Partner Yoga For Couples at a Retreat Center near Philadelphia in West Chester
The past few Valentine’s day weekend, we decided to host a partner yoga for couples workshop at a retreat center near Philadelphia in West Chester called Temenos, which is about 40 minutes outside of the city. We were looking for a retreat space that was small, intimate and cozy since we didn’t want it to be a huge group. Partner yoga for couples is a very bonding and buoyant practice and it works well whether you are very athletic and a seasoned yoga practitioner or if you are out of shape or limited with injuries.
I am always pleasantly surprised by who shows up for our classes. When we first started to have our events, I thought it would be hippie, crunchy people that were really into the yoga lifestyle that would show up. I thought it would be people that attended yoga classes on a regular basis or people that had a regular spiritual practice such as Qigong or meditation. Instead, I find people that are more often than not without a regular practice and want to explore their spirituality and connect with their significant other as well.
We aim to present our classes and workshops as welcoming to yoga newbies ( or yoga virgins as we call them) and encourage beginners and the stiff and inflexible to come to our events. Some people, especially the guys, are a little intimidated and scared of yoga. They worry that they are going to end up wearing a loincloth or having to attempt to contort their bodies into ridiculous position a la Cirque Du Soleil.
We have had quite an array or people come into the class. We have had military guys, IT guys, a professional football player, construction guys, doctors, nurses and a few yoga teachers as well.
Instead, we start off each class with a grounding and centering exercise where we establish some communications guidelines and go over boundaries and pushing into other past our limits of comfort and flexibility. Then the next part of the retreat, we start to do some simple movements while seated on the floor. It’s usually a simple movement such as raising your arms together in devotion and then your hands our coming back in tandem together. I like to start off with a very simple pose so that it puts everyone at ease.
Often the next move after this is something that will make people laugh and giggle such as bicycle so that people can start warming up their bodies. We encourage people to be playful and creative with this movement and since their toes our interlocking at this point we encourage people to “make-out with their toes” so that people can start to feel more romantic towards each other.
We then usually go into more challenging poses which are some standing poses. Depending on how athletic the group is, we might do a more challenging pose which requires more core strength and flexibility. The couples are often a bit anxious on some of the balancing poses, especially those that are weight bearing and you are trusting your partner to hold all of your weight and not let you fall on the floor. This part of the class produces some adrenaline and confidence. Having a bit of danger and adventure for a couples help to heighten sexual arousal so we always include a bit of this.
Couples Yoga Moves for Beginners or Seasoned Yogis
Then we have a transitional restorative pose to help calm everyone and have them drop down into a more tranquil space. After the restorative pose, we go into the massage part of the class. The massage part of the class is more about intention and we don’t emphasize technique or skill so much.
After the massage part we have a nice juicy-spooning and cuddling shavasana and then we close the class and everyone usually is completely blissed out at this point. We send our students off and encourage them to have wine, herbal tea, soft music and candles so they can start in this peaceful state. Some people say it is like a tantra workshop but we don’t use that word to describe it since it has such a negative connotation these days and don’t want people to get the wrong idea.
Neck Pain & Tight Shoulders – Yoga Poses that Help Relieve Pain
Unfortunately, neck pain & tight shoulders seem to always come together. Often in my yoga classes, I will ask students what body parts are not feeling good and what they want to work on. The number one answer is always low back pain and the next body parts are usually tight shoulder, neck pain and also hip tightness.
I think every single yoga class I have ever done helps with low back pain, as long as the student does not get too aggressive and try to go farther in the pose than is appropriate, which is very common for very new students. For new yoga students I am alw Pays reminding them to let go of striving and competition and if they are wincing or grimacing or worst, grunting in a pose (yes, that happens) then they needs to stop, modify so it is more comfortable or get my attention in a big class so I can give them an alternate pose.
Neck Pain & Tight Shoulders Poses
Here is my youtube video on using tennis balls and laying on top of them to give yourself a neck and shoulder massage.
