Around 40 people gathered at the Knights of Columbus Fr. John M. Grady Council Clubhouse in Port Chester on March 9 to experience an unusual yoga class — one where nine puppies gallivanted and galloped among the participants, all in an effort to get them adopted.
Taught by Jenny Ray of Studio50 and Yoga Spark in Mamaroneck, the class was the brainchild of Rye resident Sue Melfi, who founded NamaSitStay, a rescue advocacy organization. The puppies, ranging from 2-1/2 to 5 months old, came from Adopt-A-Dog Inc., a rescue shelter based in Armonk.
It was Melfi’s dream come true and combined two of her passions — yoga and pet adoption.
Melfi, a lifelong dog lover, explained the challenging personal journey that inspired her to launch NamaSitStay. When working through a divorce with limited support, she turned to something she knew could help — the love of a pet.
“It was a tough time for my kids, who were dealing with changes in their home life in addition to navigating school, friendships, and the pressures of social media, so I decided we needed a dog,” she said.
They adopted Dixie, a loving rescue bloodhound, who immediately “made the mood lighter and the kids a little happier.” Years later, during the unsettling days of the pandemic, Melfi also adopted Winnie, “a Coonhound mix with a huge personality.”
Throughout the same period, Melfi discovered yoga. The practice taught her “compassion, how to forgive others and yourself, gratitude and grace…. It really changed my life and how I handle stress and my emotions,” she said.
The combination of recognizing the healing love of rescue dogs and the emotional benefits of yoga is what inspired NamaSitStay. The organization’s name is a clever, dog-themed play on “Namaste,” which Melfi explained, “is said at the end of a yoga practice and means you are affirming your choice to see others from loving consciousness rather than ego.”
NamaSitStay’s mission addresses two major challenges. First, of the 2.2 million dogs rescued in 2023, almost 20 percent were returned to shelters — most because of behavioral problems. “At NamaSitStay, we recognize that a key to taking a bite out of the 20 percent return rate of adopted dogs is through socialization in a safe and controlled environment,” Melfi said.
The second challenge is mental health. According to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, around 19 percent of American adults experience mental health challenges. Mental Health America says that anxiety disorders affect around 42.5 million people.
“Movement-based yoga therapies and breathing-based practices have been shown to significantly improve depressive symptoms,” Melfi said.
That was beside the point for attendees like Susan and Mackenzie Mauro of Scarsdale.
“We came for the puppies,” they admitted. Though they’d been to animal yoga classes before, they appreciated the class’s distinct “puppy energy.” As dog owners, they’re “always considering” adopting again, and events like this serve as reminders of the joy pups offer.
Ray, who is also Melfi’s regular yoga instructor, was excited to take on the challenge of leading a yoga class that could accommodate dogs. How does she adapt a traditional flow to puppy yoga? “One word — flexibility,” she said.
Ray added, “there’s a little extra love in the room.”
It turns out yoga with puppies is also good for mindfulness. “If you can be present, focused and aware in your practice with all of the distractions going on, just guess what you can do outside of the yoga room,” Ray said.
Christine Amato, Adopt-A-Dog’s executive director, said the hound mix puppies at the class had arrived only the week before from an SPCA in Texas. “There’s not a lot of education down there on helping the animals,” Amato said. “We took them and their mom — she just got adopted this morning.”
The organizational know-how required to put on such an event comes naturally to Melfi, who professionally runs large-scale customer service teams at Consumer Reports. Previously, she led teams at a brokerage firm and worked at startups before joining nonprofits.
The March 9 class marked NamaSitStay’s puppy yoga debut, and Melfi is already planning additional events. So far, demand is strong. “People are asking when our next event will be,” she said. “Who wouldn’t want to spend an hour doing yoga with puppies?”
Melfi hopes to eventually offer more specialized formats. “My longer-term goal for the organization is to expand to offering classes for teens with anxiety and depression, senior stretch classes with senior adoptable dogs, and classes for the disabled. But, one paw at a time.”
