I have recently gotten back into yoga. I used to be quite consistent with attending yoga classes, but now I only follow YouTube videos (mainly because there is no where local to me to actually attend a yoga class) and so I am very much an amateur. I can just about touch my toes, let alone do any of the insane feats of strength that ‘True Yogis’ are able to do. Yet even in the comfort of my own home, with no one else around me, my cat will decide every single yoga session that the best place for her to sit is on my yoga mat, usually directly underneath me whilst I am trying to stay still in downward dog position.
It is one of the reasons why I would not attend any sort of yoga class (or any exercise class for that matter) that involves animals being present. I will get to the actual ethics of this below, but from a practical stand point, there is no way that class is productive. Working out, for me, is my me-time. It is my time to really connect with my body and to mindfully move my body, be that with a run, a weight-lifting routine, or a long yoga flow. As much as I love my cat, and am usually following her around the house asking for cuddles, her wanting to snuggle with me during the one hour that I am not wanting any sort of companionship usually means that my work out has to be paused to move her out of the way, or I spend more time moving her away from my mat than I do actually working out.
One of the more popular options for these sorts of classes are ‘puppy classes’. A grown cat is one thing to try to navigate around, but a room full of very excitable and tiny puppies is something completely different. Despite many organisers saying the classes are good for puppies’ socialisation, it has been found that the animals were being put at “serious risk” during classes, including sleep deprivation from constantly being woken up from their sleep to be played with and picked up, and even being denied access to water or food due to the lack of resources within the actual classes. It has also been argued that these classes are more a marketing ploy to sell puppies than to promote the puppies’ socialisation, and adds to the unethical puppy breeding industry.
One of the biggest issues with these sort of events is that it can be hard to know exactly where the animals are coming from, again raising fears that these events are further promoting unethical breeding practices which cause further harm to the animals involved. Whilst there are welfare laws out there, it is hard to enforce them when these events are often privately arranged and seem to be arranged between private individuals. There is also the concern that these events may be advertised in ways that could further cause harm for the animals, by advertising multiple events in short periods of time and involving far too many people, further leading to the concerns raised above about the safety of the animals during these events.
There is also the emotional strain that these environments can take on the animals. For many, whilst yoga is a relatively calm exercise class with no loud noises, there is still a lot of movement and normally quite a lot of people per class which could arguably be quite stressful for many animals, especially for young animals such as puppies or kittens.
Another issue is that it doesn’t seem to take the yoga practice itself seriously. As well as the issue I mentioned above about the practicalities of trying to do any sort of work out with an animal around, yoga itself is a historical, spiritual, and philosophical practice just as much as it is a physical one. Originating over 5,000 years ago, yoga is an important part of Indian culture and heritage and for many people who practice yoga it is a core part of their spiritual practice. As such, it could be argued that these sort of classes make a mockery of this, and seem to be taking the practice of yoga further from its original roots and make the entire practice out to be nothing more than an easy marketing tool.
In summary, I would never attend one of these events. If you do want to spend time with animals, I would recommend contacting your local rescue centre to see if they are in need of volunteers to help them. This could include anything from socialising the new arrivals to feel safe around humans again, to helping to walk and exercise the animals in a safe and appropriate environment.
Taylor Talks Vegan 