I went to a puppy yoga class and this is what it was like

After being at uni for almost a term, with looming deadlines and a falling bank balance, I was in serious need of some cheering up.

Being so far from home is also pretty difficult, as is being away from my lovely dog Romeo for long periods of time. So when the opportunity came to do this article and have some quality time with pups, I jumped at the chance. Puppy yoga classes are becoming all the rage right now, with influencers all across the UK posting the cutest pics with the cutest pups. As a result, it took me a month to be able to book a class, as they’re pretty much sold out everywhere you look weeks in advance.

The idea is that enjoying time with these bundles of joy will increase serotonin and provide a relaxing atmosphere in an otherwise chaotic city. With the added benefit of getting a solid bit of yoga in, I really couldn’t see any downside.

Dude was chilling

Getting there

The class I went to, hosted by Pawside Yoga, releases its location after booking and varies each time. In this instance, we were right by the Thames, which made for a lovely view walking to the studio. Dressed in my best lululemon leggings and matching sports bra, I headed into Central in the early hours of the morning.

The actual class

Most people probably aren’t that interested in the yoga part of puppy yoga. But as a massive yoga nerd, like “do it every night before bed” kind of nerd, I was happy to see that the yoga instructor was super professional. She kept it to a level that would be suitable for beginners while also being enjoyable for those of us who are more used to it. She got us to do some great poses, and ended on the most relaxing note. The session gets a 10/10 from me.

Three personalities coming out

Some puppy yoga studios do the yoga with the puppies roaming around, but this particular one splits the time up so you can spend as much time on each segment as possible. I actually prefer it this way as I could pay full attention to the puppies when they came out to cuddle.

The litter varies each week, and we were pretty lucky to land on the French Bulldog puppy week.

The owner of Pawside Yoga told me that all puppies come from a loving breeder who is taking care of them before they get re-homed. This means they came to us as tiny seven-week-old pups and were super happy to be there. Some even get adopted by the people who show up to class! It also gives the puppy owner a well-needed break while also providing the puppies some socialising time and exposing them to new scenarios in the safest way possible.

Both of them fell asleep like this

With the owner close by in case of any accidents, we were pretty much given free rein to hang out with the puppies for the rest of the session. The pups themselves each had their own little personalities and happily went from person to person for a cuddle or a play.

Although I went for a bit of a laugh, I did genuinely leave feeling a lot happier and relaxed than I did when I went in. With everything going on and the world being so fast-paced and chaotic, it felt great to just ignore everything and spend some time just enjoying life. I totally understand why people go so often.

And the next time I need a little pick me up? I know exactly where to go.

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