Tristan Risk has had an interest in reptiles ever since she was a child, so it was only fitting that her partner, Joshua Burns, would find the creatures fascinating, too.
“Growing up, a lot of people had conventional pets in the neighbourhood, and I always, always, always wanted a snake or a lizard,” Risk told CTV Vancouver.
Now the pair, which owns four albino boas, is planning to share this passion with the world by offering snake yoga classes in Vancouver, B.C. beginning in January 2019.
“Snakes regard humans as kind of a warm meat treat. We’re something to hold onto,” Risk said. “When we’re moving around, when we’re moving with a snake, a snake will adjust to the way that we’re moving.”
Though yoga pants and mats are ubiquitous in Vancouver, snake yoga could be a tough sell. But Risk and Burns hope that their classes will encourage people to overcome their fear of reptiles in a controlled environment.
Three people and an instructor will be in the studio teaching clients how to handle the snakes and making adjustments when necessary.
“The people who are scared of them, once they meet them, they are far more, like, ‘Oh, this creature is nice. It has a bad name, but it’s really nice,’” Burns said.
