All too often these days, contact with others is taking place over text, video calls , or email—not face-to-face. It’s a dramatic shift from the way things were just a few decades ago.
Written by Kavita Chandran
Digital communication has, for many, become a default mode, while hanging out in the real world seems like a throwback—a trend that’s a bit worrisome when you consider that getting together with pals has significant benefits for our health and well-being. Lucky are those who make time to share their practice with friends.
Miryam Acosta, a teacher at Pure Yoga in Singapore, says she often practices with her friend and colleague, Sara May Garcia, a fitness instructor, and it enables them to share the knowledge from their respective fields and have fun at the same time. “Practicing with Sara is like practicing with a long-lost sister,” Miryam says. “It brings us both closer.”
A “yoga buddy” is not just a person you go to do yoga with in a studio. He or she is the person you have fun with and challenge yourselves—resulting in a deep intrinsic bond.
“Intimacy is healing,” says Dean Ornish, MD, president and founder of the Preventive Medicine Research Institute (PMRI) in Sausalito, California. He adds that there’s “something really powerful” in being able to share your authentic self with others, instead of just a carefully curated Facebook profile or Instagram snapshot.
“Doing yoga with someone is not only limited to a physical connection, it goes beyond and makes two people understand each other’s limitations and strengths,” says Saumik Bera, founder of Real Yoga in Singapore. “It gives us a chance to interact and laugh together, while maintaining focus, coordination and balance.”
5 simple reasons to have a yoga buddy
1. They force you out of bed and into the studio.
2. You laugh a lot, which boosts serotonin and oxytocin, hormones that make you feel happy and loved.
3. You stretch your physical limits and also understand someone else’s challenges.
4. You feel motivated to do more; it’s a healthy competition sometimes.
5. You bond off the mat because you meet like-minded mates, maybe go to a spa or grab a juice after a rigorous session.
If you are disciplined and prefer to be on your own during your practice,that’s understandable. After a busy day of cacophony, whether at home or in the workplace, a little “me time on the mat” can do wonders. If, however, you crave a buddy but are too shy or just haven’t found the right person to team up with, all you have to do is ask.
Kiran Vuthandam did just that. After an exercise hiatus, he was craving to get back to yoga and was in search of someone to restart his practice. He learned that a fellow condo resident, Adil Khan, was doing morning sessions by himself, and so he suggested they buddy up. “Two novices doing yoga together helps us improve together without the pressure of keeping up with the more advanced (practitioners),” says Kiran, who now practices regularly with Adil.
Doing yoga with a buddy helps acknowledge your common humanity and intensifies your capacity for joy. Why not use this great tool to create the relationships you crave? Whether you want to begin new friendships, strengthen existing ties with loved ones, or serve strangers through Seva (selfless service), yoga can be the perfect tool.
Inviting loved ones to practice yoga with you could trigger further breakthroughs. Kate Feldman, co-director of the Conscious Relationships Institute in Hesperus, Colorado often asks her clients to perform tandem poses. “They always laugh and say: ‘Oh, my knees!’ or, ‘Oh, my hamstrings!’ But their heart rates go down—and afterward they hug on impulse.”
Yoga strengthens ties with friends and family. Encourage family members to join you in a home practice. It can be a great way to embrace, laugh, and bond with each other.
Melinda Todd, a freelance writer in New York, contributed to this article
This article was first published in the print edition of Yoga Journal Singapore, which is now Yogahood Online.
