Forget marriage counselling - try partner yoga

We all know what yoga can do for our health - but consider the thought that it could help save, or improve, your relationship.

A yoga centre in Minneapolis is focusing on the potential of the practice to restore intimacy and inject a sense of fun into marriages and long-term partnerships.

Yoga instructor Tanya Boigenzahan Sowards told www.startribune.com that partner yoga can get couples talking and laughing.

She said: 'People may argue - sometimes, one of the couple can't bend forward. Or the husband is tall and the wife is short. So you have to alter the practice a little and find balance. You learn a lot about yourself, each other and how to build intimacy.'

Partner yoga is not for everyone - personally, it doesn't work for me; last time we attempted it, my boyfriend and I ended up laughing hysterically at our combined lack of co-ordination (at least one of its goals - having fun - was realised).

Perhaps the secret is to enter the class with a wide open mind and a different focus - the website www.partneryoga.com explains the importance of touch and intimacy in the practice; in the asanas, both people rely on each other's support for alignment and balance - so a level of trust is crucial.

And if the practice restores a lost 'connection' and brings some fun
back to a relationship, partner yoga can only be a good thing. Though I wouldn't sack the marriage therapist quite yet.

Are you a fan - or otherwise of partner yoga? I'd love to hear your views. Please log in and leave a comment.

Lucia Cockcroft, editor