Hawk Hill Productions (HHP) hosted a yoga night in O’Pake Fitness & Recreation Center Oct. 2, featuring six puppies from a New Jersey animal rescue.
According to Alannah Vazquez, associate director of Student Leadership & Activities, the event was meant to bring students together in a community setting to decompress prior to midterm test week. About 60 students signed up for the event.
“The same reason for any and all events on campus is just to get out there, do something new, get out of your normal space,” Vazquez said.
Abby Virtue ’25, president of HHP, said the event quickly sold out after being announced on social media, partly because of the four-legged guests and the location.
“O’Pake is new, we have this nice new space, which is really fun,” Virtue said. “We wanted to utilize the new space, and I think a lot of people are excited about it. And everyone loves puppies.”
Jaime Clark ’28 said she had never been to a puppy yoga event before this one, and she has not seen her dog, Louie, for two months.
“I haven’t had a puppy in a while,” Clark said. “Everyone loves puppies, and yoga is very relaxing, so it’s just a very fun, relaxing event that you can go to at the end of your day to wind down.”
Vazquez knew students would be missing their pets when planning the event.
“Those basic things that students miss, it’s their pets. They’re missing their pets at home, so it’s like giving them a little comfort of home,” Vazquez said.
Debra Furstenberg, CEO and founder of Doggy Noses & Yoga Poses, said her daughter’s community service project inspired the event.
“It was never a business idea. It was originally supposed to be a one-time event as a community service project for my older daughter, who was a candidate for her black belt in karate,” Furstenberg said.
Furstenberg said she did not know what to do but decided on a yoga event, and even though she hadn’t done yoga before, she thought animal yoga would be a good idea.
“If I did yoga with animals, I think the goats are cute, but I think puppies and dogs would be so much more fun,” Furstenberg said.
Furstenburg has previously collaborated with Sarah Thompson, instructor at Monarch Yoga, the instructor for this yoga night.
“I was like, ‘I need to jump on this because everybody’s gonna wanna do it,’” Thompson said.
Thompson said she encourages the practice of yoga due to the benefits it brings.
“There’s different kinds of yoga and styles that get deep into the connective tissue and the fascia, so you can get really deep into your body,” Thompson said. “But, for me, the mental benefits are really where it’s at.”
Thompson said the event created a space where students could both benefit from the yoga and playing with puppies. “You can be in it for the yoga, where you’re really looking for those physical and mental benefits, and you just have the added cuteness of the puppies,” Thompson said. “Sometimes, it can just be fun. It’s community building. We’re all in this together.”
