When dogs do yoga it is Doga

But why should an owner feel compelled to say to his dog, “Now I have to practice yoga, be okay.” Anyone who lives with a dog knows that when they look you in the eye, these animals see far beyond. When you are with an animal, time has a different meaning. Who said that dog and human can’t explore some asanas together?

To explore the Doga, let’s first start from those points of contact that bring the practice closer to the spontaneous and natural positions that dogs take.

Yoga and Doga: two very close planets

Adho Muksha Svanasana is the downward dog posture. Adho mukhameans “to stand with the head down”, whileSavanameans “dog” in Sanskrit. It is a position that offers the opportunity to observe the effects induced on the spine by the stresses transmitted by the arms and legs.

The position is reversed, the support is in the arms, the hands sink into the earth. To perform it, we start from a neutral position or axial extension of the spine, flex the glenohumeral joint, i.e. that of the shoulder, and that of the hip, then relax the elbows and knees.

To understand having a less anatomical and more sympathetic idea just observe the dogs when they stretch bringing the hips back and the muzzle forward towards the ground.

There is another posture, Urdhva Mukha Svanasana , which means upward dog posture ( Urdhva means to stand up and stretch upward). The legs are stretched out against the floor, the arms support and the head goes back.

See how some dogs do it, when it looks like they bark at the moon or the sky.

Discover the ZUU workout that is inspired by the positions of animal

Why the Doga?

In addition to the yoga positions, the Doga provides breathing and massage techniques to convey calm and safety to the animal and vice versa, to the owner. Well-being is two-way . A relationship of complicity develops, an opportunity for reciprocal nourishment is created, meaning by nourishment those experiences that enrich.

In the Doga, eye contact is very important; some exercises involve intense exchanges of gaze between dog and owner, a sort of silent and exploratory meditation, done with open eyes, facing the dimension of another creature.

The risk , as in many other situations, is to force. Forcing the animal to do something or make an effort without a real purpose, for the sake of complacency and maybe show some position to friends. It will be a fashion like many in the field of body disciplines, but even the Doga has, wanting to seek it, a deeper meaning: sharing . When you are dedicated to a practice of a certain type, it will come natural to live it together with the creatures with whom you share your life.

In addition to the practice in the strict sense, a dog can be a faithful repository of the master’s confessions on the practice : doubts about progress, research on the right breath, difficulty in performing certain positions and sensations in other asanas .

Useful resources on Doga, yoga for dogs

On the net you can find interesting resources about Doga, yoga for dogs:

Photo gallery Doga de La Repubblica
A series of shots stolen in a Hong Kong gym with owners and dogs captured in positions that are good for both
Dog Yoga poses & Positions
A complete series of videos in English dedicated to Doga, yoga for dogs , to follow to involve your dog in the practice
A video of dog and owner immersed in yoga ; observe how they slide from one asanas to another, how delicately the Brazilian instructor Andrea Brás guides her Border Collie Maya