Lemur yoga: UK hotel launches new lemoga classes

Swap downward dog for downward lemur

There’s been dog yoga, cat yoga and even goat yoga – but the latest offbeat variation blows all of them out of the water.

Say hello to lemur yoga – or “lemoga” – now offered at a hotel in the Lake District.

Armathwaite Hall, a hotel and spa near Keswick, has launched the classes as part of its “meet the wildlife” wellness programme, which combines being among nature with mindful experiences.

This also includes walks with alpacas, meet the meerkats and apprentice keeper sessions.

The personal lemur yoga experience is available at the hotel’s adjoining Lake District Wildlife Park.

According to the hotel, lemurs’ “friendly, outgoing personalities and love for human contact make them the perfect yoga buddies, helping people to laugh, unwind and stretch away their troubles”.

Carolyn Graves, owner of Armathwaite Hall, said: “As a wellness destination, we are used to providing our guests with outdoor experiences which help relieve the symptoms of city living such as stress, sleep and pollution.

“Lemoga offers our guests the chance to feel at one with nature, at the same time joining in with the lemurs’ play time.”

The hotel is set within 400 acres of private woodland and deer park on the edge of Bassenthwaite Lake.

“When you watch lemurs they do some form of the poses naturally – that typical pose warming their bellies in the sunshine,” Richard Robinson, manager of the adjoining wildlife park, said of lemoga.

“It seemed to be a really good combination to encourage people to have a go and spend time with a lemur.

“I don’t think you ever see an unhappy zoo keeper. We spend all our time with animals.

”We know how it makes us feel and if we can give a little piece of that to people – then great.”