Kitten and goat yoga classes in N.L.? We kid you not
Think of it like a menagerie on your mat
Downward dog isn't the only animal appearing in some yoga classes lately as a four-legged fad reaches this province, with goat yoga being offered in Clarenville as well as kitten yoga in Corner Brook.
"It's a really big stress reliever. Just overall for your mental health it's amazing. You'll never leave the animals not smiling," said Julie Hollett, who co-owns Goat Yoga NL.
Her classes mix traditional yoga poses with free range farming, as the goats wander around amid the mats and do…
"Whatever they feel like doing," Hollett said.
"You might be doing a yoga pose, a downward dog, and they might come up and sniff your face, or tickle your toes."
That even extends to jumping on people's backs during tabletop pose, as Hollett pointed out that goats have a natural inclination to climb.
"Goats naturally are just a really playful animal, and really affectionate," she said.
Why goats? Why not
The goat yoga craze has already swept through North America, with Hollett herself trying it out while on vacation in Arizona and realizing it could easily work in Newfoundland.
Goats, who tend to enjoy human interaction, appear to be a natural fit for the fitness fad.
"They really want to be around you," she said, adding after the first class, her goats cried out when the yogis packed up their mats and left.
One western Newfoundland woman wasn't among that crowd, but taking in a goat yoga class on the mainland opened up Frances Drover of the NL West SPCA to consider animal yoga in Corner Brook.
When the SPCA was approached with the idea of helping organize kitten yoga classes in the city, Drover and her colleagues jumped at the chance.
"It's a wonderful way to get our animals interacting with people and out of the shelter," she said.
Feline fundraiser
Mixing cats and yoga came to Corner Brook yoga instructor Andrea Coombs recently, as she grieved the loss of two of her dogs to old age and illness.
"I really wanted to give back to the SPCA for all the dogs had given me over the last 10 years," she said.
Coombs and the SPCA joined forces for two upcoming kitten yoga classes as a fundraiser for the shelter — the second one added after the first sold out.
As with goat yoga, the kittens will not be expected to take part in poses, and Coombs said there will be cat toys scattered throughout the class and people are welcome to break from their flow to have some feline fun.
"Sometimes in a yoga class, you're encouraged to disconnect from everything else. But in this class, you are encouraged to connect with the animals there," Coombs said.
About six SPCA kittens will be taking part in Coombs's classes, "to maximize kitten interaction," she said.
The classes come as the SPCA deals with what they think is the biggest kitten boom the shelter has ever seen, with approximately 30 kittens coming through its doors since July.
"That's a lot," said Drover. "We just need this exposure to try and find new homes for them."
Cat fight on <a href="https://twitter.com/cbcnfldmorning?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@cbcnfldmorning</a>. Let’s hope they’re this playful for <a href="https://twitter.com/nlwestspca?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@nlwestspca</a>’s Kitten Yoga next week. <a href="https://t.co/pDvUSpWcXt">pic.twitter.com/pDvUSpWcXt</a>
—@cheriewheelerThe kittens will be adoptable, although would-be owners won't be able to a cat home with their mat — regular screening processes will still apply.
So far, Goat Yoga NL has held classes at the Clarenville Farmer's Market, with another scheduled for Thanskgiving weekend, although Hollett hopes to expand her offerings to the St. John's area.
With files from CBC Newfoundland Morning