Are you missssssssing something from your yoga practice? While resting in downward dog, do you find yourself thinking, “Iguana try something new?” Is your heart rate pulsing for a fresh thrill to geckoing?? Well then one pet store in Oregon has the class for you! HISSS is a Portland-based reptile shop where turtles & tortoises (tortoisi?) drop in for premium salon pampering such as beak trimming and shell waxing, and itchy squamata book appointments for “shedding assistance.” I’d call that full scales service! Meanwhile, mammals are welcome to warm up alongside cold-blooded critters in the shop’s well-attended snake yoga classes. Don’t be frightened — though it’s called “snake yoga,” other reptiles show up as well! Including an Aldabra giant tortoise named Pebbles. NPR recently sat in on a class to learn how snake yoga gained legs:
Animal welfare: The staff at HISSS signed on to handle the snakes during class and came up with protocols to keep the animals safe (evaluations and cleanings both before and after handling, plus monitoring the animals for signs of stress). And the classes took off. HISSS says they tend to be about 80% snake fans, 20% people coming as exposure therapy (or grudgingly/fearfully attending with an enthusiastic family member).
Snakes on a plank pose: At a recent snake yoga class, a variety of pythons (and one baby boa constrictor named Mango) come out over the course of the hour. They range in size from a foot long — to a whopping seven feet. The reptile handlers drape the snakes over students’ shoulders or bellies, but snakes also start winding their own way around the room and climbing up people’s bodies (apparently some snakes’ tree-climbing instincts are applicable to scaling humans as well).
The reptiles like to snuggle! As the class progresses and people generate body heat, the cold-blooded friends take advantage of it, snuggling closer. And some non-snake reptiles are introduced: a Tegu lizard the size of a small dog; a weirdly fast little gecko; and a very slow tortoise named Pebbles. Over the course of a standard snake yoga class, 2-3 handlers bring out about fifteen reptiles.
Pun with poses: Yoga teacher Katy Vanek integrates the animals into the flow of the class. Of course, there’s the classic cobra pose (a must in snake yoga). But Vanek also has people round their back into turtle pose, using humming breaths to connect with vibration-sensing creatures, and using the outstretched arms of some poses to greet new snake visitors.
Watch your step: She also has to keep reminding people to check their mats before reaching down or stepping backwards in case a snake has moved into their way while they’re not looking. “When you’re ready, turn mindfully, moving those hands and knees,” she says. “You never know who’s gonna be right by your side.”
A natural pairing: Multiple people compared the snakes to weighted blankets, providing a firm, calming pressure. “It’s not just like a static weight. There’s this expansion and contraction, and gripping and release,” says Vanek. “That firm constriction almost feels like a yoga adjustment or a gentle massage.” This gripping and release can call attention to the body in new ways. And also the snakes are surprisingly beautiful, as they slide across the room (the young spotted python had a particularly striking iridescence in the morning light).
This is just so… Portland! I haven’t been to a yoga class in REDACTED years, but if this popped up in my neighborhood I would slither right over. I’ll admit, when I first read “snake yoga” in the headline, I thought NOPE. No way I’m gonna haul my carcass over to a hot studio early in the morning to stretch out my millimeter range of movement only to be supremely shamed by a snake showing off its boneless flexibility. (I know they actually have bones, you know what I mean.) But then I saw Pebbles! And I realized there’s room for all kinds of vertebrates at snake yoga. Plus I was won over by everything the instructor said about snakes’ weight and movements fitting in organically with yoga practice. Y’all know I love my dogs and any number of floofs; but snakes make way more sense for yoga vibes, hands down.
I got a kick out of HISSS knowing the typical class makeup: 80% snake enthusiasts, the other 20% a hero’s pose away from a heart attack. The article also noted that you can still take a class without direct reptilian contact: they have a system where tokens are placed on each mat so people can signal “yes” or “no” to a snake being placed on them. HISSS truly welcomes everyone to work out their fears, while working out. So let’s try it! What do we have to loossssssssssse?? (Ok I’ll see myself out now.)
(@hisssthereptileshop)
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