Often it is so relaxing and since I am releasing such deep tightness with the tennis balls from neck pain and tight shoulders that I fall asleep in when I am doing this. I drop down into a deep place of relaxation that I tell my husband not to talk to me when I am doing this. The dog also knows to give me some space when I am working with my tennis balls.
I won’t travel anywhere without my tennis balls. I put the balls in a sock so that they can work on each side of my vertebrae evenly. I probably have at least 4 pairs of tennis balls wrapped in a sock in my house, maybe even one in my car and I never travel anywhere without my tennis balls.
Another technique that works well is a very hot bath. Sort of cliche but it is quite therapeutic. Best to add a few drops of essential oil such as lavender and also Epsom salts which lets you relax further. If you don’t have any essential oils, then you can also throw a few bags of herbal tea such as chamomile into your bath water to make it smell all spa-like.
Since I have been having some inflammation in my knees lately, I can’t soak in a hot tub or else my knees will start screaming at me at the top of their knee-lungs so another way to heat up this part of the body without inflaming another is I have a herbal collar that I heat up in the microwave. I actually have my lavender, rosemary and some other yummy smelling herbs collar on right now as I am writing this. Awesome to wear on a chilly night as well. You have to be careful heating up an herbal collar since I actually burnt the last one in the microwave by trying to heat it up too fast.
Jill Miller Yoga TuneUp DVDs – Knee Hab
I was reading a review about Jill Miller’s Kneehab video in a recent YogaJournal magazine and decided to go ahead and order it but didn’t give much hope to this.
A month later, after doing the Kneehab video for almost every day and feeling a LOT of relief, I figured I should also buy her DVD for upper body pain . When you are in pain, you often are open to trying lots of different things without having much expectation to them actually helping. Her DVD for upper body pain is divided into parts that give exercises, poses and moves for people that are just recovering from surgery to seasoned athletes.
Not all of the poses will be accessible if you have a lot of neck pain & tight shoulders . This DVD is divided into 5 segments specifically for pain in different parts of your body such as your neck, shoulders, The segments range from 5-10 minutes …. easy to fit into your day. I actually do some of the moves when I am watching tv or on the toilet (am I sharing too much again?)
Jill Miller Yoga TuneUp DVDs for Neck Pain and Tight Shoulders
Even though it is called Yoga Tune Up it actually feels more like a yoga-flavored physical therapy session. If your primary purpose is to find a very-low cost way to find your own relief from neck, shoulder, hand, wrist or knee pain, you are going to have to carve out time to do these moves on a regular basis.
It’s not a tape to do once and then have you neck pain and tight shoulders be magically healed. It is an on-going routine that will have to become part of your life. It’s less time to do this tape then to have to see a acupuncturist, chiropractor or physical therapist though a few times a week.
I was reading a review about Jill Miller’s Kneehab video in a recent YogaJournal magazine and decided to go ahead and order it but didn’t give much hope to this.
A month later, after doing the Kneehab video for almost every day and feeling a LOT of relief, I figured I should also buy her DVD for upper body pain . When you are in pain, you often are open to trying lots of different things without having much expectation to them actually helping. Her DVD for upper body pain is divided into parts that give exercises, poses and moves for people that are just recovering from surgery to seasoned athletes.
Even though it is called Yoga Tune Up it actually feels more like a yoga-flavored physical therapy session. If your primary purpose is to find a very-low cost way to find your own relief from neck, shoulder, hand, wrist or knee pain, you are going to have to carve out time to do these moves on a regular basis.
If you are sick of sitting on your couch and deciding whether to watch Dancing with the Starts or Jersey Shore together then connect soulfully and playfully with your sweetie with couples yoga poses. No need to be a contortionist or wear a loin cloth, these are poses that all body types, from the unathletic and inactive to the stiff and inflexible can do. Remember that it is yoga practice and not yoga perfect so let go of the need to do the pose perfectly. You’re not going to be photographed for the cover of YogaJournal so let go of expectations and judgements that you might have for yourself and for your partner.
