I have been regularly practicing yoga for the last six years. As John Hopkins Medical reminds us, there are a number of benefits to yoga, including improving strength, balance, and flexibility; it's relaxing and can help you sleep better; it can help manage stress; and yoga can brighten your mood and give you more energy. For me, however, the most important benefit yoga provides is helping with pain relief.
As someone who suffers from chronic pain in my neck (that then branches out through my back, shoulders, and head depending on the day) moving my muscles on a daily basis is a must. But I'm not perfect. I should be practicing yoga daily, but just like everyone else when it comes to exercise, I am very good at talking myself out of it.
Especially when I have two handsome kitty-cat boys at home to distract me from practicing. And, while practicing, Kap and Franklin are curious boys who want to be where the humans are. Kap is usually good about keeping his distance, only interfering on occasion, but Franklin always wants to be next to, on, or underneath me- depending on where it would be most inconvenient to the current yoga pose.
While Kap will occasionally sniff my face when I'm in a position like Downward-Facing Dog, Franklin will sniff and swat at me every chance he gets. He also loves to eat my hair, so my swishing ponytail is like the ultimate toy for him. So it's very easy to talk myself out of practicing at home because I don't want to deal with the distractions. Yoga is meant to be quiet and relaxing. Something that Fran is not about 99% of the time.
However, there are some benefits to practicing yoga at home with cats. Just like it's all the rage to try goat yoga and puppy yoga, practicing yoga with a cat or two at home can be good for you, and this idea is something that I am currently keeping in mind- even if it is sometimes easier to cave and lay down with Franklin rather than try to exercise around him. According to My Yoga Teacher, a few of the best reasons to include your cat in your yoga practice are:
Cats Positively Affect Your Psychological Health
Cats Naturally Fit into a Yoga Practice
Cats and Yoga Encourage Us to Slow Down
Franklin and Kap always make me happy, even when they are being the utmost of menaces they can possibly be. One look at their cute little faces and I melt. The serotonin flowing through me relaxes me, and relaxed muscles are best when practicing yoga. Cats are also the ultimate yogis, the masters of acrobatics. Sometimes I watch Fran lift his foot over his head and wish I were that flexible- and with daily yoga, I could be.
And of course, cats nap most of the day away, again reminding us humans to take it easy. Have a cat nap! Sleeping is extremely important, and with a relaxed mind, a body energized from exercise, and a little less pain flowing through us, we can all be put in a better mood thanks to practicing yoga with our kitties.
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