Yoga + Bunnies

Did I mention that a few weeks ago I was invited to take pictures of a group of people doing yoga with bunnies? Bunnies – as in actual rabbits?

The Lonehill Bunnies is an animal rescue in Lonehill (near Fourways) that focuses on rescuing and caring for stray and abandoned domestic rabbits. The bunny yoga event was a fundraiser for these lost bunnies.

I feel kind of bad publishing this post. I’m pretty sure the moment it’s up I’ll start getting messages from people asking how they, too, can do yoga with bunnies.

Sorry, wannabe bunny yogis – I don’t have an answer for you. As of now this was a once-off event, but hopefully the folks at Lonehill Bunnies will schedule another one soon. I feel they would be crazy not to, as this looks like a fundraising goldmine if I ever saw one.

In the meantime, I can’t not share these photos as they are too awesome.

Yoga with the Lonehill Bunnies

This bunny yoga session was the first of its kind in South Africa. (Apparently something like this has happened before in Canada, but that’s the only other place anyone knows of.) It was basically the same as any other yoga class except there were six or eight rabbits hopping around, chilling on yoga mats, jumping on people’s backs, etc.

The participating bunnies were carefully chosen for their laid-back personalities – they were all domesticated pets and not recent rescues – ensuring there would be no biting or aggression during the class. There were also several bunny minders posted throughout the room to periodically take the bunnies outside when they needed a rest (and also to clean up any bunny poop, although as far as I saw there was none).

I personally believed no one would do any actual yoga during this class. How could you possibly concentrate on yoga poses when there are bunnies hanging around asking to be pet? But these yogis were hardcore and they powered through. Although I’m not sure I’ve ever seen people smile so much while doing yoga.

I don’t know why I’m still talking, as I know you all just want to see the pictures. So here they are. I’m going to break my normal rule and forego photo captions.

Follow the Lonehill Bunnies on Facebook for updates on future events, and also to find out how you can donate to help the bunnies.