A partner can deepen the benefits of yoga

People tend to think of yoga as a solitary pursuit because poses are usually done solo. But yoga doesn’t have to be a party for one. Partner yoga offers new challenges. “The Joy of Partner Yoga,” by Mishabae, (Sterling, 2004) illustrates various postures.

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“The Joy of Partner Yoga”: As a massage therapist, Mishabae (she goes by one name) would sometimes place her clients in yoga poses as a form of therapy. That eventually led her to develop her own version of partner yoga, with the roots of some poses and stretches in traditional postures, such as warrior pose and cobra pose. The book includes salutations, breathing exercises, warm-ups, stretches and poses in seated, standing and lying positions, annotated with text and photos. Warrior pose, for instance, is done back to back, with hands touching.

“I wanted to make a way to share the joy of yoga with a partner,” says the Washington state-based Mishabae, who says she’s been practicing yoga for about 30 years. The benefits of doing partner yoga are the same as doing it alone, “but you can develop a deeper level of peace and balance in your whole life,” she adds. “The presence of a partner is never used as a force, it’s to guide the energy of the posture. You meet the other person where they’ve gone.”

The poses range from simple to challenging, but Mishabae advises that the book is not for rank beginners. Each participant should have a basic foundation in yoga and be familiar with fundamental poses.

Price: $17.95; available at major bookstores.

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-- Jeannine Stein