[/caption]Partner Yoga - A Great Way
to Begin Trusting
To the right is my friend Maggie. I'm the one wearing the yellow shirt. We took a partner yoga class together at The Yoga Loft in Summerville, SC, one of the most wonderful, intimate studios in the Charleston area,where I just so happen to teach. There is nothing quite like partner yoga. It is fun. It can make you laugh like crazy. It can be a little intimidating and scary. And it can make you cry. It requires complete trust and vulnerability. It requires trusting someone you may or may not know. Sometimes it can feel very intimate.
One thing is for sure. It is amazing. If you allow, love will pour out of you and you feel a beautiful sense of empowerment through completely supporting your partner and encouraging her to trust you to hold her up, to be there for her if she feels a sense of imbalance, to catch her if she falls.
And the same goes for you when it is your turn to be held up, to trust, to allow someone to catch you if you start to fall. As it is in in life, right? There is someone for us, for each and every one of us. They are just waiting to love us, if we will only let them. There is empowerment and liberation in engaging with another individual in this way. And when we come from a place of love and empowerment...ahh life is so much easier.
I realize this is easier said than done, trusting and allowing yourself to be vulnerable that is, which is exactly why I chose to write about the partner yoga experience. My first experience with partner yoga was in teacher training at Holy Cow Yoga in Charleston. I had been looking forward to a partner yoga class for quite some time, but when it came right down to it, I got really nervous. I thought, who is my partner going to be? What if I screw up? What if I am too heavy for her? What if she doesn't like me? What if there's no connection? I had a lot of "what ifs".
Various Emotions During Partner Yoga
It felt kind of odd at first sitting in Sukasana, easy pose, back to back with someone I really didn't know very well. I felt vulnerable right away and giddy at the same time. I thought my partner would notice that I wasn't as flexible as she was and that it may not be fun for her to be with someone like me. I made judgements about myself that weren't very kind. As we were guided through our partner yoga poses I found myself flooded with many different emotions such as:
Insecurity Happiness Love Fear Nervousness Anxiety
I remember not wanting to make eye contact, but my partner was lovely and seemed secure and confident. I quickly learned that she was very comfortable just loving me, assiting me with her calmness, laughter and easy going style. We both laughed so much and really enjoyed attemping the poses. And the more I laughed and the more poses we we were guided through, the more I lightened up. The more I lightened up, the more exhilerated I became and then a sense of trust followed and it was actually the most fun I've had in a very long time. I just let go. I was doing things I hadn't even attempted since my gymnastic days many years ago. I don't know how well I did them, but it was a blast trying. You know why? I had support. Love and support filled the room.
In Partner Yoga - Vulnerability Becomes Exhileration
I couldn't wait to take another class. So when The Yoga Loft offered a workshop in the fall, I jumped on it! Maggie was my partner. I know Maggie loves me and we had a wonderful, fun experience. I think our experience at Holy Cow really assisted Maggie and I help the other students lighten up, trust and let go. There should be a partner class coming up somewhere soon as Valentines day approaches. I would encourage anyone reading this to take a leap and engage in this wonderful activity. It is a safe environment to begin trusting again and oh so much fun!
Axiom of Partner Yoga
- All things are interdependent
- Touch and Intimacy are basic human needs
- Fear and Pain are two of life's greatest teachers
- Exercise and rest are essential for vibrant health
- Laughter and play are life's fountains of youth
- Partnership is based on trust and communication
- Breath is life
Taken from: Partner Yoga; Making Contact for Physical, Emotional and Spiritual Growth by Cain Carroll and Lori Kimata
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