Add more paw-sitivity and laughter to your practice with pet yoga

Pune-based hairstylist and yoga enthusiast Bhavika Motwani leaves her house at 6 in the morning every day with her mat.... and her kitten, Lily.Incorporating the furry feline in her yoga routine has changed her life, she says, adding that her yoga studio encourages practitioners to bring their kittens and pooches along.
“Trust me, it really ups your awareness and increases endurance.I once managed to hold urdhva dhanurasana or upward bow for five minutes flat, because my cat decided to take a power nap under my suspended bottom. And you know what the nicest part about kitten yoga is? Every kitten in that class is up for grabs and you head home with not just a yoga glow but your own little ball of fur,” says Bhavika.

Indeed, yoga with cats and dogs - or even birds, horses and goats - is becoming more popular in the country. So much so, that studios across the country are inviting pet owners, to bring their furry friends along for yoga sessions, as instructors believe that such sessions are therapeutic for the pets as well as their parents, and even improves their bond.
Acharya Neeraj, a yoga instructor from Rishikesh, who firmly believes in having animals around while doing asanas, says, “I grew up in the small town of Rishikesh, surrounded by animals. So, having them around as I learnt and perfected my asanas was just natural for me. It also made me realise how therapeutic it can be to have a dog or a cat either practice along with you, or to just have them around as a stress release. They have a calming effect on the practitioner." He continues, "Yogasanas are nothing but mimicry of beings of nature. We have asanas where we observe and imitate the movement of dogs, cats, snakes, camels and others. What we practice is just a personification of their movements. So, the presence of these animals while you practice should be treated as yet another learning process. It also brings you closer to nature, effortlessly.”

As the form gains popularity among pet parents and animal lovers all around, we take a look at how the pawasanas are coming along.

Indore's Vinita Bundela tells us that her pug Poshto loves the adhomukha svanasana (downward dog pose), besides the naukasana (boat pose) - which is when he climbs up on his mom’s tummy, as she struggles to stay in position for as long as she can, to build a stronger core. Ever since Poshto became a part of her yoga routine, the 28-year-old apparel store manager says, "It all started when I began recording my yoga videos. Being the diva that he is, Poshto would come running to be a part of it. It was not only hilarious, but I also realised that my sessions become so much more fun and relaxing with this little one around". Another fitness enthusiast and animal activist from Indore, Vandana Jain agrees with her and says that it is a great stress buster, not just for the yogi, but the pet too. “My indie pup Me’She and I have been working out together for the longest time. In fact, we have run a 5K marathon for dog cancer awareness too. So, adding her to my yoga routine was only natural. She sits on my lap during padmasana, as I focus on my breathing. Her warm presence makes me calmer and more focused. Similarly, lifting her for veerbhadrasana or taking kisses from her in the downward dog pose also provides relief,” says Jain, whose rescued Indian Ringneck bird also joins the duo for some sessions
“As Mithu cannot fly due to a childhood injury, he is used to walking around the house and riding on my shoulder. He sits and talks to me during the sitting asanas saying, ‘main chalun’!” she adds.

Indian studios embrace Doga and Mew-ga
Fitness studios across Mumbai, Pune, Bengaluru and Delhi are encouraging patrons to get their pets for their workout session, and the pet parents are just loving it! Chetna Joshi, a 25-year-old instructor from Indore, shares, “I do not have pets of my own but I’m quite fond of them. Many students have read about doga and goat yoga on the net, and they asked me if they could also bring their pets to class. I said yes without blinking! It’s not a regular feature, but we try for fortnightly sessions with them.”
A couple of yoga studios in Mumbai have held Mew-Ga events, where cats claim your mats!
Acharya explains, “The mere presence of your pets adds value to the meditative practice of yoga, as then you don’t have to simulate the state of relaxation and happiness. Doga does not mean the pet does yogasanas with you, though most of them end up imitating their parents just for fun. It means that you are strengthening the bond with other beings that walk the earth, and that is the precise teaching of the ancient art of yoga.”

“Practising yoga has never been the same again ever since I started bringing my kittens to the yoga studio. They make me extremely happy and set the tone for the rest of my day,” says Gitesh Deshmukh, an engineer from Pune. Acharya Neeraj, who travels to various cities across India to conduct pet yoga sessions, says yoga can help pet parents build a better bond with their furry kids. And Bhopal student Adya Shrivastava, whose evenings are reserved for yoga with Kiki, her one-year-old Daschshund, couldn't agree more. “Kiki does balasana and shavasana with me, which she thinks I am doing to play with her. She follows and copies my moves happily, while wagging her tiny tail” he says.

Dev Khanna, a dietician from Pune, loves putting up yoga pictures with his baby doggo Surya on social media. "Besides the cute photo-ops, this is just another opportunity to spend time with your pets; I am a single pet parent, so leaving Surya alone at home gives me a nightmare. I take him to my yoga sessions where he roams around and plays with us while we do the asanas. It also helps me learn the art of staying focused when the doggo is playing with me,” says Dev. Nagpur-based educationist Ashwini Kharpate's mornings too are all about striking a balancing between her asanas and her pampered Lhasa Apso, Coco. “My pet baby’s mantra is simple - either you involve her or forget all about yoga. I’m allowed to exercise only when she can lie down on the mat and smother me with kisses. So, I have to grin and bear with her bullying tactics while I do my asanas, which I feel has only deepened our bond over time,” confesses Ashwini.


With the increasing popularity of this trend, pet parents have started investing in yoga essentials for their pooches too. Chemical engineer Siddharth Chaturvedi from Bhopal has brought a yoga mat for his 5 year old Labrador Bubbles. He says that if yoga can keep a human being healthy then it can keep animals too healthy. “Along with the evening walks and morning cuddles I find this way more engaging. I watched a few YouTube videos and read articles on how to do yoga with my furry baby. Initially it was tough as we could just lie down together on the mat but now he can do the chair pose with me and other asanas. We do a ten minute session together and gets a treat at the end,” says Siddharth. In fact, one can also buy feline mats online - that are cat-scratching-friendly (as kitties love to sharpen their claws on mats). They also have built-in catnip toys.

- Goat Yoga
- Kitten Yoga
- Bunny Yoga
- Dog Yoga
- Horse Yoga

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Secret, a four-year-old Australian Shepherd, is a renowned online yoga star - who can out-asana most human yoga practioners! The pooch has even perfected poses like the adhomukha svanasana (one-legged downward dog), and hand-stands! Ever the diligent practitioner, Secret's yoga session begins with her rolling out her mat with her nose. And she's the ultimate yoga buddy to her human Mary - by not only helping her with crunches and back bends, but also by being the perfect foil to her impressive acro yoga moves.
- With inputs from Rishabh.Deb@timesgroup.com, Vinita.Chaturvedi@timesgroup.com and Farzana.Patowari1@timesgroup.com
Pics: Arpit Joshi, Shashank Sane, Prateek Tembhare and Nitin Mankar