More than just being a practice, Yoga can also be a social activity for friends or partners. There are multiple fun, engaging and complex yoga poses for 2 people to enjoy.

If you’re looking to practice Yoga poses, so-called asanas, while also hanging out, we have a list of 20 partner yoga poses you can try. They are divided into three difficulty levels, so there is something for everyone.

Follow me though as I explain different two-person yoga poses.

Beginners level Yoga Poses for 2 People

If you are a novice in the yoga practice, you and your partner might want to start with something easier. Here are some easy yoga poses you can try out:

1. The Forward Fold Pose for Two People

The two partners sit opposite of one another, with their legs wide apart and straightened out in front of them. The soles of your feet should firmly touch one another, used as a pushing base for the stretch. 

The two partners should hold each other’s arms, at the forearms, using them too as a base for pushing-pulling. 

While communicating, first one of the partners leans forward as much as they can, while the other partner leans backward. The soles and the arms are used to pull the leaning partner. Keep the pose for a few breaths. 

The leaning partner now slowly gets up, pulling the second partner towards a lean and stretch. The arms can be used to further stretch the leaning partner. 

You can repeat the pose a few times, concentrating each time on your breathing and feeling the stretching of your thighs, hamstrings, arms, and back. If you are going to do more complex yoga poses during your practice, this is a great asana for warm-up.

2. Back to back Twist

Both partners sit back to back in a lotus position or cross-legged as much as they can. 

Stretch your backs while inhaling. 

While exhaling, both of the partners twist their backs clockwise, spiraling around each other in a way. 

Both partners put their right hand on their left knee, while the left arm reaches out to the partners’ right knee (or thigh). 

Press your backs against each other to further straighten them up and twist a little deeper. Hold for a while, then release and repeat the twist to the left side.  The seated twist pose exercises the muscles on the back, thighs and arms. It also flexes the spine.

3. Standing Forward Fold Partner Yoga Pose

Start the pose by standing back to back with your partner. Heels should be around 6” apart from each other, giving you space for both to lean forward.

Both partners fold forward, like in the normal standing fold pose.

They drop their heads down towards the floor, straitening their legs and backs as much as possible. Strive to “touch” your own shins with your chin.

With your hands, reach to your partners’ shins, between the knee and the ankle, where ever is possible for you.

The tailbones will slightly press against each other. Once in this position, try to reach for your partners’ shoulders, further stretching.

Use each other as pillars for balance. Take a few deep breaths holding the pose and then release. Start with releasing your hands, bringing them in front of you, and then rolling the spine back up.

Note: If you have trouble doing the fold forward (you simply might not be there yet), you can do this pose with wide legs.

4. Cat-cow with Sitting

Sit cross-legs opposing one another, while taking each other’s forearms. 

Find the point of equal resistance with the partner. Once you do, start drawing your shoulders back and down, while pushing the chest forward and tilting your head back. While doing it, inhale. This is the cow pose with sitting. 

Hold it for a while and when exhaling, bring your head forward (your chin touching the collar bone), looking at your belly button, while bending your spine and stretching your shoulders outwards. This is the cat position with sitting. 

Hold and then release, going back to the cow pose. Repeat as many times as you both like. This requires communication between partners to sync up. 

5. Shoulder Stretch while Standing

Both partners stand facing each other, with an arm’s length space between them. They both extend their arms towards the other person, ensuring that their fingertips touch. 

They both extend their arms straight overhead, pushing upwards and straightening their backs. Do this while inhaling. They rotate their arms with their palms toward their partner. 

On the exhale, both partners lean forward, getting to a 90-degree angle, where the body is parallel to the ground. 

Make sure that your heads are touching, but not crutching. If needed, adjust by coming closer or stepping away a little bit. 

Now, both partners move their hands on the partner’s shoulders. With this, they act both as a pushing hand and a balancing helper, flexing the muscles on the lower and upper back, arms, outer and inner thighs. 

Note: If you are afraid of losing balance, you can either practice with wide legs, or you could do the pose close to a wall.

6. Backbend with Partner Support

Both partners start facing each other with the tips of their toes touching. If you have a stiff lower back, you can do the pose with the legs apart from each other at the hips width. If not, your feet should touch each other.

Hold each other’s forearms, and while inhaling straighten your backs up.

When exhaling, start leaning backward, bending your back like on a big yoga ball.