Start by sitting back to back in a comfortable cross-legged position and just start to notice your breathing. Then start to notice the rise and fall of your partner’s breath. See if you can can synchronize your breathing pattern with your partner’s breathing pattern.
Let your head tilt back and lean back on the crook between their neck and their shoulder. This is a small but powerful stretch for your neck so don’t be aggressive or move quickly here. Repeat on the other side.
Here are some of my favorite couples yoga poses.
Standing up grab onto your partner right forearm and start to walk your feet towards then and then start to lean away. Reach your left arm up into the arm behind you and lean back. Men should let the women lean back first and then modulate your weight around her so she can be balanced. Come back to center and change arms and repeat on the other side. Do this sequence a few times and you will start to be able to lean back farther. This pose almost feels like you are flying if you can lean back far enough. You’ll start to trust and find your partner trusting you more with their body in this pose. It’s a very liberating pose.
Be seated on the floor facing your partner. Have your legs bent with your feet on the floor. Grab onto their hands or forearms with a firm grip. Have your legs inside of your arms at first. Press the soles of your feet together and press them straight up into the sky for boat pose. You might have your legs bent here and if there is a big leg length discrepancy then you might have your feet on their calves.
For the next variation of this pose, have your legs outside of your arms but close to your arms. If you legs are farther away then this probably will not end up feeling too good for your hips. Press the soles of your feet together so and extend your legs straight up into the ceiling. Keep your legs near your arms. If you want a more advanced variation then grab your right hand to their right hand and reach back with your left arm. Bring your left arms to their left arm, get a nice firm grip and reach back with your right arm. This is a challenging pose but most people can do this pose if they don’t overthink it.
Some people may look at the rows of people jogging on treadmills at the gym and wonder how they can do it. There are many reasons why spending an hour or so on a treadmill may not appeal to someone. It can be very boring, for one thing. Others simply find the whole atmosphere of a large commercial gym objectionable. So what is this person to do when they decide they want yoga poses & weight loss?
If the gym just isn’t your thing, consider some alternative weight loss methods. Yoga in particular can be a great way for a person to tone their body without requiring them to spend hours on the treadmill.
Furthermore, its focus on developing the mind at the same time as the body may make it more interesting for some people. If you’re tired of running place, consider joining a yoga class.
Yoga offers a great alternative to traditional workout routines. It is much more laid back and relaxing than the fast-paced nature of the average gym exercise regimen. Furthermore, it has a stronger focus on developing the whole of the individual, rather than simply toning the exterior. This may make the yoga studio a supportive atmosphere for those who are trying to lose weight.
Some individuals may be skeptical about yoga’s ability to help them slim down. It may seem hard to believe that simply sitting in specialized stretching positions can get the heart rate up enough to burn any calories. However, the Mayo Clinic reports that a 150-pound person will burn around 240 calories per
hour doing yoga. This is less than jogging or other types of physical activity. But it is significantly more than simply doing nothing.
Furthermore, yoga helps a person tone their muscles. This may not necessarily help when it comes to watching the pounds tick off on the scale, but it does help individuals look leaner and healthier.
No matter how heavy or svelte a person is, loose muscles can make them look unattractive. Yoga solves this problem. The exercises involve holding poses for extended periods of time. These positions tighten up the muscle groups and help make a person look less flabby.
Yoga’s greatest benefits may come when it is practiced as a complementary exercise. Other types of aerobic exercises are better for burning calories and shedding pounds, but they are less effective at keeping the mind fresh and the body energized. The most important effects of yoga may be that it encourages a greater sense of spirituality and mental clarity. This can help a person stick to their broader weight loss goals.
So if running on the treadmill isn’t for you, give yoga a try. You may be surprised at the effect it has on your life and the degree to which it enables you to slim down.
Guest Post By Dahn Yoga– Dahn Yoga is one of the largest yoga and tai chi companies in the world with its own unique style and brand of yoga. Dahn
Yoga is rooted in the rich history of an ancient Asian mind-body practice, Sun Do, and in the wisdom of the Chun Bu Kyung.
