We tried Happy Puppy Yoga at Sun Pier House, Chatham

The puppy yoga craze that is rapidly gaining popularity across the country has finally arrived in Kent.

We sent our reporter Cara Simmonds along to experience one of the very first sessions taking place.

I woke up on Monday morning not dreading the start of the week for once, because I knew I was going to see some tiny bundles of joy.

I had been invited to an hour-long puppy yoga session at Sun Pier House in Chatham.

Full disclosure, I’m a huge animal lover, so any opportunity to spend time with furry friends I’ll take.

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Who wouldn’t want to cuddle with puppies and call it exercise?

Having never attempted to do yoga before, this was a great incentive for me to try something new.

You’ll be relieved to know that you don’t have to train your own dog to do the lotus position with you, as all pooches are provided.

Getting to the venue just before 10am, I had a chat with Katie Tulip, the owner of Happy Puppy Yoga.

She says the activity is good for both the participants and the pups, helping them with their socialisation skills.

“First you have the benefits of yoga – the physical stretching – which is great for your body,” Katie explained.

“Then you have the mental health side as well with the puppies, all those endorphins.

“There’s studies to show that being around animals releases calming and happiness hormones.

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“It’s just a lovely experience and everything else melts away.”

I had heard of this crazy phenomenon before. Some of my friends had gone and experienced it in London, but the thought of committing to an expensive train journey, along with city prices, had initially put me off.

To find out there were sessions starting in Maidstone, Rochester and Tonbridge, was music to my ears.

After doing a little bit of research it seemed like the idea of stretching with your pooch started over in the States. No surprise there.

It originated as “Doga” – a hybrid of the practice of yoga with your pet, beginning in the early 2000s.

The concept was then bought over to the UK in 2004, where dogs were often held by their owners and incorporated into poses.

More recently it has sprung into combining yoga with anything and everything – including puppies, kittens, bunnies and even goats (yes, you read that right).

As soon as I enter the room I hear little howls and shrieks from over in the corner.

Eight mini dachshunds were staring up at me all raring to go.

Katie tells me they are made up of two different litters, five and three from the same breeder, and are just eight weeks old.

There’s about 14 people in the class, all excitedly talking to one another, so I go over and pick a mat to sit on.

The yoga instructor, Lucy McDonald, started everyone off by doing some simple stretches.

For the next 40 minutes we had a variety of positions to try out, such as Child’s Pose, Downward Facing Dog, Plank Pose and Cobra Pose.

As Lucy guided us all through the various postures and breathing work, the puppies would run around, play with each other and curl up next to you.

They weren’t incorporated into the individual poses sadly, as there wasn’t enough dog-to-human ratio.

Being so young, they had a mind of their own anyway, and we were all happy to let them approach us while we were attempting each position.

Myself and a few others got a lucky ear-lick and hair bite from some of the cheeky ones.

There was one hilarious moment where a pup decided to gate-crash Lucy’s demonstration, causing everyone to burst out laughing.

Despite looking completely cute and innocent, the little dachshunds also had a habit of howling at one another, chewing, peeing and pooing.

There were only a few little accidents throughout the session, which were flagged and swiftly cleared up by the team.

Because of that I would also say don’t wear or bring anything super precious and valuable with you.

Overall it was a great experience – but let’s be honest – everyone knows it was definitely more about the pups than the yoga itself.

It also felt less pressured, with nobody critiquing you on how you did each position.

Puppy yoga would be great for a birthday idea to do with your friends or a quirky activity to try out with your family.

The whole time I couldn’t stop smiling and laughing, even when I was trying to “find my inner peace” I felt a nibble on my hand and a little body scurry over my foot.

It wasn’t calming as such, but I realised at the end that I hadn’t thought about anything else other than what was in the room the whole time – just myself and the pups.

Not bad for a Monday morning, am I right?

For more information, head to www.happypuppyyoga.com – tickets are £30 per person.