Balancing on hands, upside-down, with feet planted on a partner's back may not sound like a typical Sunday evening. But for those who seek new experiences, relaxation and enjoy working up a sweat, the week's finale might bring just that.
This summer, UF's Department of Recreational Sports is offering a partnered yoga class, at 7:45 p.m. Sunday at the Racquet Club gym.
The class taught by Tara Kalajian, 23, and Ashton Alexander, 21, is a group-fitness class that provides one hour of bonding and molding bodies into poses never thought possible.
The department hosted it's first partner-yoga class on Valentine's Day, meant as a one-time promotional event. But, the abundance of positive feedback led to a permanent slot on the Recreational Sports summer schedule.
The class begins with breath centering, which is a form of pre-yoga meditation, followed by a series of Vinyasas - a sequence of poses meant to warm up the body and create blood flow.
After 25 minutes of preparation the fun begins as the class transitions from individual practice to partnered poses.
Working on one yoga mat, the instructors demonstrate how to properly get into, and stay in, the pose without falling off one's partner.
The tutors stroll across the room frequently, ensuring the poses are executed correctly to avoid injury. They also guide students to follow the yoga principles of proper breathing and maintaining form throughout the practice.
Partners are provided for anyone without a partner, so single yogis are welcome to the class too.
"We are all open minded here," says Alexander. "Just be sure to get comfortable with that person because you are going to be touching them."
New partners don't have a choice when it comes to getting comfortable.
Within minutes of meeting each other, they will sit face-to-face, spread eagle on the floor, holding hands. For some, these actions may seem far from relaxing and much closer to an uncomfortable situation.
But the laughter and light atmosphere of the class melts away any awkwardness.
The benefits of partner yoga are well recognized among the yogi community. The added tension, pressure and weight of another body help sink each person into a deeper stretch.
"You get that release with someone else's weight and support that you can't do if you were just on your own," Kalajian said. "It supports you not only physically, but emotionally as well."
To get the most out of each pose, instructors promote strong communication among partners.
It is about being aware not only of oneself, but also the feelings of another. Alexander said there is also a social and spiritual benefit.
"We live in a society where people are very hesitant of strangers. Partner yoga definitely helps break the social barrier between people. Some students come in without a partner and leave having made a new friend," Alexander said. "Partner yoga gives people the chance to get out of their bodies and into their minds."
Although the class might seem intimidating, there is no experience needed to master partner yoga work. All pupils need is a friendly spirit and an open mind.
"Some positions look really hard, but when you try them they're not so scary," said Wenya Wang, a UF physics graduate student.
Partner downward facing dog, for example, is a yoga asana so intricate it appears to be a trick made for acrobats defying gravity. But much to the class' surprise, every couple in the room was able to pull off the pose elegantly.
The last five- to 10 minutes of every class, students are rewarded with a period of final relaxation, or Shavasana, intended to rejuvenate one's body, mind and spirit.
The instructors guide students through a tour of the mind encouraging each student to watch his or her thoughts.
"Forget about what you were doing before, or what you're going to be doing later. Concentrate on right now," Alexander instructs her class. "Thank yourselves for coming here tonight."
At 8:45 on Sunday evening, students leave the class enlightened and maybe a little sore.
Before they go, they are sent off with one final note: The light within me honors and respects the light within you, or in yogi tongue, "Namaste."
