Well, more like the dogs are going to yoga.
In the hottest health craze in quite a while comes doga (dog+yoga). Doga is essentially a yoga class where participants can bring and include their furry friend. Originally developed in India, yoga was intended as a mental discipline. However, outside of India, most cultures view the practice as more of a form of exercise. Humans who practice yoga are referred to as either a yogi (male) or a yogini (female). Now that participants are including their furry friends, dogs have their own titles—dogi (for a male dog) and dogini (for a female dog).
Image: Find Your Fit
Doga, as does yoga, balances and harmonizes the body, mind, and spirit. However, doga adds another step in that it harmonizes and synchronizes the flow of energy between the furry companion and its owner. Many pet owners are now taking to the doga classes, because let’s face it, anything is much more enjoyable when you have your furry friend along.
There are quite a few different challenges to doga, in addition to traditional yoga. In traditional yoga, the participant is balancing and manipulating just their body. With doga you are not only manipulating your own body, but that of your dog as well. Then there are the traditional dog issues to deal with such as lack of focus and let’s face it—doggie drool. If your furry friend is rather weighty, that will factor into the difficulty factor of balancing with them as well.
Image: Parade
Doga has just as many benefits for your furry friend, as it does for you. It helps them to be more flexible, more relaxed, and can help with anxiety issues. Many owners have stated that their dogs never liked certain areas of their bodies being touched before, but after starting doga that has changed. Something as simple as clipping their nails, that before was an all-out struggle, now isn’t such a big deal. Doga participants can not express how much they recommend this exercise routine. They state it is not only healthy for you and your pet but has the extra added benefit of strengthening the bond between you both.