Doing Yoga with Cats
Because in my house, I do everything with cats
With the new year approaching, I’ve decided to get back on track with my health. That includes doing yoga, which is the best treatment I’ve found for my back and neck.
Yesterday, I pulled out the yoga mat and unrolled it, placing it on the floor. The yoga mat acts as some kind of signal for the cats. They cannot resist it. It means that the human is about to get on the floor, which means she clearly wants to play.
They’re also pretty sure the yoga mat is a cat bed. And a cat wrestling mat. Once upon a time, the yoga mat also served as a clandestine snack. Fortunately, no one has taken a bite out of this mat — it’s a little thicker than the last mat I had, which maybe makes it not as chewy and delicious. They do occasionally use it to sharpen their claws.
You know what makes plank harder? Doing it with a cat on your back. You know what makes bridge pose more challenging? Having a cat crawl beneath you. You know what makes downward facing dog really fun? Having a cat play with your hair while you hold the pose.
By the time I get to corpse pose, Sweet Zombie is finished playing. He’s half-asleep at the foot of the mat, making it impossible for me to stretch out and put my feet where they’re supposed to go. The best I can do is some kind of contorted corpse, one who got stuffed in a car trunk and whose limbs are now frozen in a folded position.
Still, yoga with cats is easier than knitting with cats. It’s certainly easier than wrapping presents with cats. It’s more pleasant than cooking with cats.
Maybe there’s an added health benefit to doing yoga with a cat purring next to you? At the very least, it’s a good time to bond with them. It makes them happy, and that makes me happy.
