Puppy Yoga
We start today with a ferocious Miss Vivian and her warcry towards a European Magpie perched across the way.
(sound on)
So, one day out of the blue K asked if I happened to be interested in doing puppy yoga. She happened to spot a post from Wagging Tails Yoga on the social medias. My answer was a definitive, “Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuh, YEAH!!!” And so, off we went!
The studio was surprisingly very close to where we were just the day before, though this time we arrived by the boring old metro (just kidding, I adore the public transit options here). We actually took the London Overground to get there, which was a fun change.
We arrived super early to avoid any sort of rush related stress, and wound up with the perfect amount of time to have a stroll through a park just down the road. I finally downloaded the proper Bird Packs on the Merlin app, a very neat bird identification service recommended by my parents, and IDed a rose-ringed parakeet! In the coming walks through Hyde Park, it became immediately clear how common (and noisy) they are :)
lil’ anecdote - while looking up the name again, I ran across this delightful article which states they love green apples. . . the same apples that went to waste in our fridge because K wanted to save some for the squirrels and then wound up buying the squirrels peanuts instead. Dangit!!
Also before we move on - I can’t recommend Merlin enough - you can ID by either photo or sound, and both work ridiculously well. Even as a complete novice, I get a huge kick out of learning the names, reading the summaries, and scrolling through the professional pictures of each breed I spot!
BUT ANYWAY, PUPPY YOGA!!
We got about 5-10 minutes of actual yoga in before the puppies were unleashed, and any semblance of structure was lost. At first I felt bad for the instructor, but then a puppy went running by and I was only able to think in terms of emojis 🥰😵💫🤩😮🫠😭🥰. She did end up adapting pretty quickly though, switching to stretches and poses that she needed to do herself.
A few noteworthy tidbits (then on to puppy pictures, I promise)
- We did a leg suspension/crunch exercise to the tune of Roxanne, where every time they sang “Roxanne” you had to do and hold a crunch then go back to the suspended position. Not very yoga-y, but it fit the atmosphere and was some goofy fun.
- She showed the basics of how to do Crow/Crane Pose and assisted us with our (failed) attempts. Telling us we were so close, that we just had to practice getting the counter-balance between bum and head just right, she encouraged us to practice at home, with or without the other’s assistance, saying, “Hey, the worst that can happen is you fall on your head.”
And now the moment you’ve been waiting for. These little buggers LOVED socks and toes.
And ears, and glasses, and masks.
I probably let this go on for too long, but they were too gosh dang cute.
And again with the toes!!
A little selfie action.
Sweet little face.
Another sweet little face. And that look!
Rambunctious.
And ferocious! (and a floppy eared dork 😝)
It was a stupid good time. Now we’re on the lookout for baby goat yoga!