The dog upside down you know? Yes it is a yoga position. But in Puppy Yoga classes, she has never lived up to her name so well. For a month in Paris, this trend from Anglo-Saxon countries has been a hit. The concept is simple, for twenty minutes a teacher gives a yoga class… in the middle of puppies who frolic in the room and rub your calves. The last 40 minutes of the lesson are for having fun and cuddling one of the little dogs. It was while returning from her studies in London that Ella Rubinski decided to import the concept, “It was there that I discovered Puppy yoga. I loved going there. In Paris, I had a dog, I missed him a lot and my family too. Obviously, the session is much less physical than in other Parisian yoga rooms. But the presence of the animals “offers a moment of pure relaxation, cuteness and hugs” notes Lisa the teacher of the day.
For Ella, if humans come out with their hearts full of sweetness and their bodies relieved of the stress of the week, this practice is also beneficial for animals. “The courses allow them to get used to interacting with humans from an early age. »
“The goal is to attract the customer”
On the side of animal defense associations, it is time to get out (a little) the claws. “You can’t associate the presence of puppies with relaxation as yoga promises, it’s more excitement. The combination of the two is quite risky,” judge Lorène Jacquet, Campaigns and Advocacy Manager for the Brigitte Bardot Foundation. Is this new trend more marketing than access to well-being? In any case, that’s what Lorène Jacquet thinks, “the goal is to attract customers to yoga clubs, practicing with cute little dogs is attractive, so in terms of marketing, it brings them something. Another point worries the Brigitte Bardot Foundation, “breeders can use this practice to present litters of puppies to audiences who are not necessarily looking for animals but who can fall for a cute animal. »
Remember that adopting an animal is a responsibility, it takes time to take care of this new member of the family.