In this post, you’ll learn easy, medium, and hard couples yoga poses that even non-yogis (like us) can do.

We also include a free, 24-minute online yoga session to tie many of these partner yoga poses into a professionally designed couples yoga flow sequence. 

Some days, we have a hard time touching our toes. Still, we were able to safely practice these partner yoga poses. Get your tripod ready, because these two person yoga poses are fun to photograph!

Practicing these partner yoga poses is a perfect way to strengthen your mind, body, and relationship together. Let’s get started while bendy is still trendy!

couples yoga poses

Although we practice yoga regularly, we are not yogis. Since we’re not yogis, we were supervised by a certified yoga teacher while taking these pictures.

If you’re like us (not that bendy), review the written instruction to help you perform the couples yoga positions safely. These 23 partner and acro yoga poses are our favorites because they’re:

1. Safe but still challenging
2. Partner poses that test your balance, flexibility, strength, and communication.

Anyone (with patience and practice) can do these easy, medium, and hard yoga poses for two people. Have fun together, do your best, and high five because you’re taking advantage of the amazing benefits of couples yoga.

If you’re anything like us, yoga is tough. Alex, in particular, finds the balance and flexibility a challenge, but that’s all the more reason to do it.

If it’s hard, it means you need the practice! The whole “Buddha on lily pad” zen-like feeling will have to wait for next time.

Before Starting The Couples Yoga Poses

Before trying these partner yoga poses, make sure you’re both warmed up. A few sun salutations, high knees, or stretches will suffice.

Next, be prepared to communicate during each couples yoga pose. Talk about when to start and finish the pose, and discuss how you are feeling throughout. Do not do hold a pose if it’s painful for either of you.

During The Partner Yoga Poses

While practicing these couples yoga positions, don’t miss this opportunity to get some great pictures.

When you do, share them on social media to spread the couples yoga trend. Feel free to tag us, @ryanandalexduolife, so we can celebrate your success!

After Practicing These Partner Yoga Positions

While couples yoga poses are a great way to bond, stretch, improve balance, and take great pictures, they’re not the most effective way to advance your overall yoga practice.

Much of yoga’s challenge happens between poses, when you have to engage large and small muscle groups to maintain balance and control while flowing into the next pose.

Once you practice our 23 easy, medium, and hard yoga poses, we recommend you move onto our Couples Yoga Flow Routine. We partnered with a professional yogi and gymnastics choreographer to bring you this couples yoga flow sequence.

You can review the full details of the yoga video in our article, ‘Couples Yoga Flow Routine,’ or press play on the video below.

The online yoga session can be done at home, includes professional instruction, and is perfect for beginner to intermediate yoga couples.

In addition to our couples flow routine, you can also sign up for our free Couples Yoga Challenge.

For other ways to get fit and fall more in love with your partner, we offer the following:

• The Couples Workout Routine
• Pregnancy Workout Routine for Couples
• Partner Ab Exercise Routine

When we filmed the Couple’s Yoga Flow Routine less than a year ago, we didn’t know how it would be received. We were motivated because the other videos we saw out there were awful: all stretching, no strength, no flow, and could be done alone.

Now that couples have spent over 1,000 hours viewing our one partner yoga video, we knew this was exactly what couples were looking for. And it doesn’t exist anywhere else.

Therefore, we created an innovative partner yoga routine to push couples to interact, work together, and get in shape practicing yoga as they’ve never done before. Not to mention, have a lot of fun.

We hope to see you in our Couples Yoga Studio!

easy partner yoga poses

The following couples yoga poses are for beginners. These include partner yoga stretches and beginner yoga moves. Later on, in the medium and hard couples yoga poses, you’ll do acro yoga beginner moves.

When we practiced these poses together, it helped to do so after a glass of wine. It was fun and quite funny. Plus, this counts as healthy alcohol consumption.

However, make sure you don’t do anything risky. If either of you are uncomfortable doing one of these partner yoga poses, skip it or find a spotter to help.

1. Stacked Child’s Pose

This first couples yoga position might be a new one for you. The stacked couples child’s pose is so photogenic you should probably Instagram this with your partner immediately.

