We’re familiar with wellness staples like yoga and art therapy, which help us slow down and unwind. But add a room full of puppies, and the experience takes on a whole new dimension. Puppy workshops, which combine guided painting or yoga sessions with playful rescue animals, are fast emerging as a purpose-driven form of self-care.
Why puppy yoga
Participants spend time painting or practising yoga at these workshops while interacting with rescue puppies — and sometimes kittens — that are looking for homes. At their core, these workshops are designed to encourage adoption.
Sinduja Krishnakumar, co-founder of Pawga Pets Yoga, explains the thinking behind the initiative: “We wanted to put Indie dogs in the spotlight and show how joyful it is to spend time with them — breeds don’t matter, and all dogs are the same.”
Explaining what such workshops entail, she adds, “We start with a puppy + yoga workshop, but there is complete freedom; people can choose to do yoga or just play with the puppies.”
The impact of such workshops
“People come in stressed, and they laugh and say they’ve never felt so relaxed. You can feel the energy shift,” says Sinduja.
Recalling a memorable instance, she shares, “We had a pregnant woman join our workshop who was very anxious. As we know, dogs are drawn to pregnancy, and many puppies settled on her lap and helped her relax.”
Shivam Bamniyal, founder and CEO of Barket, echoes this, saying, “Spending time with dogs naturally lowers stress and anxiety. In our case, the impact has been so visible that several doctors and therapists have recommended our sessions to patients.”
Shifting the adoption narrative
“Every puppy, and often rescued kittens as well, who attends the session is looking for a home. Instead of seeing animals through photos online, people get to sit, paint, interact, and spend real time with them, which creates a genuine emotional connection,” he says.
Additionally, these workshops help fund larger welfare efforts for animals, including sterilisation drives, 9-in-1 vaccinations — which are often expensive and less accessible — and anti-rabies campaigns.
