Sumathy Krishna sits in position to practise bhujangasana, the reclining, back-bending cobra pose. As she bends forward on the yoga mat, a three-month-old puppy jumps playfully onto her back.
Before the 26-year-old can react, the dog smothers her with kisses. Gleefully, Krishna allows the pup to join her and the 20 other animal-lovers who are taking part in this special yoga session.
Welcome to “pawga” – yoga with pups. Three university friends – Swathi Renugopal, Sindhuja Krishnakumar and Subhashree Madhavan – launched the initiative in 2020 in the southern Indian city of Chennai. The wellness experience is all about destressing while spending time with animals through yoga.
The beginners’ yoga sessions have puppies, and sometimes kittens, from local animal shelters joining in. This helps new yoga students to relax – and often helps the animals find forever homes.
“Pawga is a one-of-a-kind wellness experience,” says Madhavan, a full-time corporate executive who organises the “pawga” classes on weekends. The animals run around freely as beginners learn yoga poses, usually for 45 minutes. Then they play with puppies for the rest of the hour-long sessions.
“Studies have proven that yoga with animals improves flexibility; nurtures mindfulness; and boosts mental health. Such engagement has been shown to manage cortisol [the stress hormone] levels and is also great for pet well-being,” she says.
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The “pawga” movement has spread to more than a dozen cities across India and is growing around the world. It has more than 36,000 followers on Instagram, and Madhavan says the practice is increasingly popular among young people in cities.
“We’ve seen people come to tears during the sessions and tell us that this is what they needed after a stressful week,” she shares.
“Some people who earlier feared dogs saw their fear dissipate after a few sessions and even adopted pups. We encourage people to come 15 minutes early and also stay back a little longer to spend more time with the puppies.”
Banker Chitra Subramaniam regularly takes part in “pawga” sessions in Chennai, and says the exercise is great for people suffering from stress and anxiety.
“Apart from initiating one into yoga, ‘pawga’ is also a forum to spread awareness about dog adoption. The movement also donates a portion of fees to local animal welfare organisations. So it’s a feel-good initiative for all participants,” she says.
The benefits of exercising with animals are well documented. Harvard Medical School report “Get Healthy, Get a Dog” notes that dog owners tend to have lower blood pressure because their pets usually have a calming effect. The dogs also require exercise, which generally prompts their owners to take them for walks.
Yoga with pets has had great success in countries including the United Kingdom and Canada. Many international celebrities, including Hollywood actress Jennifer Aniston and British footballer David Beckham, are known to include their dogs in their workout sessions.Last year, Beckham’s wife, Victoria, shared an Instagram post of his exercise routine, showing him lying on an exercise mat while their family dog paws at him.
Yoga experts say “pawga” is premised on the ancient yogic method through which asanas – or poses – got their names.
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It is believed that sages back in the day would take inspiration from nature, hence the names for asanas as we know them today. For instance, the matsya (fish) asana and bhujang (cobra) asana resemble the creatures they are named after.
“Most of the postures we know and practise today are derived from animals and a close study of them. They remind us how animals are connected to people and have a relevance and connection with yoga, too,” says Rajesh Kumar Singh, national vice-president of the Indian Naturopathy and Yoga Graduates’ Medical Association in Noida, in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.
Singh adds that many religious traditions – such as those in Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism, all of which have influenced yoga – use animals symbolically.
“It is believed that ancient yogis would go out into the forest and develop these postures through observing and copying animal behaviour,” Singh says. “So it’s hardly surprising that people are rediscovering the benefits of animal yoga, which allows people to become mindful as they live in the moment – and enjoy it, too.”ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7tK%2FMqWWcp51kuaqyxKyrsqSVZLWmrcutn2avlaG5r7HSrGaaqqSesK2xjmxpamxpa35wtsSnpaKelad6orrIrKuopl2Zrre1w2aZnpubna6uedaoqaRln6rBbrzErapmmZ6Zerq71GaamqZdqbyweceormaokay0onnSnqqsoZ%2BjwG7AxJqaoWWppLSiedKhnKWslac%3D