Although funny looking, this duo yoga pose will relieve tension in your lower back. A padded surface would be far more comfortable than stone tiles. 

2. Partner Back Stretch

This two person, beginner yoga pose feels fantastic. Plus, your partner is always more fun to stretch with than a stability ball.

Although it looks a little funny, it still works when a 5’4″ wife lifts her 6’1″ husband.

3. Couples Camel Pose

Another great back stretch, this pose emphasizes lengthening the quads and hip flexors. To safely complete this beginner couples yoga pose, follow these steps:

1. Put your knees together
2. Grab your partner’s forearms
3. Lean back into camel pose
4. Keep your chest open and flex your core by pulling your belly button toward your spine
5. It feels even better to relax your head and neck
6. Be careful not to turn your head to the side

If you notice tight hip flexors and quads during this couple yoga pose, we recommend you start using a standing desk. 

4. Partner Side Angle Pose

Side angle pose is an excellent couples yoga position for beginners. Make sure you alternate sides. Keep your feet perpendicular and gaze up at your hand. 

If you have a hard time reaching your partner’s hand, you can use a yoga strap, hand towel, or t-shirt.

5. Cheeky Forward Fold

This easy couple yoga pose gets a little cheeky.

In forward fold, don’t lock your knees. If you need to bend your knees (like Ryan), that’s fine. Focus on keeping your spine long instead of rounding your back. You can also do a wide-legged forward fold.

Although not pictured in our duo yoga pose, it’s extra credit if you get a little cheeky and bump buns with your partner. 

6. Triangle For Two

This standing partner yoga pose is another excellent hamstring stretch. Triangle is a beginner yoga pose that anyone can do. If you’re less flexible, touch your shin or knee instead of your ankle or the floor.

It’s important not to apply pressure with your hand, especially if it’s on your knee. You can also place your hand on a yoga block or water bottle to make the floor higher. Lastly, make sure your back foot is at a 45-degree angle and never lock your knees. 

7. Cobra Back Bend

This partner yoga pose stretches your lower back. For the person on the floor, it will also stretch their shoulders and chest. Take turns standing and lying down. Finally, make sure to engage your core. 

8. Seated Cat For Couples

Engage your core, tuck your chin, pull your belly in, and lean back. You can pull away from each other to go deeper into the stretch. 

9. Partner Yoga Twist

To properly complete this easy couple yoga pose, lengthen your spine, sit up straight, breathe, and enjoy the couples yoga spinal twist.

10. Child’s Pose And Fish

A padded surface is helpful for this couples yoga pose. While in child’s pose, you can experiment with your knees together or spread open, deepening the stretch.

11. Partner Yoga Tree Pose

Couples tree pose is the classic couple balancing pose. It’s even more challenging to balance when you’re attached to your partner.

Depending on your flexibility, keep your foot above or below your knee to avoid putting pressure on your knee. This is one of our signature poses that we love to highlight in Instagram. It’s easier said than done!

Partner Yoga Poses – Medium

These yoga poses for two are perfect for beginner to intermediate yogis. They are more challenging because they require more strength and balance than the 11 easy partner yoga poses we just did.

In the following list of positions, two are beginner acro yoga poses. Both will challenge your balance.

Going forward, these couples yoga positions will require more upper and lower body strength. To advance your yoga practice as a couple, don’t forget about cardio and total body strength training.

Our Couples Workout Routine is an intense HIIT routine that will help you accomplish both.

Additionally, consistently scheduling more yoga together will also help strengthen your practice.

Our 14-Day Couples Yoga Challenge will help you accomplish that goal in the comfort of your own home. We prefer following streamed yoga classes, so we share the routines we love.

12. Downward Dog Upward Bow

Our first medium, two person yoga pose is a combination of downward dog and bow.

First, if you can’t do bow pose individually (on your stomach), skip this pose or only do downward dog.

Second, while in downward dog focus on driving your hips up and flexing your core to help support your partners weight. Considering downward dog is one of the principal yoga poses, it’s not that easy for someone with tight hamstrings to keep their spine straight (ahem, Alex). Bending the knees and imagining a string pulling you up like a puppet will help.

