Relaxation with a thrill: you can do yoga with snakes here

Costa Mesa (California/USA) - Is this the latest trend from America? In this yoga studio you can exercise with snakes.

For some time now, yoga classes with animal support have no longer been a novelty. However, these are four-legged friends such as dogs or cats.

Now a new animal is making its way into the studios. At the LXRYOGA studio in California, you can book yoga classes with snakes. The aim is for "individuals to get a grip on their fear of snakes by breathing", as yoga studio owner Tess Cao explains toPeople.

During the 45-minute yoga class, king pythons are "mindfully integrated into gentle yoga classes". Before the class, there is an introduction where participants learn what to do and what to avoid when holding a snake.

So far, everything has always worked out at the classes. Tess assures People: "No one has ever been bitten! Our oldest snake is four years old and we've never been bitten either."

The idea for the quirky yoga class came from Tess' love of snakes. Over the past four years, she has become the owner of eight snakes and has made it her mission to help her course participants overcome their fear of the reptiles.

Brave participants can also let the snakes crawl over their bodies. According to Tess, most people find this experience "grounding and relaxing". What counts for her is that everyone leaves the course "invigorated and with a new perspective and appreciation" for snakes.

It remains to be seen whether a new trend will establish itself and whether German yoga studios will soon be offering snake classes too.