Double Your Fun

"It's like we're working out a problem together," she said.

Problem-solving also plays a role in partner yoga. In workshops taught intermittently at several area yoga studios, couples balance and counterbalance one another as they figure out ways to fold into poses that would be impossible to do solo.

"A lot of men get dragged into it by their wives or significant others," said Lisa Farmer, who teaches partner yoga at Tranquil Space, a yoga studio in Dupont Circle. "But once they actually do it, they have a good time."

That pretty much sums up the experience of Victor Katz, 41, a veterinarian who attended Farmer's Valentine's Day partner yoga class at the suggestion of a new girlfriend. A competitive triathlete, Katz said he had found traditional solo yoga unwieldy and painful, but his experience with partner yoga was different.

In one beginner pose called "uppavista konasana" -- "the supported angle bridge" -- partners sit on the floor facing one another, holding hands. Then they extend their legs in the air toward one another until their feet meet in the middle and form opposing V's. By leaning back from this pose, still holding hands with feet touching, the partners receive a gentle stretch in their hamstrings and shoulders. The move also helps with balance and builds strength in the abs.

"I thought it was very relaxing and a very pleasant way to get more connected to someone I cared about," Katz said.

Andrew Kidder, 36, a computer engineer, also was clued in to partner yoga by his girlfriend, Cinema Wood, 31, a yoga instructor.

"She's my sweetie, after all," he said. "And I wanted to try out what's important to her."

The couple now practices some of the postures they learned during the class at home.

"It's a way to connect with each other and deepen our relationship," he said.

Whether they're lifting their leg over a bicycle seat, a rock ledge or another person's torso, couples who recreate together say communication is key.

When Vern and Betty Bailey of Lanham go out on their tandem bike, for instance, he keeps his eyes on the road while she plays the role of safety officer and does the navigating. "I don't want to be distracted by reading the cue sheet," he said. "My job is the operation of the bike and to listen to her."

Tandem paddlers have to reach a similar understanding, according to Sunny Pitcher, a certified kayak instructor and president of Potomac Paddlesports, a Maryland-based outfitter.

"The first responsibility of the person in the rear is to watch what the person in front is doing," he said. "If people aren't communicating, there's the opportunity for a capsize."