When I get my mat out at home and devote myself to some much needed yoga practice, inevitably my one cat seems to think it's a new game. I can't go/turn/stretch anywhere but he isn't checking things out. It keeps me laughing, to be honest, and other times I'll use him a something to reach for if he's in the right spot. The other night I was doing a final relaxation and he just laid down the crook of my arm. Before that, though, I was trying some balancing poses and felt this pawing on my overstretched hand. The best is going from Down to Up Dog if he gets under me and I get to slowly squash him. You'd think he would figure it out by now! Does anyone else have pets at home that make their yoga experience a little spicier than usual?

My 2 cats always seem to show up when I spread the yoga mat out. Once I'm down on the floor they come rubbing around, looking for some scratches and pets. The same thing happens when I'm on the phone, I guess they know that I will be staying in one spot for a while so they might as well cash in and get some extra attention.

My cats definitely see yoga as a new opportunity to curl up exactly where they should not be

My dogs really dig me getting down on the floor and try to join me on the mat as well.

Yes, my dog loves to join me on the mat and I keep waiting for the day I can do a down dog as beautifully as she does! I think we can learn a lot about yoga from watching our cats and dogs.

I have a great video by one of my favorite yoga teachers, Erich Schiffman where he leads you through a yoga practice in his backyard and his cat shows up to join him in several poses too! (She even gets mentioned by name in his closing credits :-)

Well, the dogs leave me alone, but my five kids DO NOT! relaxation pose is a joke with a couple of 3 year old triplets on your belly! Oh yeah, and they find it hilarious to crawl under my legs during warrior and lay underneath me, their faces an inch from mine during down-dog.

Actually, I took to turning Yoga into an object lesson not long ago. DH and I noticed that all of the kids (all under the age of 5) have a lot of trouble respecting others' things, feelings, space, everything-else. OK, the baby gets a pass, he just turned 1, but we've been racking our brains trying to maintain a basic level of sanity and keep the never-ending "story time" that is our lives from becoming "Lord of the Flies!" SO I came up with the brilliant idea of explaining a little about Yoga. I told them that during Mama's Yoga time anyone can join in who wants to, but they cannot touch anyone who is participating. That is-- we can do it together, side bys side, but everyone's space needs to be respected. I pointed out that even a soft hug could knock someone off balance, and even a funny joke or loud whisper can ruin concentration. Anyone who doesn't want to particpate must sit quietly on the couch or go play in his bedroom. Ok, so it doesn't work in terms of my relaxing or getting a decent workout. I still am tackled around the waist and knocked over a fair amount of the time, but I think they are actually learning the intended lesson-- to the degree a bunch of preschoolers can, that is.

Jamie,

I love this approach to yoga, which offers so many opportunities for learning and credit your dedication. I think one of yoga's greatest gifts is helping us learn to find the stillness within the chaos -- which makes you a very advanced yogini, indeed!