Pet Yoga: A Paws-itive Start to Your Day

Highlights:

Yoga has a plethora of mental and physical benefits
Having a furry little companion can decrease your risk of heart attacks and death
You can combine the benefits of both with pet yoga

Spending time with animals makes you happy. You can’t fight this fact. Yoga is linked to better physical and mental health. If you put two and two together, you’re left with pet yoga.

Imagine animals spending time with you while you do your favorite yoga poses. Sounds like a dream, right?

What is Pet Yoga?

Pet yoga, or animal yoga, is gaining traction worldwide, and it is exactly what you think it is. This approach combines the pet licks and hugs we all love so much with the mind-body benefits of yoga. What’s not to love?

Quiz on Health Benefits of Yoga
Yoga, the ancient spiritual science of India, is being practiced by innumerable people throughout the world. Why is it so popular? Can it cure cancer? Does it help with mental illness? Get the answers through this quiz.

‘All you need is a furry friend and a yoga mat, and you’re all set for pet yoga! #petyoga’

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Pet yoga classes, as the name implies, involve cute puppies or kittens roaming from one yoga mat to the next, cuddling with participants, and playing with other puppies or kittens while you move, flow, and breathe. The puppies are occasionally involved in some of the yoga poses, but usually, they are free to roam the room.

The puppies or kittens may be obtained from a local animal shelter or the yoga class may cooperate with local breeders, depending on the program. If the puppies come from a shelter, they have a better chance of being adopted.

In many parts of the world, you can even do yoga with goats, butterflies, pigs, or even llamas!

The Benefits of Having a Purr-Fect Yoga Partner

Granted, you won't be able to perfect your poses in this class, but can you really deny yourself the happiness of petting a cute animal? I think not.

Pets can Save Older People from Attempting Suicide
Want to prevent elderly suicide? Having a pet dog, cat, or a bird at home during bad days can save older people from committing suicide.

Science can back this up. Having a dog can decrease your risk of death and increase your lifespan (). While cats can decrease your risk of death from heart disease by 30% ().

Spending time with pets has been linked to decreased stress and anxiety and increased happiness (). Even during the pandemic, people who had pets faced lesser psychological effects of COVID-19 and reported feeling more socially supported ().

Sleeping With Pets Improves Kids Quality of Sleep
Sleep quality of children who share the bed with their pets have higher quality of sleep. Children are more likely to consider pets as their friends

So go ahead and book that pet yoga class. You’re sure to leave the class happy and energized and maybe you could take a furry friend back home.

References:

Dog Ownership and Survival: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis - (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31592726/)
Cat ownership and the Risk of Fatal Cardiovascular Diseases. Results from the Second National Health and Nutrition Examination Study Mortality Follow-up Study - (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22518240/)
Paws for Thought: A Controlled Study Investigating the Benefits of Interacting with a House-Trained Dog on University Students Mood and Anxiety - (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31640244/)
Depression, anxiety, and happiness in dog owners and potential dog owners during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States - (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34910761/)

The Proper Prop Guide for Yoga
Yoga props like mats, knee pads, straps, and yoga blocks can help you perfect your form so you can practice yoga efficiently and safely.

Source-Medindia