The phrase ‘zen hens’ conjures up images of brides-to-be pampering themselves, pre-wedding, in a spa surrounded by friends.

It refers specifically to a yoga session where chickens, those feathered, egg-laying creatures, wander around clucking while attendees assume poses such as downward dog, warrior, or cat stretch.

Sometimes the hens perch on the yogis’ bodies, but mostly they are simply a soothing presence and the source of their own distinctive soundtrack.

The health advantages of practicing yoga are widely recognized, and blending yoga with animals like dogs, goats, puppies, cats, and even mini pigs isn’t a new concept. Currently, however, it’s the chickens’ time to join in.

You may be wondering, why? Chicken yoga began in the US – where it is known as

Clucksana emerged shortly after the pandemic, incorporating silkie hens known for their gentle temperament. The concept was that chickens could enhance the tranquil advantages of yoga, particularly during a period when human interaction had been scarce for many individuals.

Merry Counsell performs Hen Yoga at Zen Hens in Malton, North Yorkshire

Interaction with chickens, it turns out, is strongly associated with improved mental wellbeing.

Chickens are quite vocal and can produce up to 20 distinct sounds, prompting us to interact with them as well. Their cheerful, sociable demeanor is known to have a soothing effect on stressed-out humans.

Soon chicken yoga was being dubbed ‘the newest trend in stress relief’ by the Yoga Journal and now it has come to the UK.

Thalia Rochelle Counsell, a former farmer and the founder of Zen Hens, is one of those offering chicken yoga classes. She has been astonished by the popularity of these sessions since she introduced them in Malton, North Yorkshire, three months ago.

‘My hens are small and fluffy-looking—participants spend the first 15 minutes engaging with them, which has a calming effect on both them and the hens,’ she explains.

‘For the next 40 minutes they do yoga led by a trained teacher, with the hens scratching around in the same room. I put nappies on all the birds before the class to avoid mess.’

Interaction with chickens, it turns out, is strongly associated with improved mental wellbeing

Everyone gets a shot glass of chicken feed if they want to draw a hen to their mat. Sometimes they sit on the

person’s shoulder or arm, but they’re not allowed on heads as most people don’t like their scalp being scratched.

Thalia, whose daughter Merry, 28, is also involved in Zen Hens, says people are soothed by her bantam hens’ gentle clucking – and those with mental health issues reap the most benefit.

‘They feel special when the hens “choose” them to sit with,’ she says. ‘People with special needs also respond well, as they have to remain calm for the birds, and this helps them to manage their emotions.’

Studies have shown the benefits of yoga extend beyond improved flexibility to better bone strength and improved joint pain – and research, including one study in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease in 2023, suggests it may help with memory, too.

There may also be benefits for the heart, with research establishing that it can help cut raised blood pressure. For example, in a 2023 study published in Harvard Health Publishing, 60 people with high blood pressure were assigned a three-month aerobic exercise regimen.

Those who did 15 minutes of yoga at the end of each session lowered their blood pressure by significantly more than those who did standard cool-down stretches.

Another study found that yoga can lower excessive blood sugar levels in some people with diabetes, reducing their reliance on medication. 

Clare Thomas-Pino, a lecturer in human-animal interaction at Hartpury University in Gloucestershire says she has reservations about the use of chickens in yoga classes ‘not least because they can carry diseases which humans can pick up.’

However, she says ‘ it is true that being around animals, including chickens, has the potential to bring benefits. As a former chicken owner, I know that they are amazing, vastly under-rated creatures. I think chickens are a novel way to get people involved in yoga, and that people might be less likely to quit classes after say an initial burst of enthusiasm in January if chickens are part of it.’

Just being around chickens or other animals, she says, ‘can have significant calming benefits’.

Animals have long been known to have therapeutic benefits for humans.

The first known reference to animals being used in this way was in 1792, when rabbits and poultry were employed to relax visitors to a Quaker Retreat in York. Florence Nightingale reportedly noted that having animals on the ward calmed patients with psychiatric problems.

And there’s a reason for that. Interacting with animals releases feel-good hormones such as serotonin. Research suggests it can also reduce loneliness, lower blood pressure and may help with anxiety. A 2011 study by the University of Skovde in Sweden found that dog owners’ levels of cortisol (a stress hormone) decreased after petting their animals – and their heart rates also reduced significantly.

Animal visits – from therapy dogs to horses and donkeys – in hospitals and care homes are becoming more common, and chickens are being added to the mix here, too.

A project based in Newcastle called Equal Arts operates HenPower, which involves taking hens into care homes while encouraging those living independently to keep hens. Equal Arts says that hens can promote health and wellbeing, reduce loneliness and increase zest for life.

Animal visits – from therapy dogs to horses and donkeys – in hospitals and care homes are becoming more common, and chickens are being added to the mix here, too

Dr Roger Mugford, an animal behaviour expert who lives and farms in Surrey, says: ‘Chickens are a very calming influence. I talk to mine, and they make such wonderful sounds.

‘Chickens are always happy, or at least they appear to be. When they have laid, they make a special call to spread the news, and when they find a delicious new insect they want to share their joy, so anyone in their orbit will hear another happy sound.

‘Chickens treat humans as family. We are their food source so let’s not get too romantic about it, but they do like us. They want to be around us and engage with us.

‘There is a particular kind of Bantam hen called a Barnevelder, which are bred to be cute and fluffy, but also to be human-oriented and calm, so ideal for chicken yoga. My only warning would be never to let them near your face because they could peck your eyes.’

Chicken yoga is, however, not for everyone: anyone with a bird phobia or allergy, for instance, won’t experience the benefit.

According to The Countryside Alliance, a campaigning body that promotes rural life, chicken yoga could also become more widely available as farmers seek to diversify their livelihoods.

The Alliance’s external affairs officer Johnnie Furse says: ‘Pairing yoga with the soft feathers and gentle clucking of hens is doubtless a soothing experience. We hope schemes like these will help family farms weather the current storm.’

But animal behaviour experts have some concerns. A study published last month by the National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and the Environment in France, which assessed the impact of human contact on chickens, found that although chickens were calmer around humans, their empathetic natures meant they could also be distressed by spending time with upset people.

And Anne McBride, a companion animal expert and lecturer at Southampton University, is cautious about the therapy use.

She told Good Health: ‘People think it’s good for us, and perhaps it is, but how good are we to them [animals]? Putting nappies on chickens for yoga sessions is protecting our concerns, not the animals’ welfare.’