What is fun and challenging to do when doing Yoga? Try doing it with dogs!
I have just noticed it when I started bringing my mat to my friend’s place to dog sit. I normally come there once every week because they’re just the most loving bulldogs. One is an English bulldog – 27 kg heavy and one if a French bulldog – 19 kg heavy. They are my number 2 reasons why I would want to have a dog or two once I have settled down somewhere in a country. They can help me to release my stress and keep my mind switched off for awhile from the corporate world.
One of the days I decided to do yoga with my friend while we hung out. We thought these dogs wouldn’t be much a worry if we have them around us while we do yoga. It got messy- they got so excited they probably thought that we wanted to play with them. I remember doing upward dog position and one got so excited he tried to attack me. If I weren’t holding my pose strong I would have fallen out. It was such a challenging test, as I had to focus on my chatturanga while the dogs are licking my face. They would also grab their toy and play around with each other as they rolled around under me while I did my downward dog. It was a very fun yet challenging session for me!
I got so excited when I went home and started researching it online. With no surprise, I found a lot of results on Yoga with Dogs or Doga from Google. Overall a lot of people have said that doing Doga or Yoga with Dogs is therapeutic for both dogs and us humans. Some yoga instructors in New York actually conduct these classes. This is such a great idea for people who live with their dogs in a small apartment in the city. New York, almost similar like Singapore is just filled with apartments and apartments. It is probably harder in New York to get landed houses compare to Singapore. Imagine living there with a pup or two and having to only have a small space to get a breather. With work hours and social hangouts, it is tough for dogs owners to maintain that 2 to 3 times a day walk for the dogs. It shouldn’t be healthy for the dogs to be in a small space with no yard to run around or just to relax. I believe Yoga with Dogs will be something that might happen pretty soon in Singapore. It gives benefits for both Yogis and their dogs.
I am pretty sure some dogs are actually excited to see their masters do Yoga. The other time I came to my friend’s place, we decided to keep them out of the room by putting them in the balcony so they won’t tackle us while we do our poses. At one point when we tried to do an inversion or even a simple triangle pose I could hear the dog crying (while the other one was asleep). He kept making such a sad noise scratching the window trying to get in. With his puppy eyes!! So we decided to let him in. He would then sniff my face when I did the inversion and eventually relaxed right next to me. Best feeling to know that the dog was resting next to me as I did my savasana.
One thing I would remember when I move and settle down to a new city is to get a dog and possibly get certified to do yoga for dogs!
Love,
Audry Afrininta
