Skating

You and your partner are gliding down the Rideau Canal Skateway, linked arm in arm. The two of you are making your way along the world’s largest outdoor skating rink under a blanket of stars, your path illuminated by lights along the canal. You can hear faint music emanating from the rest stops and the sound of your blades on the ice. To conclude, you skate over to a rest stop for a beavertail.

The canal is an entranceway into a refreshing and romantic environment. The demands of daily life suddenly feel far away. “It [provides] a time to focus on each other and to get acquainted with nature,” says Kathryn Keyes, spokesperson for the National Capital Commission in Ottawa.

Partner Yoga

Along with 15 other couples, you and your guy are executing back-to-back triangle poses on your mats at Lion’s Breath Yoga Centre in Edmonton. As the class progresses, you and your mate strike the same poses simultaneously, work together to create one pose and act as a support and resistance for each other, explains Lion’s Breath instructor Clare Newman. Partway through the class, couples embrace in a “happy hug” for five deep breaths. Calm and serenity prevails.

“Yoga allows people to connect body and mind, and a partner class allows partners to connect with each other,” says Newman. And let’s not forget the romantic aspect to the class. What with the happy hug and all, the level of intimacy is bound to rise northward. “It’s a very happy feeling,” Newman says. Yep, we’re sure it is.