The country launched a probe in March 2021 into WhatsApp's privacy policy, which allowed data sharing with Facebook and its units, sparking global backlash
world3 days ago
For yogis looking for some puppy love to go with their mindfulness, a yoga class in Los Angeles offers gentle stretching alongside nine puppies, many of them looking for permanent homes.
As practitioners work through a series of asanas or poses, pups assist by jumping on the backs of those in "cat-cow" pose and scrambling underneath the elevated bodies of those in "downward dog".
Laughing Frog Yoga studio said it has been offering puppy yoga since 2019 and that it is still among the few Southern California studios to do so. Dog wrangler and foster pup mum Julie Mondin said the class provides many mental health benefits for students, like happiness, joy, and socialization.
“Puppies bring joy, and puppies also bring a sort of mental, soothing stableness," said Mondin. "They provide oxytocin, dopamine."
"They're great for humans of every kind. Puppy yoga is fun, it's wholesome."
Most of the adoptable puppies have been surrendered by owners or are rescues from shelters, and to date, around 58 puppies have been adopted through the class. Laughing Frog Yoga also offers goat and kitten yoga, but nothing compares to the delight generated by puppies.
“I think puppy yoga is better. I think it actually is more connecting because somebody is playing with a puppy, and the person next to you is going to start laughing," Mondin said.
"The goats aren't as expressive, but they're really cute goats. But let's get real. It's about the puppies.”
Puppy yoga instructor Kaia Placa is in charge of leading the pack. From her experience, signs of emotional fatigue often go unchecked for many people, so she likes to tailor her class around the fun and joy of each moment.
“When you bring the puppies in, you bring the outdoors in, you're welcoming the sense of play, ease, and lightness," said Placa. "And truly, for our mental health, we do just need to step outside of our regular kind of day-to-day grown-up lives and just experience a little childlike wonder. It doesn't always have to be so serious."
Donning leather and hoodies and heavily motivated by treats, Mondin’s veteran pup crew is led by Gilbert, Frankie and Clover who help train the new pups with socialization and behaviour on the road to a potential adoption.
For many yoga enthusiasts like Aubrey Ackerman, the aura of zen, relaxation and body movement becomes secondary as the pups join in on the fun mid-stretch.
“I think it's impossible to leave a class like this feeling sad or feeling anxious, so I think it's probably really great,” she said.
But while yogis leave class feeling zen, puppies will be puppies and accidents do sometimes happen, Mondin said.
"Nothing can go wrong," she said, "even if you get peed on."
The country launched a probe in March 2021 into WhatsApp's privacy policy, which allowed data sharing with Facebook and its units, sparking global backlash
world3 days ago
This time around, Trump wants the Senate to give up that gatekeeping role and allow him to make 'recess appointments'
world3 days ago
Police allege the offences took place between 2001 and 2019 against 8 victims; the youngest was 17 at the time of the offence
world3 days ago
The two countries have a mutual defence treaty dating back to 1951, which could be invoked if either side came under attack, including in the South China Sea
world4 days ago
Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu conferred the Grand Commander of the Order of Niger on Narendra Modi in Abuja on Sunday
world4 days ago
The titleholder's winning answer focused on using each individual's strengths
world4 days ago
The suspects would be interrogated jointly with the Shin Bet internal security agency, police said
world4 days ago
The attack took place at the Wuxi Vocational Institute of Arts and Technology in Jiangsu province
world5 days ago