Yoga with kittens combines tenderness and solidarity

Participants begin with closed eyes, palms turned upward and slow breathing. When they open their eyes, about 10 kittens, each younger than three months, wander among the yoga mats.

That is the appeal of Yoga With Them, an initiative that combines yoga with rescued dogs and cats from shelters. The animals are available for adoption, while participants take part in a healthy activity alongside creatures looking for affection and ready to play.

The project began with dogs and added feline sessions this year. Creator Nicole Yerien said the kittens deserved their own space and visibility, turning the initiative into a multispecies project with the aim of helping more animals find families.

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After two years of doing yoga with puppies, in March this year we decided to add a new milestone: the first yoga experience with kittens available for adoption. We felt they also deserved their own space and visibility, and so we became a multispecies project, expanding our impact to many more animals looking for families.

The classes bear little resemblance to a traditional practice. Kittens wind around participants’ legs, climb onto them, explore the room or curl up and sleep. They appear on their own schedule, making concentration coexist with the unpredictability of animals and leaving little room for expectations of perfection.

Yerien said she created Yoga With Them to connect emotional wellbeing with her deep love of rescued animals. She wanted the project to fit Argentina’s needs and carry a charitable purpose, supporting people, animals and shelters rather than functioning only as a yoga class.

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Yoga With Them began with a personal search. During a period of major inner transformation, I began asking myself how I could unite my two great worlds: emotional wellbeing and a deep love of animals, especially rescued animals.