Ybor City—the old historic section of Tampa known for its hand-rolled cigars is also an official bird sanctuary where chickens have been prancing around the brick streets for decades on end. Since1989 no one is allowed to steal or harm them, and not surprisingly, the chickens have multiplied, and controversy has clouded the situation between those who want them removed and those who want them to stay.
Even bird lovers ask, what do we do with all these chickens?
Well how about chicken yoga?
Experts discovered that the combination of animal therapy and yoga has proven to be calming, and there’s already goat yoga, cat yoga, and dog yoga, so why not lay on the floor of the Hotel Haya and do yoga with a herd of chickens clucking about?
And these are special birds.
Before checking into the hotel, these abandoned domesticated chickens, who live in the Ybor Misfits Microsantuary, are bathed and diapered. “We get the diapers from Etsy and they wrap over the wings and under the legs for a perfect fit,” said Dylan Breese, the director of the sanctuary, who tries to maintain the peace between the residents and businesses. “Once [the diapers are] snapped over the back, they’re ready for some crescent hinges and warrior poses.”
At least the people around them feel safe to stretch.
Classes are held on the final Sunday of each month, and the 55 spaces fill up quickly, so now’s your chance. Have you ever dreamed of lying amongst a bunch of flapping feathers while stretched out in the Downward Dog? Or balancing high in an Upward Plank?
But be careful, don’t fall, or you’ll collide into a mass of flying chicken fricassee shrieking against your frightened face.
Still, it’s only yoga. So relax, and enjoy.
