Forget downward-facing dog — this yoga class is for the cats.
As you practice your form and work your core, kittens will roam free, jump over your legs, run to and fro and meow as you inevitably hold them up like baby Simba in “The Lion King.”
The cats are provided by the Best Friends Animal Society, a pet adoption center with a 24/7 kitten nursery, which is celebrating its first anniversary by giving the public access to its many kittens (yes, they’re up for adoption) and spreading awareness about “kitten season” and the work it does to care for small felines.
The hour-long class, which is taught by a certified staffer, may not be the most relaxing yoga experience, but it’s sure to be an explosion of cute.
The class is set for May 17 and June 14, from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m., but interested yogis must enter a drawing for a chance at the sessions.
For the May 17 class, you must follow Best Friends on Instagram (@bfas__ny) and comment on its kitten yoga post by Wednesday. If you tag a friend, you’ll be entered into the drawing twice. Only nine people will win entry to the first class.
If you win, you’ll hang out with the cats and their caretakers at the organization’s center in SoHo and learn about its kitten nursery.
Every day, staff and volunteers nurse orphaned newborn kittens, which are under 2 months old and weigh less than 2 pounds, and take care of nursing mothers and their kittens, too.
It’s a big endeavor, according to the organization. The workload of taking in kittens between February and November — when cat populations soar — almost immediately outweighs what staff at most shelters can handle because of a lack of resources, which puts kittens at risk of dying.
Newborn kittens need to be bottle-fed every two hours and they’re usually weeks away from spaying/neutering and adoption.
Best Friends also uses foster homes to help provide around-the-clock care, too. Each caretaker must make food and make sure each kitten has a warm blanket and more.
Kittens that are older and ready to play are the ones you’ll meet at the yoga class, however. So, pull up your mat and enter to win because what could be better than having warm, fluffy balls of fur purring around you?