If you want, you can try to push a little further by moving your hands lower on your partner’s wrist, giving yourself more space for bending back.

7. The Temple Yoga Pose for 2 People

Start by standing up, and facing your partner. Between you two there should be enough space for another person to spread their hands sideways.

Your legs should be at a hips’ width apart from each other, standing firmly on the ground.

While inhaling, extend your arms overhead and slowly lean forward, until you meet hands with your partner.

Once your palms touch, start folding forward further, bringing your wrists, forearms, and then elbows against each other.

Distribute pressure equally, both pushing with your arms towards the other, while lowering your chest towards the ground to straighten the back. Hold for a few breath cycles, and then slowly release by walking towards each other, bringing your torso upright and releasing the arms.

Intermediate Level Yoga Poses for 2 People

If you and your partner have been practicing asanas for some time now, but are not experts yet, these are the poses you could try.

8. The Double Plank Pose

The bottom person, called the “base”, starts with the standard plank pose – hands flat and core strengthened. 

The second person, usually called the “flyer” enters from the side, first taking hold of the ankles of the “base” partner. 

Then, the flyer gradually moves the ball of the foot on the “base’s” shoulder, making sure that they have a good balance. Since they are turned in opposite directions, the right foot of the flyer goes on the left shoulder of the base. 

The flyer moves the left foot next, basically getting into plank pose too, but resting on the ankles and shoulders of the base. 

Hold the pose until comfortable (20-30 seconds for starters) while breathing. To release, step off of the partner’s shoulders one leg at a time.

9. Partners Boat Pose for Two People

The partners start by sitting opposite one another, with a half-leg distance between them.

Grab each other’s hands on the outside of your legs. Start bending your knees and touch your soles together. 

Now, you will be sitting only on your butt bones (sit bones). Find a comfortable spot for keeping this way of sitting. Straighten your backs. 

By leaning backward with your upper torso, give space for your legs to start straightening up in the air to do the boat pose. 

Keep contact with the partner’s soles and use them as a pushing base for straightening the legs. The hands will help you push to straighten your back without falling. 

Look upwards, draw your lower back in towards the partner and strengthen the core.

10. The Double Downward Dog with a Partner

One partner does the normal Downward Dog pose –resting on their hands and legs, stretching their legs and spine. 

The other partner (the flyer) begins by standing in the same direction as the base, leaning forward for a forward fold. 

From there, the flyer transfers their weight more to their arms, moving one foot backward and resting it on the back (shoulder scapula or wing) of the base. 

Repeat the same with the other foot and then slowly start moving towards their hips. 

Find a suitable place by communicating with the partner and holding the pose while breathing deeply. 

To release, bend one knee and step on the ground.

11. Reverse Partner Warriors

This pose starts with Warrior Two. Both partners are facing opposite each other, with the back of the foot that’s behind touching the back of the foot of your partner.

The front knee is under a 90-degree angle and the back foot and the spine are all straightened.

While exhaling, move your front arm upward and backward. Slide the back arm down the back leg, and rest it on your thigh.

You and your partner try to grab each other’s top arms. Then, lift them upward as much as you can.

12. The Chair and the Shoulder Stand

One of the partners starts with the Chair pose – tights parallel to the floor, torso leaned slightly forward with a straight spine and a 90-degree bend of the knees.

From there, the second partner lays in front of the Chair posed partner, with their legs bent. They push into the shoulder stand, and place their feet on the Chair posed partner thighs.  

Hold the pose for a few cycles and release. Do so by the Shoulder stand partner releasing first and making room for the Chair posed partner to go up.

13. The Down Dog Bow Pose with a Partner

This asana combines the Downward facing dog and the Bow pose. The base is starting with the Downward Dog pose, with their hands and legs stretched. They support their legs only on their toes, leaning their upper body as forwards as they can, so the flyer can support themselves on it.

The flyer then joins the pose from the upper part of the base partner. They lean backward until their lower back is touching the back of the base partner. Once balanced, the base partner slowly lowers their feet back to the ground and lifts their flyer partner in the air.

From there, the flyer takes a grip on their ankles, coming in the Bow pose.  

Expert Level Yoga Poses for Two People

If you are experienced yoga practitioner and are looking for something to provoke your abilities, there are some couples yoga poses for advanced yogis:

14. Handstand Supported by a Pyramid

One of the partners comes into the Pyramid asana, with the right foot forward. 

