Kittens accompany yoga enthusiasts during 'Paw Hour' in New Delhi studio

A group of yoga enthusiasts in the Vasant Kunj region of New Delhi, India dressed in gym attire with foam mats, attended an hour of yoga with a furry twist at a studio.

Kittens wandered around yoga enthusiasts in the sunlit studio while some rested on the mats while listening to soft music.

Yoga practices involving animals are becoming increasingly popular all around the world, with sessions featuring goats and dogs frequently attracting large audiences of people trying to de-stress.

“We call this distracted yoga,” says Mona, who organises the sessions under the initiative, The Paw Hour, adding, “People sometimes take breaks from offices to attend our sessions and go back to work. They leave these classes with big smiles.”

In order to create a calm environment for participants to relax, the yoga is self-paced and includes simple stretching.

Kittens weave in and out of the rows of people, occasionally even dozing on audience members, which causes hilarity from the audience, Reuters reported.

“People walk in stressed and walk out rejuvenated,” says co-organiser Noor, who did not want to use her full name.

Chandreyee Sarkar, a participant, says kittens are what drew her to sign up for the session.

“There are a lot of dog yoga events. This is the first time I’m seeing one with cats involved. As a cat person. I simply had to attend.”

The Paw Hour has teamed up with individual cat rescuers to help cats find homes and to promote awareness about pet adoption. The organisers say they are inundated with requests and queries about adoption at almost every class.

“This is a class full of smiles that usually ends with happy stories of kittens getting adopted,” says yoga teacher Surbhi.

The kitten yoga sessions in Delhi have been highly sought after, according to Mona. The team plans to expand to Bengaluru and other Indian cities.