Video: Are Cats Practicing Yoga?

To reach optimum health, lots of folks people practice Yoga.  Since Yogis believe mind and body are one, Yoga exercises are aimed to unite the body, mind and spirit. Yogis maintain if the body is given the right yoga tools and environment, greater harmony can be reached, allowing the body to heal itself. Yoga helps build flexibility and enables relaxation, even in the midst of turmoil.

According to the ABC-of-Yoga   yoga has been practiced for thousands of years. Yoga has led to significant research examining the health benefits derived from practicing this ancient science.

Recently I have been reading about Yoga and exploring the ways in which I could improve my health through its practice. But from the little bit I have recently digested, it has recently led me to suspect that our two Oriental Shorthairs, Sir Hubble Pinkerton and Dr. Hush Puppy are practicing Yoga already.

And while the idea that our cats are Yogis dressed in little fur yoga garb is a little hard for me to swallow; I remain open to the possibility that I may be onto an important truth.

Our two beautiful kitties are twelve years old. For the most part, they are in excellent shape and physical condition. My vet tells me they could easily pass for 7.  With the exception of a slight case of neurosis which Sir Hubble exhibits from time to time, they are both emotionally well balanced, generally have excellent appetites and have super dispositions.

Bearing all this in mind, I have recently started observing them from the purrspective of Yoga. They sleep through the night, wake up, and then stretch… and stretch… eat their breakfast, and  almost immediately run into the living room and climb to the top of our 6 foot cat tree to relax.  Following this routine, I swear I see them meditating.

Of course I was then compelled to embark upon several hours of research to learn whether there are cats that do practice Yoga, and most importantly who is teaching them.

Patience indeed is a virtue, and when the student is ready the teacher appears. Fortunately, ShortyTheCat2010 was kind enough to share his experience on YouTube, with a challenging yoga sequence in his instructional video designed for both kitties and their guardians.

I invite you to breathe deeply, exhale slowly and enjoy a moment of peace and serenity watching the moves of a very enlightened kitty.

Is it possible that your cats are Yogis as well?  Tell us what you think in a comment.