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<p>PLAINS TWP. &#8212; Surrounded by cuddly, pouncing kittens in need of adoption, yoga practitioners stretched, posed and occasionally petted for an hour Sunday at a new car dealership.</p><p>Wyoming Valley Subaru sponsored its inaugural &#8220;Meows, Mats and Mimosas&#8221; yoga class to help the Blue Chip Farm Animal Refuge and show a commitment be a good neighbor.</p><p>Mary Anthony, general manager of the dealership that opened in March, said the focus of Sunday&#8217;s event was to show how &#8220;Subaru wants to be tied to the community. &#8230; We wanted to help Blue Chip because they are a great organization and they need a lot of help.&#8221;</p><p>Asked how Subaru connects with homeless animals, Anthony joked that most of the cars they take in as trades are &#8220;covered in pet hair.&#8221; Since opening, the dealership has been &#8220;doing great,&#8221; selling about 100 cars each month, she added.</p><p>The dealership offered all proceeds raised by the donations from the yoga participants and the sales generated by a basket raffle to the refuge.</p><p>Mary Jo Engleman, who heads the cat adoption effort at Blue Chip, said the pet welfare organization was thrilled when contacted by the car dealership about Sunday&#8217;s event. During the yoga classes, nine kittens roamed around the mats to add a little animal involvement.</p><p>&#8220;The Blue Chip kittens are the most socialized,&#8221; Engleman emphasized. &#8220;They are often bottle fed and are handled frequently by staff and foster adoptive homes.&#8221; She hoped Sunday&#8217;s event would not only increase awareness but also result in some adoptions.</p><p>Diane Sachaczemski, who conducted the yoga workout, said it was focused on &#8220;all levels, geared for everyone from beginners to seasoned yoga athletes. &#8220;Yoga flow involves poses that interact with breathing and meditation for a complete feeling of relaxation,&#8221; she said.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s great for physical and mental health,&#8221; she added.</p><p>Anthony said yoga is practiced predominantly by women, which ties in with the fact that majority of car buying decisions are made by women.</p><p>Helene Vernagis, from Blue Chip Farm, said she likes the yoga workout because it gives each person a way to individualize it to their abilities.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s your mat, it&#8217;s your class,&#8221; Vernagis said. &#8220;It&#8217;s a good core workout that you feel the next day.&#8221;</p><p>The organizers at Blue Chip are always looking for help, she added. Anyone interested in volunteering can visit <a href="http://bcfanimalrefuge.org" target="_blank">bcfanimalrefuge.org</a>.</p><p>Anthony said dealership officials plan to sponsor many more events that help local community organizations. Any organization interested in partnering with Wyoming Valley Subaru can email to marys@wyomingvalleymotors.com.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Marissa Willchock, of Dunmore, pets a kitten on her chest during &#8216;Meows, Mats and Mimosas,&#8217; a yoga class with cats, Sunday morning at Wyoming Valley Subaru in Plains Township. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/web1_ttl071717yogacats-1-1.jpg</photo0><caption0>Marissa Willchock, of Dunmore, pets a kitten on her chest during &#8216;Meows, Mats and Mimosas,&#8217; a yoga class with cats, Sunday morning at Wyoming Valley Subaru in Plains Township. </caption0><photoCredit0>Amanda Hrycyna | For Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/web1_ttl071717yogacats-2-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Helene Vernagis, of Dupont, settles into a yoga pose while a kitten gets comfortable in her shirt. The yoga class benefits Blue Chip Farm Animal Refuge. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/web1_ttl071717yogacats-2-1.jpg</photo1><caption1>Helene Vernagis, of Dupont, settles into a yoga pose while a kitten gets comfortable in her shirt. The yoga class benefits Blue Chip Farm Animal Refuge. </caption1><photoCredit1>Amanda Hrycyna | For Times Leader </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/web1_ttl071717yogacats-4-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Ron Faust, of West Pittston, pets a kitten in the middle of a yoga pose. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/web1_ttl071717yogacats-4-1.jpg</photo2><caption2>Ron Faust, of West Pittston, pets a kitten in the middle of a yoga pose. </caption2><photoCredit2>Amanda Hrycyna | For Times Leader </photoCredit2></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/web1_ttl071717catyoga-5-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Ava Smith, 14, of West Pittston, holds a baby kitten during a tree pose Sunday morning at &#8216;Meows, Mats and Mimosas.&#8217; </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo3>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/web1_ttl071717catyoga-5-1.jpg</photo3><caption3>Ava Smith, 14, of West Pittston, holds a baby kitten during a tree pose Sunday morning at &#8216;Meows, Mats and Mimosas.&#8217; </caption3><photoCredit3>Amanda Hrycyna | For Times Leader </photoCredit3></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/web1_ttl071717catyoga-6-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">A kitten gets comfortable under a woman doing a downward facing dog Sunday morning. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo4>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/web1_ttl071717catyoga-6-1.jpg</photo4><caption4>A kitten gets comfortable under a woman doing a downward facing dog Sunday morning. </caption4><photoCredit4>Amanda Hrycyna | For Times Leader </photoCredit4></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/web1_ttl071717catyoga-3-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Yoga instructor Diane Sachaczenski has a laugh while an adorable kitten runs past her during her yoga class Sunday morning. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo5>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/web1_ttl071717catyoga-3-1.jpg</photo5><caption5>Yoga instructor Diane Sachaczenski has a laugh while an adorable kitten runs past her during her yoga class Sunday morning. </caption5><photoCredit5>Amanda Hrycyna | For Times Leader </photoCredit5></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>Event benefits Blue Chip Farm Animal Refuge</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Ralph Nardone</p><p>For Times Leader</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach the Times Leader newsroom at 570-829-7242 or on Twitter @TLnews.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Yoga fundraiser is ‘the cat’s meow’ for Blue Chip Farm Animal Refuge