EDMONTON — If you love yoga and you love cats, the Edmonton Humane Society has the purr-fect class for you.
It’s called ‘Cats on Your Mats,’ Edmonton’s first cat yoga class.
“It’s basically human and feline wellness, if you wish, where everybody can have a wonderful class of Hatha yoga,” Karen Meurer, manager of communications at the Edmonton Humane Society, said, “and interact and socialize with some of our cats.”
The beginner yoga class has gone “gangbusters” since it launched earlier this month, Meurer said. The inspiration for the cat-friendly class came from a yoga studio in Vancouver, where an instructor brought in rescued cats in hopes of finding them loving homes.
“We were like, ‘Well, wait a minute. We’ve already got cats here that need to be adopted so why don’t we have a yoga class of our own?'” Meurer explained.
READ MORE: ‘Cat on Mats’ yoga event helps homeless kittens find a home
As so came ‘Cats on Your Mats, YEG Edition,’ a class that has benefits not just for the people in attendance, but for the cuddly creatures as well.
“The cats need some socialization too and as much as we try to make the shelter a homey atmosphere, it’s still a shelter and it’s not really their forever home yet,” Meurer said.
“It’s the health and wellness of both the feline and human. And that connection between the two, I think, is good for everybody. So that mind, body and soul for both.”
Meurer said there’s already been interest from people wanting to adopt a cat they got to know in class.
The beginner Hatha yoga class is held Saturday mornings at 9. The class accepts 21 people, and Meurer recommends registering online in advance, as the class does fill up quickly.
The class is not BYOC (bring your own cat) – the cats are supplied by the Edmonton Humane Society.
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