired up. Even better if everyone is in a more silent, meditative pose and you disrupt everyone so that they can make space and find you a partner.
Check out the hotties. Keep staring and ogling the hot yoga chick in the tight pink pants next to you. Your partner doesn’t need you to be present and concentrate. Even better, if you came with your wife or girlfriend.
Show off your skills. Try showing off your range of motion and flexibility so that everyone knows you are the best in class. Even better if you are partnered with a yoga newbie or someone that has a limiting injury.
Keep your blackberry on. Leave your cell phone on that has an obnoxious ring tone. This works best if you can make sure to take calls during the meditation part and shivasana. Bonus points if you have a phone that flashes lights when you have a text or email waiting for you. Another bonus point if this is during the lights-dimmed relaxation part of couples class.
Push your partner past their limit and boundaries. Don’t they want to feel something intense in the poses? Don’t let your partner wuss out.
Criticize your partner. Why can’t they try harder to get their foot behind their head or stay longer in a handstand. Again, don’t let them wuss out.
by Jasmine | May 1, 2016 | Couples Yoga, Fertility, fertility health
Yoga Poses for Infertility at Intimate Couples Retreats or at Studios.
All too often, women trying to conceive get caught up in the frenzy of time running out (hence the phrase biological clock), as if their bodies were bombs ticking away, about to detonate into an explosion of birth or an implosion of infertility. 
Yoga, with its spotlight on dropping into the present moment, helps people avoid becoming fixated on future. It helps would-be parents in other ways, too. One of its main benefits—reducing stress levels—takes the body out of its fertility-hindering fight-or-flight mode.
If the body has to concentrate its resources on controlling stress, energy gets diverted away from reproduction. Since stress can constrict blood vessels, including those in the uterus, a yoga practice designed with the intention of lowering stress can only help with overall health and fertility.
Stress plays a part in every single illness. If you are in a stressed state, you don’t have the hormonal profile of someone who is likely to get pregnant. A gentle restorative yoga practice that pays special attention to the qualities of opening, softening, and yielding are the most beneficial for reproductive health.
Within the yoga lexicon, inverted poses shine as excellent asanas for balancing the endocrine system, soothing rattled nerves, clearing the mind, resting the heart, and increasing circulation. Normally performed at the end of a practice, they can also stand alone as a quick time-out. One of the simplest and most effective poses, Legs Up the Wall Pose (Viparita Karani), restores beginners and advanced yogis alike.
Quality rest, like the one found in Legs-Up-the-Wall Pose in which you lie on your back, palms facing up and feet spread apart with legs up in the air but resting against the wall as well as corpse pose, are the most important poses for fertility. Living in a highly wired world we are in a state of low-lying anxiety all the time. To rebalance our hormones, conscious rest is essential. The quintessential restorative pose for everywoman is Reclining Butterfly Pose, in which you lie over a bolster with the soles of your feet together.
It’s so important in our fast-paced society to rest consciously everyday—it reestablishes hormonal balance. The quintessential restorative pose for everywoman is Reclining Butterfly Pose, in which you lie over a bolster with the soles of your feet together. It helps to open all areas of the reproductive system, the pelvis, the ovaries, the fallopian tubes, the hips and the groin. Since your arms are spread wide and your chest is opened up, it is incredibly heart-opening as well.
Yoga Retreats or Intimate Couples Retreats are ideal venues to work on yoga for fertility. Couples yoga help partners connect on a kinesthetic level at the level of soul. You also enrich your spirit by focusing on your beloved and letting your beloved be focused on you.
What are things you and your sweetie do together to tone up and bond (keep it PG Rated guys)…..? Post your thoughts on our Facebook page.
Jasmine offers beginner and introduction classes that connect you to a place of deep peace that leaves you feeling refreshed and renewed at wallet-friendly prices. She offers partner yoga, couples yoga classes, yoga meditation, prenatal yoga, gentle yoga for the stiff and inflexible and beginner yoga. People that are interested in Yoga Retreats, Yoga and Meditation Classes, Thai Massage, Massage for Couples, romantic retreats, Romantic places in Philadelphia, Philadelphia date ideas or just people just looking for meaningful, and soulful ways to connect will benefit.
by Jasmine | Feb 10, 2016 | Couples Retreat, Couples Yoga, Date Night, Partner Yoga, Yoga Retreat
Evolve Music and Yoga Festival in New Jersey
How did it go at our Couples Retreat.. NJ at the Evolve Yoga and Music Festival in New Jersey?
I don’t know if most people would think of the Evolve Music and Yoga Festival as a retreat but a few years ago, my newlywed hottie hellenic hubby and me decided to take a hippie-flavored Couples Retreat ..NJ. It was quite a long drive from Philly, we actually took a wrong turn and it took us about 30 minutes longer to get there. It was fairly loosey-goosey, which suited us just fine. When we got there there was a main music stage that had some pretty decent bands on there. We arrived during the day and there were lots of vendors selling things like raw, vegan, organic food, crystals, incense, clothing, jewelry and it was tough to resist buying lots of tempting stuff. There was also someone there that had a monarch butterfly tent and we got to play with the monarch butterflies at this couples retreat…NJ.
We went up the the yoga pavilion and every 1-2 hours there was a different kind of yoga being taught. I was most excited about the acrobatic yoga that was being taught. I’ve always loved acro yoga and found a studio in NYC that taught this on a regular basis. I am somewhat of an amateur with acro yoga.
It’s always been hard to find a yoga partner since they seem to come on two ends of the spectrum. the brand new beginner that I have to teach the basic moves to like folded leaf or the almost pro acro yogi who can fly people and toss them around on just their feet in the air like they are salad. It’s a lot easier to teach someone to be the flier and a lot harder to teach them how to be the base so when I am teaching someone I always end up basing them for awhile and that ends up hurting my knees if I do this for too long.
The last time I practiced with someone that is actually a professional acro yoga teacher then ended up dropping me on the ground ( fortunately it was the grass) but it was still a solid drop. So I had a quite large and quite painful and quite dark black and blue mark
So we didn’t end up doing too much acro yoga since I can only base someone for so long. Here are some pics though of when we did the acro yoga which is also called partner yoga.
I think we stayed through dinner time at the festival. It was starting to get chilly and we did bring some gear to keep warm but I was getting quite cold. We found a meditation tent and got to go into a sound bath filled with crystal chimes and zen bells. It really transported us…WOW!
At night, it was non-stop music that usually have a techno flavor to it. There were all kinds of bright lights, neon lights and fire spinning at the festival. I think the festival really heated up probably pretty late but since we had gotten to the festival so early in the day I had kind of had enough and was ready to just go to sleep at our hotel. Almost everyone else had camped out but we didn’t have our camping gear and we figured that by the time we bought all of our camping gear we could just get a cheap hotel room nearby ( although nearby ended up being about 45 minutes away).
The next day after our couples retreat..NJ we ended up going to a winery nearby called Warwick. They had the most yum-yum Rieslings there and we ended up buying a case of Riesling… I’ve never bought a case of wine in my life…
What a romantic weekend! What is your idea of a romantic weekend? Write your answers on our Facebook page.