With so many kinds of yoga, how can you know which one is for you? For those looking for weight loss with yoga you will want to check out the more flowy, vigorous styles.
I remember my first yoga class. I don’t think any yoga teacher can forget their first class. I was 22 and I was in LA with my friend and her boyfriend had started to take yoga and she had come to a few classes. I didn’t know anything about yoga besides the woman in the leotard and a long braid that would be on tv doing some stretches. I went to my first class and I remember feeling overwhelmed and challenged … it was very hard to keep up and the poses seemed very confusing. I guess it was a typical hatha yoga class with a lot of sun sulutations. I remember doing warrior pose… I felt so powerful being a warrior.
After the class, I remember not feeling any back pain. For almost a year, my low back had been hurting and the only thing that helped was to sleep a lot and heat. I remember feeling so freed up and feeling so comfortable in my own skin. Yoga had finally found me and this was the start of a joyous journey for me into my the depths of my body and spirituality.
Over fifteen years later, I would take all kinds of classes. I didn’t know much about yoga still so I decided to buy a power yoga dvd since all these celebrities were doing power yoga I figured I could have a body like Jennifer Aniston if I did power yoga as well. I was pretty broke at the time and couldn’t afford to go to 3 power yoga classes a week for $15 a pop but I could afford a $20 vinyasa dvd. I used to do that yoga DVD 1-3 times a week. I was starting to get that cut, sculpted look and feeling stronger and more balanced.
Yoga Exercise for Weight Loss – What are the Best Ones for Beginners?
Yoga for reducing weight to help lose your butt and gut
If you really want to get Taylor Lautner Abs and want a workout that kicks your butt then something like Ashtanga or Bikram would be better suited to you. This is not recommended unless you are already pretty athletic and prepared to be very challenged but leave feeling radiant and detoxed. These are probably the best choice if you are looking for weight loss with yoga.
If you are feeling limited physically, serious illness or just exhausted and not up for a fast moving class then something like restorative or gentle would be a good fit.
Beware of an all-levels class (I always hated this description) For seasoned yoga practitioners if the teacher has to slow down and go through each pose and alignment cue then this is frustrating. For brand – new beginners, especially if you you are out-of-shape, you will probably be intimidated and scared by going into a class where the teacher is just yelling out the names of poses without explaining how to do them or get into them properly.
If you are a true beginner, then I would recommend classes or series that are designed for those that are new to yoga since the pace will be slower and there will be more explanation about breathing and what yoga is.
For those that are more advanced, I would recommend finding out the physical pace of a class and the athletic ability of the other students to gage if this class will be appropriate for you.
For yoga and weight loss, what are the best simple poses( asanas) and exercises to do?
Are you sick of seeing that muffin top peering out of your tank top? Do you feel powerless to change your eating habits? I had never seen a yoga system specifically targeted towards weight loss so I was curious to see how Charry Morris’ Yoga Weight Loss System would work. The e-book is 58 pages long and peppered with pics and illustrations showing you how to do the yoga poses for weight loss and even an illustrated sequence guide is in the back.
One of my favorite things about this guide is the omission of sanskrit terms. I always thought it was intimidating to use the Sanskrit and not the English terms to describe poses. I have gone to more yoga classes than Lindsay Lohan has gone to rehab and I probably can only understand about 10 sanskrit terms, besides having heard them hundreds (some maybe thousands) of times.
Watch this video testimonial
I think the free report that Charry offers is incredibly pointed. Her suggestions are in simple but powerful language aided with illustrations and photos to help you understand yoga poses and how yoga works on different systems of the body to help you with weight loss (such as the musko-skeletal, endocrine, digestive, nervous etc). Even if you don’t buy her training manual, if you are committed to changing your health and body and want to learn more about how to take control over your level of vitality and wellness, then get the free manual. Have a buddy to practice with and check in on your new habits and practice to help make you more likely to stick to it. Give yourself a reward for every goal you get to (make the reward a facial and not fried chicken).
