Paws and reflect: Puppy yoga brings calm and chaos

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (Aging Untold) — Instructors in North Carolina are hosting “puppy yoga” classes that combine traditional yoga practice with puppies. Jessica Seisay is one of thousands of instructors now hosting the classes, which she said are aimed at bridging two popular interests. “Everyone loves puppies and everyone loves yoga. It’s a great way to bridge the two,” Seisay said. Taylor Manley, who tried the class, described the experience as calming. “Definitely - very Zen, very calm. They’re so sweet. He just came and wanted to sit in my lap the whole time, so I was trying to relax with him, and he was going to make me go to sleep with him,” Manley said. Health benefits Research shows contact with animals lowers cortisol and boosts “feel-good” chemicals like serotonin. Aging Untold expert Amy O’Rourke said the practice affects the body’s stress response. “When you’re touching a puppy, looking at a puppy, playing with a puppy, your cortisol lowers, your stress lowers, you get calmer,