Yoga With Cats Class Proves To Be 'The Purrfect Mix'

By SARAH HAINESWORTH
The Capital of Annapolis

GALESVILLE, Md. (AP) -- A sign on the table reads "Think Pawsitive."

Water bottles and yoga mats were positioned on the floor inside the Galesville Memorial Hall but so were litter boxes.

About 13 people gathered at the south county hall Sunday afternoon for a Yoga With Cats class that included seven furry felines from the SPCA of Anne Arundel County.

Yoga instructor Stacie Balaguer, who goes by the name Jaya, contacted the SPCA earlier this year after seeing a video on Facebook from a Yoga with Cats class in another state.

Balaguer then teamed up with the SPCA to hold her first Yoga With Cats class in August and all the cats that participated in the event were adopted.

Sunday, another group of cats and kittens got their turn.

As the yoga enthusiasts stretched out on their mats, Balaguer instructed the class to calm their minds but one cat protested the instruction and erupted in a loud meow.

Then Balaguer read an excerpt from the book, "Guardians of Being - Spiritual Teachings from our Dogs & Cats."

Everything natural, every flower, tree and animal has important lessons to teach us if we would only stop, look and listen.

It wasn't long before Whiskers, a 1-year-old orange tabby, jumped onto a podium kept in the corner of the room.

"Looks like we're going to be getting a speech here shortly," Balaguer said as the class laughed.

The men, women and children practiced the good morning stretch, goddess pose and fish pose as the cats and kittens sniffed the participants' faces and feet, chased tennis balls around the room and sprawled out on the yoga mats.

No one dared mention the "D" word.

"Palms are to the earth and we're going to take the left leg back to a downward.cat," Balaguer instructed.

Then the participants stretched into a squatting position for the chair pose and Whiskers maneuvered his way back to the top of the podium.

"That's the next president right there," Balaguer said.

A resident of Shady Side, Balaguer has practiced yoga for the past nine years and began teaching a year ago.

She's mom to two cats and two dogs and has fostered pets most of her life.

"Just incorporating my two loves in life, animal rescue and yoga, was great for me," she said.

"The last time, we adopted out all the cats so that was our success. These cats are stuck in kennels and cages so to be able to run around here is just an experience."

Balaguer called cats "the Zen masters we strive to become."

"Incorporating them into a yoga practice reminds us to be in the moment, just as they do daily. Sharing energy and love through our practice only makes the connection between us even stronger," she said.

"Cats have so many uncommonly known health benefits such as lowering stress and high blood pressure, helping with depression and cat owners are at a 40 percent less risk of a heart attack."

Amanda Peretich, a Prince Frederick resident and mom to four cats, was one of the participants Sunday.

"My friend Kristin found the class," she said.

"I love cats so I'm a crazy cat lady and she loves yoga so it was the perfect mix for the both of us."

Peretich and her friend Kristin Adamski of North Beach, drove six hours after participating in a race in South Carolina to make it back in time for Yoga With Cats.

"This was the perfect stretch after the race," Adamski said.

Several SPCA volunteers were present with adoption applications for the cats and kittens. Those interested in adoption could fill out an application on the spot and, if approved, bring the feline home in a matter of days.

SPCA volunteer Kim Morrissette said the shelter had a busy kitten season but there are still plenty of kitten and cats waiting to be adopted.

"Kittens normally get adopted quicker," she said. "It just makes it harder for the adult cats to get adopted but they all need homes."

The immediate benefit for the felines is a chance to get out and play.

"These guys are having a blast," SPCA volunteer Inger Priegel said.

"It's nice to be able to see the cats actually be cats. They're going to sleep good tonight."

(Copyright 2015 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)