Yoga Pets: How Animals Make Yoga Better

My Yoga Kitty Kita Weeta

One thing I love about my at-home Yoga classes are the Yoga pets. Doing Yoga around animals can have many benefits, the largest of them being the soothing and calming effect it can have. Petting animals releases endorphins in our brains and makes us happier. This is absolutely true, because every time I pet an animal or I see my students pet an animal, we almost always smile.

There is a common thought that animals are naturally attracted to good people, and because Yogis usually have good energy, they almost always want to join us in our practice. Every class I teach where there is an animal around, that furry friend finds their way to me. Whether it’s a cat or dog, they almost always come to say hi. But I am very okay with this as I am a huge animal lover!

Can You Spot My Cat??

Kita is my adorable domestic house cat. I love this kitty cat so much it makes me tear up. She could be on the opposite side of the house, but as soon as I hit my Yoga mat, she comes to check out what I am doing. It's like she just senses that I'm about to Yoga. When I started recording my hyper lapsed videos, she made some hilarious appearances, doing very fast circles around and through me as I practiced my yoga.

Hercules with Mom & Dad

Little Hercules, in one of my at home sessions, became my little buddy pretty quickly. He liked to play during our sessions, so I had to do my best to play quietly while his parents did Yoga. It was so sweet to watch him snuggle up to his mom and dad while they were in their final Savasana (Corpse Pose).

Jake and Mookie are usually in the same room with us in the Big House on Huffs Island Rd. Jake, the Chocolate Labrador, is always under his owner’s hand when she extends it out in Table Top Position. And Mookie, the black cat, is usually head butting her owner while she is in Child's Pose. They usually visit me while I teach as well. Mookie is so soft and cute.

Jake & Mookie Investigating

In another setting, Arlo and Poe almost always come and sniff around my mats and rub into me as I sit down to start my class. One of them, not sure which as they are very difficult to tell apart, even left his personal claw marks in one of my mats. I wasn't too upset though; the owner even replaced the mat and the cats are both adorable.

Zues (SO Adorable) & Mama

Zeus is an absolutely adorable Chihuahua / Pomeranian mix. He absolutely adores his mama doing Yoga. He lays on her mat and waits with her for me to arrive. He will come and lie down on her mat while she is practicing, and he just melts my heart.

My students' pets almost always greet me when I arrive. Animals are very sensitive to the energy that a human puts out. I always trust an animal’s senses. If the animal trusts you, then I most likely can trust that you at least have good, positive energy in your aura.

I will soon be offering Goat Yoga classes, and I absolutely cannot wait to see how my students react to the goats and vice versa. When I did a photo shoot with the goats, they were constantly jumping up on me, wanting my attention. I really think my students are going to LOVE practicing yoga with these incredible animals. Oh, and don’t forget the piggies! They will be with us as well! Watch for Goat Yoga with Mikenze – coming mid-late June.

Coming June 2020 - Goat Yoga With Mikenze