SPENCER, Mass. Three little pigs went to a yoga class.
His human companions had a great time.
Wilbur, Charlotte and Bluey fit perfectly into a growing animal yoga trend, adding some fun to the usual physical and mental wellness workouts at a class in central Massachusetts.
Running and strolling among the yogis doing dog, crow and snake poses, the piglets also dug around a yard with their pink snouts while two rabbits and a goat named Munchie searched for the tastiest sprouts.
The experience was worth a nearly two-hour drive to the town of Spencer for retired New Hampshire dentist Stacey Delbridge and her daughter.
“The best thing about piglet yoga was, of course, the piglets and how cute they are,” Delbridge said with a jubilant smile. “They were funny, you know. , you had a great visitor and were able to back out without looking like a quitter. Yes, they are adorable.
Beyond Yoga & Wellness owner Ashley Bousquet teaches yoga to piglets and says demand is such that online registrations typically sell out within hours.
The classes begin with Bousquet inviting participants not to worry about interrupting the flow to interact with the piglets, which come from a friend’s farm.
“During class you have piglets doing mischief and running towards you, on top of you or hugging you,” Bousquet said.
Amy Finkel brought her two daughters with her, smiling widely as she took photos of piglets while the girls hugged a bunny.
“Seeing them so happy and happy” was the highlight, she said. The low point? “When it ended, because it seemed like everything went by so quickly.”
Practicing yoga with animals can produce unexpected benefits. If done with shelter animals, it could even encourage adoptions, said Rebecca Purchase of the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals-Angell.
“Is yoga stressful for the animals that join? It could be, if it’s not the right animal,” Purchase said. “But for animals that really thrive on being around people and socializing with them, this can absolutely be a benefit.”
Finkel is a big fan of animal yoga — she said it helped keep her mind from wandering. “I’m really focused on what’s going on around me. And I think in this day and age that’s very difficult to do.”
“I just wanted to sit with them,” Delbridge said. “I could have skipped yoga and just become a piglet. Everything sucks.”
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