Kitty Yoga!

It’s no secret that the discipline of yoga can lead to a clear mind, providing fertile ground for inspiration. A recent morning practicing yoga while dodging frisky, bouncing kittens proved truly inspirational—and fun! I signed up for kitty yoga with friends and headed to San Diego’s Whiskers and Wine, a cat lounge and bar, on a drizzly Saturday morning. We were welcomed inside and taken to a rooftop deck that held an assortment of perches and baskets to make the rescue kittens comfortable.

It was chilly on the rooftop, with sprinkles of rain finding their way through the awning, adding an element of nature to our experience. Before we started the yoga session, the instructor offered to dust some catnip on our mats. In moments, the kittens sprang into action, zooming over and rolling around at our feet.

Joining the instructor was a sound healer, who played crystal bowls, chimes and bells during the yoga session. I’ve been researching sound healing for a writing project, so being able to study the bowls and mallets while experiencing the sensation of the tones vibrating through my body was an unexpected bonus.

The tones provided relaxation and calm under the cool breeze, and seeing the joyful kittens made it impossible to take ourselves too seriously. A wobble here or a stumble there didn’t matter much when our simple goal was to enjoy ourselves.

Trying something new with no expectations is always liberating. Doing that with friends, surrounded by playful kittens, filled me with levity and made me smile.

My takeaway? It’s always worth trying something new, especially if you’re doing it just for fun, and you might learn something unexpected in the process.  

Thanks to Whiskers and Wine, our yoga instructor, and sound healer John Z. Ortiz for this dose of inspiration.

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