Over the past few years, puppy yoga seems to have taken social media by storm — and for good reason. What sounds better than doing yoga while adorable puppies dart around you?
As both an animal lover and someone who has been practicing yoga for years, when I first found out that puppy yoga classes were a thing, I knew it was fated that I had to try it!
I’ve been wanting to take a puppy yoga class forever and I finally got to attend recently with my friend, and honestly, I already can’t wait to go to another class.
The class I took was organized by Yoga Kawa, which hosts puppy yoga classes as well as a variety of other yoga classes in Toronto, Markham, Hamilton, Vaughan, and Mississauga.
I was immediately impressed by the space when I walked in, as it was one of the most beautiful yoga studios I had ever seen. With warm wood tones and plants draped everywhere, it automatically made me feel at peace.
We began with a quick rundown of rules to follow in order to keep the puppies safe. We then started with opening stretches to warm up, like most yoga classes do.
The class consisted of low-impact, beginner-friendly yoga, with modifications available for poses that may be a bit more challenging. The entire class was accessible for all experience levels, so don’t feel intimidated if you’ve never done yoga before.
After a few minutes of warm-up, the puppies were brought out! The class I took featured Cavalier King Charles Spaniel puppies, which, coincidentally, are one of my favourite dog breeds. They were the cutest!
The yoga class then continued as the puppies wandered around, and you had the choice of continuing with the stretches or playing with whichever puppy was close to you. Safe to say it’s hard to actually focus on yoga!
Watching a little pup run up to you, climb in your lap, and lick your hand in the middle of meditation was the best stress relief I’ve ever experienced. Not to mention the sounds of their nails clicking on the wood floors as they ran and play-fought with their siblings. This would be such a great post-exam activity to relieve some tension with yoga and cuddling some soft puppies.
The session included yoga with the puppies for 40 minutes, and then class ended with 20 minutes of just sitting and playing with the puppies, including plenty of opportunities to take lots of photos.
The staff members will also periodically pick up and move the dogs around, ensuring that everyone has adequate time and opportunity with multiple puppies.
I left the class feeling super relaxed and with a major puppy fever! Fair warning — it’ll be almost impossible to leave without wanting to adopt one of these babies.
Overall, it was such an amazing experience! I definitely recommend looking into their classes, whether you’re going for a girl’s day, a date, or a self-care day alone.
If you love animals but dogs aren’t really your thing, Yoga Kawa also runs kitten yoga classes and goat yoga classes!
Between the relaxing yoga you’ll be doing and the adorable puppies (or kittens or goats), you’ll never want this class to end!