What Can Yoga Teach Us About Animals? Sit in Cobra, Cow, or Fish and Find Out

In yoga, the asana, or “seat,” is more than a position or pose: It’s a doorway into someone else’s experience. When we take the shape of another being, we can better explore their perspective, honor their existence, and reflect on how human actions affect their lives. Through intentional movement and reflection, yoga can help deepen your connection to other species and empower you to advocate for them better. Learn more about how yoga can connect us with other animals and PETA’s exciting collaboration with Jivamukti Yoga.

5 Yoga Poses Inspired by Animals

Animals inspire many yoga poses, some in energy and others because the yoga pose looks like postures animals instinctively assume. Animal-themed yoga poses can be a great way to channel the energy of different species and deepen your connection with them.

Downward-Facing Dog (Adho Mukha Śvānāsana)

One of yoga’s most familiar postures, downward dog embodies our canine companions’ loyalty, gentleness, and grounded presence. Every day, PETA helps dogs languishing alone in backyards, longing for a friend and a chance to stretch their legs. Many dogs don’t even have access to food, water, and shelter until PETA fieldworkers provide it for them.

As you press your heels down and reach through your tailbone, let this pose be a moment of solidarity with dogs everywhere—those treated as beloved family members, and those who need our help.

Camel Pose (Ustrasana)

This deep, heart-opening backbend mirrors the camel’s resilience to endure some of the world’s harshest environments. As you rise into this powerful pose, lifting your chest and reaching back with strength and grace, consider the lives of camels exploited by the tourism industry.

Workers often deny camels at the pyramids in Egypt water and rest in the extreme heat. Camels are forced to carry tourists for hours on end, and many suffer from untreated injuries. When you sit in Ustrasana, honor the strength of these beings by standing in solidarity with them—never riding them—and opening our hearts to their pain and our minds to a better way forward.

Fish Pose (Matsyasana)

This heart-opening pose traditionally symbolizes liberation. As you expand your chest and breathe deeply, consider the billions of fish who suffer in commercial fishing nets—crushed, suffocated, or cut open while still conscious. Fish are master communicators and synchronizers. Many species coordinate with the thousands of other fish in their school to swim as one fluid body. While holding this pose, meditate on how to best work with others in your community or family, just as fish do, to promote compassion toward all animals.

Cobra Pose (Bhujangasana)

Cobra pose is a grounding backbend that invokes the strength and grace of a serpent. King cobras are shy, but when they feel threatened, they can lift as much as a third of their body off the ground and still move forward to defend themselves.

Cobras are the only snakes that build nests for their eggs, which they guard ferociously until their babies emerge. As you rise into this pose, feel your spine lengthen and awaken like the cobra’s slithering body.

Eagle Pose (Garudasana)

This pose weaves arms and legs into a powerful spiral, imitating the majestic presence of the eagle. Many birds of prey suffer in falconry shows or for other human entertainment. As you ground and focus in eagle pose, imagine a world where all species are safe from exploitation.

PETA and Jivamukti Yoga Connect the Animal Liberation Movement to Your Movements

PETA’s partnership with Jivamukti Yoga is an immersive, thoughtful yoga series that invites people to explore their connection to all animals. Each class walks you through the position and concludes with a brief segment from a PETA speaker, who shares real-world context about the animals honored in the session and how to help protect them from suffering.

If you’re moved by what you experience on the mat, carry it forward by:

• Donating to PETA to support the animal liberation movement.
• Shopping the “Happy and Free To” merch line from Jivamukti x PETA.
• Sharing the series with friends, your yoga community, or anyone open to practicing with purpose.

Note: Yoga is for everyone. However, when you’re taking a class online, it’s up to you to gauge the safety of your practice within your own physical limitations. It’s better to build up slowly through easier yoga poses than to force and strain.