A yoga class in Thailand lets adorable puppies run loose as participants stretch on their mats.

Puppy Yoga BKK is the first yoga studio in Thailand to join the wellness trend, which combines traditional yoga with the presence of small dogs.

The sessions are held at the Hidden Space Cafe and Studio in Bangkok's Soi Sukhumvit 65 area and are divided into 45 minutes of stretching followed by 30 minutes of 'puppy time' in which participants are free to cuddle with their new furry friends. Each class is also capped off with wine glasses of juice and dog-themed cookies to snack on.

Footage shows playful dachshunds frolicking around the studio while playing with dog toys. Some of the more outgoing puppies are seen walking over to hopping up to several women doing their best to hold their yoga poses.

Puppy Yoga BKK said on its website: 'Trained professionals supervise the interactions between participants and puppies to ensure that the puppies are safe, comfortable, and properly cared for throughout the session.'

The puppies, which all come from local dog breeders, are first vaccinated and groomed before being 'employed' in the classes.

Founded by siblings Pitecha Thanomsin and Moses-Kasidet Thanomsin, the fitness experience aims to 'inspire joy, reduce stress, and foster connections through the healing power of yoga and the unconditional love of puppies.'

However, puppy yoga has also drawn criticism from animal advocates, and has even been banned in Italy recently.

Italy's Ministry of Health ruled that only adult dogs may be used in 'animal-assisted' therapy.

Piera Rosati, president of the Italian animal rights charity Lega Nazionale per la Difesa del Cane, said: 'Puppy yoga is exploitation for commercial purposes that takes no account of the well-being and psychophysical health of creatures who are still too fragile to be treated in this way.'

The UK's Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has also slammed the rising trend. It said in a statement released in July 2023: 'there is nothing in the environment which we would consider to be beneficial to the health, welfare or the behavioural lifelong development of these animals.'