Definitely not your average yoga studio, in fact far from it, Kitty Yoga began life as a London startup in 2023 before expanding to open its first location in the north of England, on Corporation Street, in Manchester city centre. Promoting thoughtful and reflexive yoga which encourages both physical and mental wellbeing, this is the place for purrfecting your soft vinyasa flow, improving core stability, while getting up close and intimate with some cute and cuddly young cats who are here to elevate the therapeutic experience.
“Animal therapy has a multitude of proven benefits for us humans. These include; decreasing anxiety and stress, increasing feelings of social support, providing motivation, stimulation and focus, decreasing perceptions of pain and reducing feelings of fear and worry,” the team reply when we ask how kitten therapy works. “Their presence around us alone releases endorphins, a relaxing body-chemical stimulant that reduces blood pressure and levels of cortisol.”
Obviously, working with vulnerable animals comes with some responsibility, and the experts at Kitty Yoga go to great lengths ensuring they only work with certified local breeders, approved catteries, and families whose cats have given birth to little ones in need of socialising. Importantly, the animals benefit from this process, too, as they learn how to interact with other felines at an important time in their lives. The youngest are around eight weeks of age, the oldest six months, and this is a crucial phase for their early development. Most animals stay for around one month, and staff record their progress and conduct weekly health checks to ensure they are fit and happy. As unique an experience as you’re likely to find anywhere in the city, at Kitty Yoga both human clients and their short or longhair therapists are equally valued, and this really shines through from the moment you walk into the studio.