The second partner then does the Handstand with their hands positioned left and right from the Pyramid positioned partner’s back foot (the left one).

The Handstand partner now slowly rests on the Pyramid pose partner, their back resting on the leg and their tailbone resting on the tailbone of the partner in the Pyramid pose. 

The partner in the Handstand position next moves the right leg slightly forward and the left leg slightly backward, forming the letter V with their legs. 

Breathe a couple of cycles like that and slowly release. First, the Handstand partner lowers their legs back to the ground, giving space for the Pyramid partner to get out of the asana.

15. The Camel and Supported Backbend

For this pose, one of the partners prepares for the Camel – stands on their shins behind the other partner who stands in the Mountain pose.   The Camel pose partner places his/her palms on the back of the tights or tailbone of the Mountain pose partner. 

Now, the Mountain pose partner leans backward into a standing backbend, reaching for the Camel pose partner’s ribcage or belly (depending on their flexibility). 

Once there, the half-Camel posed partner leans backward too, holding their ankles while pushing the torso upwards and outwards, to support the standing backbend partner.

16. The Flying Superman

The Flying Superman is a base pose for a lot of the remaining poses mentioned below. To master it, I propose to follow the advice shared in this video.

17. The Flying Handstand Scorpion

In this 2 persons yoga pose, the base partner starts by lying on their back and placing the soles on the lower back of the flyer (the second partner).

Once there, the flyer raises their hands above their hand, slowly arching their back, reaching to the base partner’s abdomen.

As the flyer arches back, the base partner straightens his/her legs, raising the flyer in the air.

Now, the flyer bends into the flying scorpion pose. Once there, they swirl their feet around the base partner’s calf, securing their position.

Next, the flyer reaches out to the base partner’s abdomen, resting their hands and helping balance.

Again, it’s important to note that these asanas are for experienced yoga practitioners. It requires a lot of strength and balance, so it’s best if the couple first masters the flying scorpion and the flying camel pose.

18. The Flying Bow

This asana starts from the flying superman position, as explained earlier.

To do the pose easily, you can follow the steps and the guidance from the video.

19. The Wheel Yoga Pose for 2 People

To do this asana, the base partner starts with the cobra pose, up to the abdomen lying down, with their hands straightened up, lifting the upper part of the body.

The flyer has two ways to enter the pose.

The easier way to do so is to lay on their back, and the base partner to take hold of their ankles. The flyer then bends their arms while holding the base partner’s ankles, rising their abdomen in the air. Simultaneously, the base partner rises into the cobra position, rising the flyer’s legs into the air.

The other way, a little bit more challenging is for the flyer to do a controlled handstand while holding the base’s feet at the ankles. Then, to gradually bend their body backward, while the base partner raises their hands with a cobra pose, reaching to take a hold of the legs of the flyer.

This is a very complex and fun asana to do, but it requires experienced yoga practitioners.

20. Flying Paschi Pose

For this pose, the base partner lays on their back, with their legs straighten up from the pelvis. 

The flyer then joins the pose from the side, turned towards the face of the base partner. 

Since this is one of the complex poses, part of the so-called Acro Yoga, follow the helping tips given in this tutorial.

The Beauty of 2 Persons Yoga Poses

There have been numerous researches done in the field of couples yoga and the benefits of yoga poses.

As supported by the Lifehack organization, one of the biggest self-improvement organizations, Yoga helps couples to build and develop their emotional connection and stability; betters their intimacy, affection and bonding; and also reduce negative feelings such as stress, anxiety, egoism, and pride.

With the busy lives most people live, yoga practice with a friend can help people to stay in touch with friends, while also exercising.  Yoga practice as part of friendships has shown to increase trust and cooperation while giving friends something to look forward to with each of their meetings.

Conclusion

Even though yoga is made to bring the individual in contact with their whole being, practicing yoga in pairs is shown to be a very useful tool. It strengthens relationships and friendships while strengthening partners’ bodies too.

This article has explained 20 different yoga poses for 2 people, which you can do in pairs with your significant other, friend, or relative. I’ve also divided them into 3 groups based on difficulty, so you can practice some of them, no matter the extent of previous yoga experience you have.

If you can think of a pose you love and I’ve missed it out, feel free to share it with me and the community in the comments section. Learning together is the way to go!