Yoga poses for weight loss
I think the questions at the end of each module are great for dealing with people’s emotional attachment to food. I think these questions would be even more powerful if you had a group or buddy who you could check in with and be accountable to.
One of Charry’s movement sequences
I like the simple diet modification suggestions. Her style of eating is very much in line with my philosophy. Eat foods in their natural state. Substitute water for soda and juice (which will end up saving you a lot of money as well) If you read the ingredients and don’t understand what Sodium Diloryll Dichromate is then it probably is a fancy word for pure toxic crap – so avoid ingredients that sound like your 9th grade lab project.
Yoga is ultimately a state of attuned inner awareness. By heightening our awareness of how we feel when we eat or avoid certain foods, we have more mastery over our diet. You can’t control what you have no awareness over. She doesn’t try to make you eat a raw, vegan or vegetarian diet, she just emphasizes cleaner ways of eating our meat, dairy and eggs.
She give suggestions for lots of viable substitutes for dairy. One thing that I wish was stressed more here was to avoid more refined
yoga poses for weight loss
sugar, although she does mention the evil HFCS (High fructose corn syrup). If you are going to eat soy milk and yogurt if it is loaded with sugar then you aren’t doing your body many favors. Eating something with Stevia or some other kind of natural sweetener (evaporated cane juice and corn sugar are just marketing terms for highly processed toxic white sugar or HFCS) so stay away from them. Also equally toxic are thing like Equal and NutraSweet…these things have been proven to cause cancer in mice. You’re not doing your bod any favors with these either.
If you are confused about all this you might want to read the book “Sugar Blues”. If you don’t think that refined sugar has any strong negative effects on you then go three days without any refined sugar. You’ll have to read ALOT of labels at the grocery store…sugar likes to make it’s way into all kind of non-dessert food like ketchup and potato chips . You’ll probably feel a huge shift in your level of calm and awareness. Or you can do the opposite if you are not good at impulse control. For two days, eat nothing but Fruit Loops, Dunkin Doughnuts, Ben N Jerry’s Wavy Gravy, Starbucks Double Frappacinos with extra whipped cream, Diet Coke for every meal and snack and notice how crappy you feel (and probably look).
I think the exercise about examining your food habits is quite illuminating. Every day around 3 pm I have to have something sweet….these days I usually just microwave a small bowl of dark chocolate chips. It’s not a health tonic though.
The simple step by step instructions with pictures are so helpful. I like how she shows what your hands and feet should look like in certain poses…makes a huge difference in how the pose feels and the benefits you get from it.
What I really appreciate about this yoga training manual that is not often found in others is the modifications and suggestions for people that have certain injuries. When you are in table pose you should not hinge your neck back if you have neck issues.
Charry doesn’t assume everyone can physically do all the postures so the variations are very welcoming for beginners or for the stiff and inflexible. For the balancing poses, I think it is very helpful to have the close up of the feet and toes. It’s great to see a more challenging balancing pose and also an easier modification. You’re not auditioning for Cirque Du Soleil, you just want to get in balance health-wise.
If you do buy this manual, I would recommend going to a few traditional hatha yoga or vinyasa class so you can really learn the poses with expert supervision and the teacher can help you get into proper alignment so you get the maximum benefits from the pose.
After you feel comfortable with the basic poses, then you can use this guide to help you develop and refine your own personal practice. I was too poor to pay for classes a few years back (and the time it takes to get to classes was a drag) so for many years I just did my own practice at home, sometimes with a tape or a book or sometimes with no written or visual aids.
Before you start saying you don’t have time, money, space or privacy to practice just reflect on your excuses. Are you committed to your excuses or are you committed to changing your life? What will your life, body and health be like if you continue on the health path you are now on? Take on this program for one week and see what a difference you feel. If you regularly practice yoga already, what changes in your life did you notice when you started to make this a part of your life?
