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You are here: Home / Pet Health / Why Do Doga? Practicing Yoga With Your Dog.

Why Do Doga? Practicing Yoga With Your Dog.

September 16, 2013 by A Husky Life 4 Comments

Most people have heard about yoga by now, some may even be avid practitioners, but doga is a new concept that is just gaining momentum. So what is doga? In short: doga is dog yoga or the practice of yoga with your dog.

While discussing holistic treatment options for Canine Epilepsy through the Canine Epilepsy Resource Center mailing list, I was very fortunate to meet Raelene Mercer, who had been practicing doga with her epi-dog angel Montana since 2004. Raelene has graciously agreed to answer a few of my questions about her experience.

Q: What inspired you to start practicing yoga with Montana?

In 1998 I started practicing yoga, the very same year my French Bulldog Montana was born. It wasn’t until years later that I realized she was a little Buddha yogi in a dog’s body. In just about every way, she represented the poise, balance and zen I was seeking within myself. She wasn’t a typical puppy– she was calm, confident, and looked you directly in the eyes, as if she had a world of knowledge to unfurl out to you, like a yoga mat. But there was a catch. At age 3 she awoke my partner and I to her having a terrible grand mal. She was diagnosed with idiopathic epilepsy. With every continued seizure, panic would set in that I would lose her. Fortunately, she came out of them every time as if nothing had happened. The seizures became fairly mild, too, as time went on, and occurred only once every few months, so no medication was needed. So for that, we were both blessed. But I was so attached to her that I would still panic inside during those 4 minutes of seizing. That was something I never could seem to shake. On the outside, I did my very best to provide her the safest home, best diet and veterinarian care so that she would remain as healthy as possible to fight this mysterious illness.

At the start of every yoga class one hears “now is the time to set your intention”. Every time I chose same intention: “to Montana’s health”. I visualized my own health filtering into her body. I wished to heal her. I always visualized her with me in the classes. I wished she could have joined me, but no dogs were allowed in the gym of course.

Q: Did she enjoy the classes from the beginning or did she need some encouragement? What was her favourite pose?
In 2004 my local gym started offering an outdoor dog yoga in the park, just a block from my home. perfect!!! I was an immediate student and I knew it would be perfect for us to share. At first I wasn’t sure if she would be doing the poses, or what… I soon learned that the objective wasn’t for the dog to do poses, but to spend some meditative time with your pooch, to focus on the body, healing, balancing, and ask your dog to help you into your poses if possible. She was the perfect partner and did every request with ease. She was the right height to use as a “block” in the triangle pose, and the right weight to climb on me when I was in floor poses. But the very best pose that she helped me with was at the end of the class when I lay down in shavasana (dead man pose). She chose on her own to climb up on my chest, put her two front paws on each on my collarbones and sat down on my chest. She looked off into the distance like a statue. Perfectly still. Perfectly balanced. It was such a great chest opener position for me. Then, since I wanted to offer her shavasana, when I was ready to get up, I lifted up my upper body while holding her back with my hands, thus tilting her upside down to rest on the floor, on her back, between my legs. Her feet flopped to her sides and she would rest there for as long as i sat there, watching her.

FOR USE WITH US-PETS-OFFBEAT-YOGA  RaeleRaelene practicing doga with Montana

Q: Did you notice any benefits from Montana participating in the class?
I benefitted from being able to completely relax and be “in the moment” as all dogs teach us to do. Since she was so often my “intention” it felt really good to have her physically join me. She seemed to relish the attention, and it was truly her personality to be in a yoga class anyway.
Q: Would you recommend it to other dog owners and why/why not?

It really is a question of whether YOU want your dog with you. Dogs possess patience and would likely love to sit with you as you do yoga postures. Of course, they have to be in a mellow relaxed mood. This isn’t play time.
…and then they deserve a good game of catch or romp afterwards!

Thank you so much, Raelene, for sharing this beautiful story of your relationship with Montana and your practice of Doga.

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Filed Under: Pet Health, Rocco Tagged With: doga, Pet Health, yoga with dogs

Comments

  1. Kuruk says

    September 17, 2013 at 1:53 pm

    Me and Nalle are natural Yogi Bears! Woooooowooooooo!

    Reply
    • A Husky Life says

      September 18, 2013 at 5:16 pm

      I bet you are! I need to try this with Rocco 🙂

      Reply
  2. Clowie says

    September 18, 2013 at 12:41 pm

    That’s lovely. I do some of the stretches when my biped does yoga at home, but I don’t think she’d want me on top of her!

    Reply
    • A Husky Life says

      September 18, 2013 at 5:18 pm

      Yeah, yoga would quickly turn into weight lifting!

      Reply

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