Animal lovers know what a relaxing effect a furry friend can have. It’s exactly why Lindsay Riley created Breathe2Flow last year, a Connecticut-based pop-up yoga series that features animal companions. “After COVID, when I started teaching [in-person] again, I just thought I want animals,” Lindsay, who has been teaching since 2019, tells Westport Lifestyle. She partnered with Everybunny Counts, a local rabbit rescue in Ellington, to offer yoga with rabbits, with proceeds benefiting the organization. “They became really successful classes,” she says. “So then I thought: what other animals can I use? Who else can I help?” She added a class with a kitten rescue, as well as one with French Bulldogs from a nearby owner. Breathe2Flow has been popping up with animal yoga all over CT ever since, from Stamford to Fairfield to Central Connecticut, including private classes by request (Yes, she will come to Westport!).“I know that when I am with animals, I’m always so much more relaxed. To combine that with yoga, an already-calming environment, just really spoke to me,” she says.
One thing Lindsay really loves about having animals in the room is how accessible it makes yoga practice, for people of all levels and abilities. “It’s great for beginners, because it breaks them out of feeling like everyone is looking at them,” she says. “I always say, if you don’t want to practice any yoga, that’s fine. You can go at your own pace and do what feels good in your body. And if what feels good is petting a cat, just do that.”
It’s also become a meaningful way for Lindsay to give back. “I had a rabbit when I was younger, Bunzy, and he was my soul rabbit,” she says. “I feel really strongly about giving back to Everybunny Counts rabbit rescue, because I know how good they are at caring for the animals, and I want to be able to give them as much as I can.” To date, she’s held 75TK events and raised more than $1,000TK for local animal rescues. Many of the animals in her classes are available for adoption, too, and are often taken home by charmed classgoers at the end of the session. “It’s a great way for people to meet the animals,” she says. “Sometimes a kitten will choose one person and stay on their mat the whole time. That usually means they’re getting adopted by the end!”
The best part, she says, is seeing someone blissfully calm during the closing meditation, content with an animal on their chest. “Honestly,” says Lindsay, “I’m living my dream: doing yoga and working with animals.”
For more information or to book a class with Lindsay, visit breathe2flow.com
"Do what feels good. And if what feels good is petting a cat, do that.”