It’s no secret that spending some of your free time with animals is good for your health, and every pet owner can attest to this, considering most of them like to chill out with their dog, cat, or another animal of choice after a long day at work.
Of course, pets aren’t for everyone, and while some may not have the time for a full-time commitment such as a dog, others simply can’t own one, whether it’s due to their landlord’s rules or the overall cost that a pet presents.
Dog food isn’t as cheap as it once was, and taking care of your furry friend could set you back thousands of dollars every year, and that’s just the basic stuff.
Thankfully, with the rising popularity of yoga with animals, everyone can experience the joy of spending time with animals while also doing something productive.
Why are animals therapeutic?
Dogs have been working as service animals for decades, and while some dogs help their blind owners navigate in this rapidly expanding world, others are more emotional support animals.
In cases like this, it’s only up to the owner’s preference, and if they feel a ferret will do the trick, the agency administering the service will probably allow it.
In fact, any animal can be a mental health support animal, so long as you’re willing to establish a loving and caring relationship with it, regardless of whether it is a chicken or a cat.
Then, we have the miraculous effects of yoga, and once you combine that with the healing powers of an animal you care for, you get a double whammy of happiness in one go, allowing you to exercise while remaining fully immersed in the interaction with your animal of choice.
Goat yoga
This may well be the most popular variation of the trend, simply because there are few things as cute as baby goats, especially ones that love to climb.
Usually lasting between 45 minutes and an hour, it’s a fun experience for the whole family and allows you to connect to these gorgeous animals on a much deeper level than you would at a petting zoo.
Even though some classes do also have adult goats, usually it’s smaller goats that will climb on you, giving you a pleasant, painless experience akin to a back massage while you’re doing your best downward-facing dog.
Other times, the goat will simply prance around you if it doesn’t feel like climbing, and it’ll be up to you to encourage them to view you as a hill to balance their tiny hooves on.
As strange as it may sound, goat yoga is a must-try for any yoga fan, and it’s highly recommended.
Butterfly yoga
Of course, we never mentioned that insects are excluded from yoga classes and therapy, and while not everyone is comfortable with creepy crawlies on their skin, butterflies are a different story.
With their tiny, delicate bodies, butterflies landing on your skin feels more like a tickle rather than having an insect walking on you, and it’s exactly why this works.
Naturally, no man can get thousands of butterflies to gather in one place unless it’s a butterfly pavilion, which is usually where these yoga practices are held.
Essentially, it’s nothing more than a standard yoga class followed by several minutes of relaxation as thousands of butterflies land on your clothes and skin, fluttering their tiny wings while you wander the pavilion and admire the natural setting these beautiful creatures inhabit.
Cat yoga
Similar to goat yoga, cat yoga is all about interacting with the animal in question, and cats love to cuddle or simply sit on things they feel are comfortable enough.
One great thing about cat yoga is the fact that classes are usually held at animal adoption centers, and almost 75% of all the participating cats get adopted at the end of class.
That being said, cats can be solitary creatures from time to time, and they won’t always interact with the yoga practitioners directly, which may just be what someone is looking for in a pet.
On top of all of this, admiring a cat’s flexibility while you’re testing the limits of your own is therapeutic in a way, and it’s a mandatory experience for any cat lover out there.
Bottom line
Yoga classes tend to get stale after a while, and it’s why so many members quit after only a few sessions.
Thankfully, the inclusion of animals can help change this, and by interacting with our furry friends, we can turn yoga into a fun, yet relaxing experience.
Certain animals invoke feelings of happiness in humans, and it’s difficult not to smile when a tiny ferret thinks you’re some sort of large rock for it to climb on.