Despite my best intentions, life has felt challenging lately. Even home yoga. I would like to introduce you to yoga cat. She is nothing like yoga dog, who stops by, stretches, wags his tail, and then moves on. Yoga cat likes to be in the way, the entire time. Every day since I decided to take my home yoga practice more seriously, she has been on my mat from start to finish. I have done locust poses at odd angles, tree balanced precariously over an outstretched cat, warrior with my hand a dangling invitation for her to take a good swat, and seated meditation with a purring ball of fur pressed against my legs.
Like many obstacles, she is part joyous distraction, part menace.
Now, I know what you’re thinking. Why not just move her? But, that’s the thing. First, she’s not an easy creature to move. My husband and I joke that she’s half ferrel. She does what she pleases unless you’re willing to risk an altercation. Second, I have tried to view her as an added challenge to clearing my mind and focusing inward. If I work hard enough, I can tune her out, even if every once in awhile I receive an unexpected slap of her paw or have to move some of my poses to the carpet.
Luna is perfectly in the way.
I actually think yoga cat is a good metaphor for life. Anything worth doing is going to have obstacles. You can either put in the work anyway or switch your attention elsewhere. I am pretty sure if I pulled out a different mat she would just follow me to a new location. I have to remind myself this as I push through obstacles in other parts of my life. Even if I switched directions, there would be something else. Thankfully, meditation, yoga, blogging, reading all help. And, doing yoga over a cat might just be part of the fun.
oliviaobryon 
This made me laugh! What a great metaphor!
Glad you got a kick out of it 🙂
You know I love a good asshole cat! She is adorable, and it really is a good metaphor.
You want her? 😉
Haha! This post hit close to home! Our cat insisted on getting in the way every time we practiced yoga at home. I put a small mat down and told him that is his yoga mat. He got on it and sat down to watch the rest of my practice!
That’s too funny. I actually tried two mats yesterday. She still wanted to be on whichever one I was using. Your cat is better behaved 😉
I found this posting through my google alerts today. I always love reading about other people’s cats who are in love with yoga mats as well because mine can’t get enough of them!
Sound like you invented a new type of yoga, Olivia. How about furry down-dog or cat litter corpse pose?
Lol, not sure those sound too appealing 😉 But, yes, my pets are unusually gifted yoga masters!
I found this post through my google alerts that i have set to “yoga cats”. I too have cats that love yoga mats and take over my mat every time I get it out to practice!
Love it! 🙂