A first-timer’s trip to puppy yoga

As college students, some of our biggest problems stem from trying to stay healthy while maintaining a busy schedule, and from missing our family and friends back home – including our furry family members.

What if we could deal with both of these issues at the same time? It almost sounds too good to be true.

I thought so too, until I saw an event in Philadelphia entitled Puppy Yoga. As someone who likes to try different fitness classes and has an undying love for dogs, this made my heart skip a beat.

After looking into this event, I found out that it was being held at SWEAT Fitness in South Philly and was hosted by the Morris Animal Refuge, a shelter that houses homeless pets in the Philadelphia area. With a $20 donation to the shelter, participants were given the opportunity to take a yoga class, that featured puppies running around while participants  worked on their fitness and relaxation.

I raced to sign up for the next session, but found out the class was full, as they could only provide so many puppies for everyone. Determined to experience this dream, I emailed the organizer of the event, who told me that the Refuge would be having another class due to high demand and that I would be put on their waiting list for it.

Finally, I received an email saying the class would be coming up, and  I eagerly waited for the day to arrive.

I hopped in an Uber, and made my way to South Philly for what I expected to be one of the greatest experiences of my life.

Walking into the class, I was immediately greeted by puppies running around a room full of people that were just as excited as I was. I laid my mat down and took my spot on the floor, and a puppy immediately jumped on me. I was in heaven.

As our instructor took her place, she told us that teaching the class would be hard for her, as her love for puppies would certainly be distracting. She also told us that if we feel called to stop doing yoga and play with a puppy that we should go for it, which is something I was surprised, but relieved, to hear.

The class was like any other yoga class, only with the welcome addition of a puppy biting my ankles.

I was able to go for most of the class without getting distracted by the puppies, until they started getting tired and falling asleep on everyone. I had one doze off on my chest and not wake up until we let out the final “aum.”

Shannon Pepe, ’20, also attended the class and referred to it as one of her favorite experiences ever.

“The two best kinds of stress relievers are puppies and yoga, so it doesn’t get much better than puppy yoga,” Pepe said.

When the hour was up and we had to return the puppies, I was sad to leave this heaven, but also happy because  the organizers of the event told us that all of the puppies there had been adopted. Not only did I get to enjoy an afternoon of yoga and furry friends, but also help spread the word about Morris Animal Refuge and help them make extra money.

Thus I left SWEAT Fitness feeling stress free, with a just few bite marks on my ankles.