In the past few decades, yoga, an essentially eastern practice, has gained an unprecedented attention from the American population. Now cats have also been incorporated into the concept. Though one can never know what is going on in a cat’s mind, one thing is for certain: it’s kind of a nice thing, having them around. Since yoga is all about being present in the moment, and cats are always in the moment, the two tend to match perfectly.
Figure 1: Photo by Timo Volz on Unsplash
Yoga/Cat Parlors
Many yoga parlors have incorporated this concept and though the following is small, it is cultish in nature. Many parlors have actually initiated this trend so as to promote adoption for cats. Cats tend to usually either roam around these places when people are engaged in yoga, some will fixate themselves on one single person while others will want to keep their options open. They might also sit peacefully and observe.
Feline Yoga Companions
Cats may not seem like the most perfect partners for yoga but they are doing a good enough job. After all, so many parlors have adopted the concept and their popularity has only gone up. One thing that is certain is that the companionship is very valuable. For many people, who can’t have enough cat-time in their daily routines, this small window of opportunity is priceless. According to an instructor: during the savasana, or final resting pose of a yoga class, almost half the people will have a cat sleeping calmly on their chests.
Figure 2: Photo by Pasha Chusovitin on Unsplash
Impact
This is also a nice swing for cat adoption organizations, people are very much more likely to take on a feline partner when they’ve enjoyed their company during a peaceful yoga session. Animal companions can really help us alleviate our pains and stresses. With cats there to help us out, or at least just being around, now seems to be a better time than any other to start doing yoga.
