The growing trend of dog yoga or ‘doga’ appears to have originated in highly dog-centric culture of Hong Kong and Japan. With the popularity – and portability – of smaller dogs, pet owners like to bring their pets everywhere – office, vacation, travel, and the latest destination: the gym.
Four-legged workout buddy
As the humanization of pets continues, dogs – or ‘furkids’ – are increasingly treated like children, with special clothes, accessories, gourmet food, and doggie daycare, spas, pampering, and play dates.
The next step is including them in more of our activities – just like the mom who brings her kids to the gym and places them in daycare while she attends one or two classes, dog owners want to bring their dogs to the gym. But instead of being parked in daycare, dogs are attending yoga class alongside their owners.
Bonding time for pet parents
Doga may actually have some benefits for both humans and canines of all sizes and shapes. Similar to yoga for mothers and infants, through meditation, gentle massage, and stretching, doga practitioners seek to achieve greater harmony with their dogs – it’s a great way for pets and humans to spend one-on-one time together and bond.
“Most people are happier when they’re with their pets,” says Suzi Teitelman, a nationally televised doga instructor who teaches in Jacksonville, Fla. “Doga is about spending time together…dogs already bring to us that unconditional love and that ability to stay present in the present moment; to be happy and content right now, so we learn from them and they learn from us.”
In doga, dogs and their humans work as one unit – humans help their canines facilitate different poses and, in some cases, the pets are used as props or instruments as the humans perfect their poses.
Has yoga gone to the dogs?
Doga has received a mixed response: some people see it as a fad and believe it devalues the practice of yoga, however, supporters believe the practice emphasizes yoga’s focus on the connectedness between all living things, and helps strengthen the bond between owner and pet – not to mention providing a great source of entertainment for the class.
Since doga is a fairly recent phenomenon, it may be difficult to find a doga instructor or class, however if you already know yoga, you may want to check out a few YouTube videos and try practicing doga on your own – who knows, maybe you’ll start a local trend.
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