Lastly, Alex (105 lbs.) didn’t try to support Ryan (175 lbs.) in this pose. While she probably could have supported Ryan’s weight, we didn’t want to risk it. Use your best judgment. If you’re uncomfortable, skip the position.

13. Couples Chair Pose

For couples chair pose, it helped us to start with our arms linked in a sitting position. Then, push with your legs against each other’s back and lift off of the ground.

Hold this pose until muscle failure, and make sure you communicate to your partner when you need to go back down to the floor. How long can you hold it?

14. Partner Shoulder Stand

Support your lower back with your hands and engage your core. For safety, do not use momentum during this couples yoga pose.

Instead, use your core strength to come in and out of the pose slowly. Lastly, once you’re in the pose, do not turn your head from side to side. 

Extra credit if you bump buns!

15. Hand Standing On The Dog

First, one person gets into downward dog. Then, the second person positions their hands before lifting their legs onto the downward dog. Their shoulders should be directly below their hips in a perfect, upside-down L-shape.

Take turns in each role and enjoy the upper body burn while in a handstand.

16. Partner Yoga Plank Up Dog

This yoga pose for couples requires considerable core and upper body strength.

Flex your core, and if you can’t maintain perfect plank form while supporting the weight of your partner, skip this position until you can increase core strength. Try doing plank holds until failure four times a week. 

17. Partner Yoga Plank

The same rules apply to this couples yoga pose. Try to do a full one-legged chaturanga on your partner.

18. Beginner Acro Yoga Pose 1 – I Got Your Back

This post was about sharing our favorite couples yoga poses with you. While we did our best to give each pose a correct name, we had to make up some of them. Here’s our first partner acroyoga pose.

Stand back to back and link your arms. One person bends over while keeping their spine long. The second person uses their core strength to lift their legs. 

19. Beginner Acro Yoga Pose 2 – Flying L-batross

This one is relatively simple, but it requires leg and core strength and balance. While on the ground, make sure you press your lower back into the floor to protect your spine. 

Hard couples yoga poses

If you are wondering where to begin with acro yoga, start with these moves. These are hard couples yoga poses, so please be safe.

Increasing your total body strength will only help. Again, we recommend our total body, at-home Couples Workout Routine.

However, that routine uses only you and your partners body weight. Resistance training with free weights or resistance bands will be helpful for these acro yoga moves.

We prefer resistance bands over weights, and designed a free 8-week, total body Resistance Bands Workout Routine.

As always, be safe and make sure you stop if either of you experience pain during these couples acroyoga poses.

20. One Arm High-Flying Whale Pose

Start by holding both legs with both arms and then experiment with one. This hard yoga pose for two people will test your balance and core strength. If you need a spotter, recruit a friend. 

21. Couples Crow Pose

Challenge your upper body strength with this hard partner yoga pose. Although it might be tempting to turn your head to the side and kiss your partner’s cheek, do not. 

In many yoga poses, such as camel pose or plow, it can be extremely dangerous to turn your head to the side as you could tweak your neck. 

22. Yoga Airplane Pose

When you are comfortable with this acro yoga pose, let go of each other’s hands and try flying. We weren’t quite there yet, so we’ll keep practicing. 

23. Couples Throne Pose

Couples throne pose is hard to get into and out of, but easy to maintain. We used a spotter for this position. 

Advance your partner yoga practice

We hope that you enjoyed our favorite couples yoga poses. Please share this article with the other aspiring yogi couples in your life.

If you and your partner have enjoyed practicing these partner yoga poses together, we cannot recommend our Couple’s Yoga Program highly enough.

We had a blast practicing and filming these 5 innovative and challenging couples yoga classes.

We hope to see you in the Couples Yoga Studio!

You Finished The Couples Yoga Poses

Congrats to your and your partner. If you have any questions or feedback, please share in the comments section below.

For more resources for couples, such as how to give your partner a good massage or our Partner Core Exercise Routine, check out our Healthy Couples Page.

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