I’ve already made my thoughts on dog yoga pretty clear: they’ll do it, but not willingly. Certainly not with the spirit of relaxation and meditation one is supposed to bring to the practice, anyway.
Cats, on the other hand, are natural yogis. They can inherently go from a million miles an hour to dead body pose in 2 seconds flat. They meditate, as anyone who has watched them stare intently out the window for an hour and a half will attest to. Their spines bend and twist into conformations unseen outside the confines of a Cirque du Soleil tent. All this, with a calm detachment that would make a guru proud.
After years of abusing my knees and back doing high impact exercises punctuated by long periods of being hunched over a computer, I’m trying to get back into a regular yoga practice. When I do it consistently, it really does help- not only on a physical level, but on the mental one, when people are yelling and dogs are barking and needles are flying. Take a deep breath, let it all go, and move on.
Apollo must have taken notice, must have observed me reading articles online about form and stretching my back out at every opportunity. Last night, as I lay sprawled on my stomach reading a book, I heard a little miau, and then felt four soft little feet padding onto my back. Up and down he strolled, pressing my vertebrae into the ground and giving me a delightful little kitty massage.
I see he studied under Bikram in a former life.
You know, I had no idea just how disturbing that photo would look until I put it together. Sorry about that. 😀
I don’t have cats, but I think Oscar may be on his way with the yoga thing: http://flic.kr/p/9nKqAN
One of my little childhood dogs used to do that and it was the best feeling in the world. I think you are right about cats though. My bf and I are going to see a cat circus this weekend complete with cat acrobats and cat band!
That picture is pure awesomeness!! The yogi dude, er Apollo, is all “and… Jazz hands!!!”
how thoughtful of the little guy!!
and that picture is definitely an interesting one!! LOL!!
TGIF!
I may have just ruined my keyboard with diet Coke!
I need to get back to doing Yoga also. We have such a small apartment that it’s difficult to find the space, and that’s my current excuse… But I do love it when my kitties get involved. They LOVE it when I actually do yoga… I think they think it’s specifically for them to wind around me and “help”. My Henry kitty also does the kneading on my back now and then, and I just love it!! I wish I could train him to do that. 🙂
Hi Y’all,
I have to respectfully request you STOP! My Human is thinking perhaps she should trade me in for a CAT!!!!!!!!!!! YEEEEE OOOOOOOWWWWWWW!!!!! GGGRRRRRRRRR
Y’all don’t bother to come by now,
Hawk aka BrownDog
My kitties LOVE yoga…especially the part where I get down on the floor (aka kitty level) and stretch out. I must say…it’s sometimes hard to do the poses when I have to arrange myself around the meditating cats beside me 🙂