Mimi’s Ark: Healing with Puppies at Puppy Yoga

By Mimi Pollack

SAN DIEGO — There was an unexpected tragedy in my family, recently, and I have been feeling sad. I needed a healing experience. Fortunately, I had signed up for a Puppy Yoga class in August and the class was today in October.

According to the website, Puppy Yoga in California offers classes in major cities like Los Angeles, San Francisco, and San Diego, combining a gentle yoga class with playtime and cuddles with young puppies, often from local breeders and rescues. Classes generally run for about 60 minutes, with a 30-minute yoga session followed by 30 minutes of puppy interaction. The classes provide a unique, feel-good experience focused on fun and stress relief.

The class that I signed up for was held in Ocean Beach on Voltaire Street. Parking can sometimes be tricky, but the parking gods smiled on me, and I was able to snag a spot right in front.

The setting is classic Ocean Beach. Showing my age, it felt very “hippie” to me. You walk down a narrow alleyway to the outdoor class which is held behind the building.  Although it is an outdoor setting, they have a large tarp to provide shade. They also provide clean yoga mats.

When I walked in, both Sammy and Amanda greeted me warmly. Sammy is the manager, and Amanda is the chill instructor.  The 8-week-old puppies for that day were all sleeping in a large enclosure and looked adorable. They were a mix of Sheepdog and Poodle and came from a reputable breeder in Vista.

When I asked about that as someone who believes more in rescuing than buying dogs, I was told that they try to use rescues whenever they can, but puppies are not always available, so they also use breeders that have been vetted.

The class was small, maybe 15 people, and there were plenty of puppies to go around. All the puppies were from the same large litter, but they were a varied bunch. Some were all black, some all white, one was cream colored, and a few were black and white with sheepdog traits.   The all-white runt of the litter was a favorite as it was very calm and sweet.  Two of the more rambunctious puppies enjoyed chomping on my feet and brand-new socks! My recommendation is to wear old socks if you go.

The first half an hour was a Hatha Yoga class in which she led us in different poses and stretches.  The class was geared to all levels, so you could do as much or as little as you wanted. I thought Amanda did a great job.  As we were doing our poses, Sammy brought the puppies out to mingle with us.  She tried to make sure that each participant had a puppy handed to them to cuddle.

Puppies being puppies, several of them peed and pooped, but she was quick to come around and clean up.  Besides, the puppy energy was wonderful! Since the puppies were from a breeder, the ones that had ribbons on them were already taken, but the other ones were available to purchase.

During the second half an hour, we sat in a circle and the puppies played with everyone and we talked a little. There were two sisters celebrating a birthday and I noticed several mothers and daughters. To finish, the group did some last-minute breathing to center ourselves before we said “Namaste.” I had to leave, but many continued to linger, enjoying the puppies.  All in all, it was an enjoyable experience, and I left with loving, puppy energy. In California, there are puppy yoga studios in several cities. In San Diego, they are in Ocean Beach and La Jolla.

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Mimi Pollack is an animal lover and freelance writer based in La Mesa, California.