Welcome 2015! An upcoming new year calls for a fresh calendar to mark all those special dates ahead, and this one from Yoga Cats will be sure to leave you smiling month after month.
Created by California-based photographer, Dan Borris and his wife, Alejandra Diaz-Berrio, a former yoga instructor who currently works with animals and wildlife rescue, Yoga Cats calendars have been hanging on the walls of homes around the world since 2010.
“My inspiration came while walking down the street with a friend and her English Bull Terrier. She thought it would be great to do a project of me photographing her doing yoga while her dog did his usual running around and licking her while she did a headstand,” Borris tells InStyle. “All of the sudden, I had this funny image of animals doing yoga and thought at the very least, I have to try this.”Since then, Daniel and Alejandra have combined their passion for photography and animals to create Yoga Cats in addition to other charming calendars including Yoga Kittens, Yoga Dogs, and Yoga Puppies. Plus, they even started one for Yoga Babies this year.
Each one of their feline models are found via word of mouth by friends, neighbors, and shelters. “All the photography is usually done in the studio, but cats have ideas of their own ideas and seem to not like traveling very much, so we travel to and cater to them—as usual!” says Borris, who sets up the background and lighting while Alejandra preps them for their spotlight moment. The furballs aren’t trained to do specific yoga poses, rather, their playful moments are captured through the camera lens. After shooting the photos, Borris goes through anywhere between 80-100 shots and usually finds one hidden amongst the frames that serves as inspiration to form a pose with the magic of digital technology using Photoshop. Of course, no animals were harmed in the making of the calendars, just lots of playing and petting involved!
From monthly pics of cats doing yoga movements from the big toe pose with raised arm, vishnu pose, headstand, to the side plank, it’s hard to imagine anything more adorable. Hey, it may even motivate you fulfill that resolution to get fit and to channel some of the meditation poses shown and find your inner peaceful meowments.
At this point, over 70 cats have been photographed for Yoga Cats calendars. “Each of them have such unique personalities that we know just about all of them by name,” Borris says. “They’ve run the gamut from tiny kittens at the shelter to fancy Persians living it up in nice houses—They are all true stars and deserve their month of fame!”
Want more Yoga Cats? Be sure to check out their Facebook page for updates and shop the 2015 Yoga Cats calendar ($15) at calendars.com.