We went to a puppy yoga class in Edinburgh and it was absolute pawfection

I’m sure we all have had many moments at Edi where all you want to do is cuddle with sleeping golden retriever puppies. And now at long last, you can.

We attended one of the first puppy yoga classes, held at The Crags Centre and it really was everything we ever wanted and more. We attended the 12:30 class but there are also class times you can book, which vary depending on the weekend you attend. Whichever day you pick there are two class times per day to pick from.

The founder behind this insanely cute idea is Lydia, who graduated from Edinburgh only last year who set up the sessions after wondering why Scotland seemed to be the only place in the UK that didn’t offer any puppy yoga classes.

Whilst all the classes have currently sold out, the best way to be alerted when new ones come out is to follow their Instagram (which also features very cute pictures), and sign up for their mailing list on their website. Tickets cost £29.50 per person and a portion of the proceeds go to both the Scottish Association for Mental Health and the Scottish SPCA, which help to prevent animal cruelty.

When we arrived we were immediately greeted by a room full of adorably fluffy golden retriever puppies. The hour long session consists of 15 minutes of cuddles and photos with the puppies at the beginning, followed by a 30 minute teacher led yoga class, and then a final 15 minutes of puppy snuggling where you can try and see whether you can fit a puppy into your pocket to smuggle home…

Let me tell you, whatever you imagined puppy yoga would be like in your head, this is ten times better and cuter. There were plenty of puppies to go around and the handler was great at making sure everyone got cuddle and playtime with a puppy. Some puppies were content just sleeping whereas others were slightly maniacal, with one puppy attempting multiple times to make a quick getaway with my sock.

The yoga class itself was fantastic as well, and very very accessible to beginners. The last time I did yoga was about ten years ago, and I managed to follow along very easily! The yoga instructor is very accommodating and so if you want to have a break to rest, or just give your puppy some attention then you can!

The puppies themselves were from a local breeder who accompanies the puppies to every class, and it’s a great form of socialisation for them. Lydia also mentioned that in the future she would like to introduce more breeds and varieties of puppies for the classes! And if you somehow don’t like puppies she even mentioned the potential of kitten yoga in the future…

The combination of the puppies and the yoga was the ideal form of relaxation, and so perfect to combat the stress of uni. So whether you’re already a yoga pro, in the thick of exams and want an outlet to relax, or just want to cuddle with puppies then these sessions are definitely the way to go! This was one of the best, most relaxing things I’ve ever done in Edinburgh, and would go back in a heartbeat! But be warned, you’ll definitely want to bring all the puppies home with you.

Oh and keep an eye on our TikTok for some cute puppy content coming very soon….

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