Yoga and cats have come together, thanks to the Longview Animal Care and Adoption Center of Longview Texas, during an experimental event held in March. The success of the event has led the center to formally introduce Yoga With Cats on a monthly basis, in an effort to help kittens find their forever homes.
“The idea is that just basically it’s a beginner yoga class, and the shelter cats are just interacting with people,” shelter Volunteer Coordinator Jackie Reynolds told the Longview News Journal. “So it’s a great way for them to be socialized, for them to be able to spend some time out of their kennels and interacting with people, which potentially gives them a great opportunity to get adopted.”
Yoga instructor Karen Bonds first contacted the shelter with the idea. Apparently it’s a trend that’s popping up in cities across the U.S (we’ve seen it dogs and even goats!). Here in Longview, during this first foray into Cat Yoga, many of the animals were initially shy and looking for a way to run from the room. Bonds had shelter staff sprinkle catnip on the yoga mats to help loosen up the cats. And while yoga poses wouldn’t mean participants would be picking up and snuggling with cats, Bonds said students could pet or love on cats as they walked by.
While this may be an unconventional approach to yoga, it does represent what your time spent on your mat should mean: connecting with all living beings and doing good for the earth.
