Nottingham has welcomed a new addition with Puppy Yoga classes now being available to book in a bid to improve our mental health.
After successful launches in Manchester, Liverpool and Leeds the first class took place last Sunday (15 January.)
Tickets start at £29.50 for a 75 minute class which includes 40 minutes of yoga, 35 minutes of puppy playtime and a free polaroid to take home.
Olivia Mahan, 23, said: “I heard about puppy yoga on Instagram through my friend, she had already booked on so we went together.
“It made me feel so happy and was a lovely relaxed thing to do on a Sunday.”
The first yoga session was joined by cocker spaniel puppies and a donation to Yappy Ever After Dog Rescue was made to support rehoming puppies and dogs in the Midlands.
According to Puppy Yoga Nottingham’s Instagram page, regular yoga is great for building strength and cognitive functions and the addition of introducing puppies provides a more relaxing, stress reducing experience.
Puppy Yoga Nottingham is founded by animal lovers from a psychology background with a passion for the positive effects of pets on mental health.
Olivia continues: “They (the puppies) make everyone feel more relaxed and they’re roaming around etc, the yoga session is super chilled and you don’t have to participate in anything you don’t want to.
“Some girls couldn’t join in as they had puppies asleep on them!
“Everything was super efficient and organised but I felt like it went so quick but everything was super efficient and organised.”
All the puppies are vet checked, had their first vaccinations and the interaction during the yoga sessions helps the puppies’ socialisation skills.
Furthermore, Puppy Yoga Nottingham assures customers that breeders are checked to make sure the puppies attending the puppy yoga are home raised in caring family homes.
Fitness influencer and student Freya Whittaker, 20, said: “It was the best day ever, they were so cute and just wanted cuddling!
“One of them fell asleep on my boyfriend and two of them fell asleep on my yoga mat so I had to move mats because I didn’t want to move them!
“If your going to do a really good yoga class then its probably not for you but I think everyone was just so excited to see the puppies, but the yoga class was really good and the lady that led it was really nice.”
The next puppy yoga event is on Sunday 22 January and tickets are available here.
