Whether practiced alone or in a group, yoga poses are traditionally performed on an individual basis. Although you may use your classmates as a guide or motivational tool, you probably won't come into contact with them during a yoga class. Occasionally, though, yoga poses can involve more than one person. To ensure safety, group poses should only be performed under the supervision of an experienced yoga instructor.
Boat
The boat pose is used to strengthen the core muscles because it requires abdominal strength. Once you are in position, you must carefully balance on your tailbone to hold the pose. Although the pose is traditionally completed with the hands raised in the air, a group pose involves holding hands with one another. Group members should transition into the boat pose 1 or 2 feet away from each other. Once all team members have the proper balance, they should join hands. This modification can actually make the pose more difficult, since one person's loss of balance can easily affect the rest of the group. Hold the boat pose for up to 60 seconds.
Warrior II
Warrior II is an energizing and invigorating yoga pose that can be somewhat difficult to achieve if you lack leg strength. When incorporated into a group yoga class, the pose allows for unity of the members and provides a strong finish to a yoga sequence. Ask one group member to ease into warrior II pose by stepping 3 to 4 feet apart. Bend the front leg until the knee is at a 90-degree angle and extend the back leg straight behind you. The foot of the back leg should be turned outward and both the heels and toes should rest on the ground. The torso is kept straight and the shoulders should rest directly over the hips. Once this person is in position, have another group member ease into the pose directly behind the first person's back foot. Continue this process until all members are lined up in warrior II. Have everyone extend arms and either touch fingers or join wrists with one another. Hold for 30 to 60 seconds.
Multipose Sequence
If you have a large group of yoga students, challenge them to create their own pose sequence in cooperation with one another. Begin with a simple yoga pose, such as the cobra. As one student moves into the pose, have another student deepen the stretch by taking the cobra's hands and gently pulling her into a back arch. This second student then bends her leg and moves into a chair pose. The third student can then move into the warrior III pose by resting her hands on the chair's shoulders for balance. Challenge each student to use the previous student's pose for her own.
Plank
The plank is a relatively simple pose that requires strength in the arms, wrists, spine and abdomen. To ease into the plank, begin in downard dog and lower your buttocks until you have a straight line from head to heels. Your arms should be extended with your palms resting on the ground directly beneath your shoulders. Your toes should be curled under with legs straight behind you. Only experienced advanced yoga students should attempt the group plank. Once the first person is in plank, the second person moves into it with the tops of his feet resting on the first person's shoulders and his hands grasping just above his ankles. A third person can also be added in the same position.
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