Yoga as a Trust-Building Exercise for Partners

There’s a lot of truth in the old saying, ‘Trust is the foundation of love.’ Both love and trust are equally important, but to say that you love someone lacks power if you can’t wholeheartedly declare that you trust them, too. Two people who are serious about getting into a long-term relationship, romantic or otherwise, should work on placing their confidence in each other and look into yoga as a great trust-building exercise.

Trusting in yourself

In a typical guided yoga class, students are encouraged to trust in three things: in themselves, in the teacher, and in the process. While the goal of yoga is of personal union between the mind and the body, esteemed international guru Sharath Jois says that teachers like him are essential in one’s practice.He writes through Sonima that a teacher is someone you trust enough to show you the path to enlightenment. They are people who have pored over books, dedicated hundreds of hours in their own practice, and listened to their own gurus’ teachings in order to acquire the knowledge that they have today. They are people you trust enough to catch you in an inversion, to adjust your body in a pose, and push you to lengths you did not think was possible. What they’re really doing is teaching you how to trust that you can be guided deeper into your practice, showing that you are capable of doing amazing things if you learn to place that trust in your own self.

Trusting in another

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When you can learn to be more confident about your own capabilities, is when you learn to be more hopeful that others can live up to your expectations — that is essentially what trust in another person is. In addition to believing in your instructor’s ability to carry your weight, there are emerging forms of yoga that are specifically created for the purpose of evoking reliance on another person. In this regard, acroyoga is perhaps an elevated version of the classic ‘trust fall’ exercise.

A combination of the ancient practice of yoga with acrobatics, Bustle explains that acroyoga involves a base, a flyer, and a spotter. The base is the foundation of the unit or the one who is on the ground while the flyer executes different dynamic postures while being lifted by the person underneath. The spotter is the one who oversees that the poses are being performed in safety. The base needs strength in order to carry their partner’s weight completely, while the flyer needs to find balance and confidence that they are fully supported in the pose.

Another variation is partner yoga, which is almost similar except that liftoff and a spotter are not necessary. Two people can simply mirror each other’s movements or create Yin-Yang shapes with their bodies. After which, Foxy Bingo suggests taking it one more step further in creating a more intimate unit by learning how to massage each other. Most yoga teachers take the time to give their students a gentle massage while resting in savasana and the experience might be more special if it’s done by someone with whom you share a deeper relationship and can be vulnerable with. That in itself is a trust-building exercise. In addition to how it encourages closeness, Medical News Today reports that being touched by a loved one has also been shown to relieve pain. The research indicates that even being in the presence of a beloved can ease feelings of discomfort, which goes to show how much power there is in the simplest things.

It was said in The Goddess Garden that love is something that cannot be forced; rather, it is something that you can work on. The practice of synchronizing breaths, moving as a unit, and relaxing together helps develop a more trusting and more loving relationship. It reassures you that you can rely on your partner and that they can expect the same from you. It breaks down walls and engenders a more open relationship. When you can learn to trust each other on the mat, you can learn to trust each other elsewhere.

 

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