Cobra Partner

Cobra Pose Teaching Tips

Blanket Under Pelvis

Place a folded blanket under your pelvis to add comfort to the hips and help raise the body up.

Blanket Under Wrists

If you have weak wrists, place a folded blanket under your wrists to give support.

Release Stress

Bend elbows a little backward to release the stress around the lower back.

Baby Cobra

If your back is very stiff, don’t raise up too much.

Cobra With Teacher Support

Lift the arms of your student from behind to increase the stretch in the back.

Cobra With Wall Support

Stand with chest close to the wall. Place arms on the wall and stretch into Cobra pose.

Deepening Cobra

Walk your hands a little farther forward. Straighten your elbows, turning your arms outward. Lift chest straight toward the ceiling.

Hands Off Floor

To find the height that you can remain comfortable and avoid straining your back, take your hands off the floor for a few seconds. If you find yourself straining, then lower the height.

Cobra With A Partner

Get in Cobra pose. Ask your partner to straddle your legs. Your partner will then bend over and grip the sides of your pelvis, thumbs toward the sacrum, and spread the back of your pelvis, encouraging your outer hips to soften, and pushing your hip points toward each other.

Partner Yoga FAQs

Partner yoga brings people together through movement, play, breath, and touch.

Below are some questions that you might get from students when teaching partner yoga poses…

Does partner yoga cultivate emotional support in friendships?

Yes. Both partners need to rely on each other, which is ideal for cultivating emotional support. Partner poses require balance and focus. They also enhance communication and openness which also cultivates emotional support.

Does partner yoga teach the art of giving and receiving?

Yes. Partner yoga doesn’t just build muscle. It’s also character building.

It’s impossible to do a partner yoga pose and not be learning the fine art of “giving and receiving”. Partners get the opportunity to take the weight of the partner and then give their weight (giving and receiving) to increase the physical benefits of the pose. So, with no words spoken, one of the most important life skills is being cultivated in a partner pose.

Does partner yoga give yourself permission to let go and have fun?

Yes. Partner yoga is just like laughter yoga. Students absolutely love it.

Some shy students might be a bit hesitant, to begin with, but even they quickly enjoy it. Why? Because it’s fun. It’s silly. You fall over. You’re free to make mistakes (fall over and start again). It’s imperative for a healthy life to allow the fun in, by letting go of mistakes. Partner Yoga teaches students to give new things a go, without expecting or needing to be good at them.

What can the power of touch teach?

In partner yoga, you are touched by another human. Touch helps to increase our compassion for others because subconsciously we realize that we are all the same. This “we are the same” message is similar to The Merchant of Venice scene when Shylock says: “Hath not a Jew hands, organs, dimensions, senses, affections, passions? Fed with the same food, hurt with the same weapons, subject to the same diseases, healed by the same means, warmed and cooled by the same winter and summer, as a Christian is? If you prick us, do we not bleed? If you tickle us, do we not laugh?”

How important is balance as a life skill?

There will be times in life when chaos will reign and you’ll feel out of balance.

That’s when all the time spent practicing balance poses (e.g. partner yoga poses) comes to your aid. Being physically balanced has the effect of turning the stress, anxiety, and overwhelm into a state of focused calm. The emotional balance of giving and receiving in a partner pose also helps turn stress, anxiety, and overwhelm into a state of focused calm.

Do partner poses deepen the stretch for muscles and ligaments?

Yes. Partner yoga poses help to deepen the stretch for tight muscles and ligaments, without any pain. One partner’s body weight is used to increase the pressure of the other partner’s stretch.

Can partner yoga help take my practice to the next level?

Yes. When you have a partner, you’re able to take stretches and core strength workouts up a notch. For example, in Boat Pose With Partner, you both get to deepen the stretch in the backs of your legs and improve your balance.

That’s it.

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