Fresh New Fit: "Doga"- Yoga with Your Dog!

If you have been reading the Right Fits for awhile, you know that Matilda (our almost 5 year-old Vizsla dog) often shows her furry face on the blog. 

I have posted several times about the joy of running (and life in general) with my furry friend Matilda Sloan, and I’m sure Dustin would agree that we love our Ms. Matilda very much!

You may also have gathered that I enjoy yoga- Corepower, Modo Yoga, outdoor yoga, Salt Cave Yoga...I enjoy yoga of all different kinds.

So when I heard about people combining these two things- dogs and yoga- I was definitely interested. Then, I was contacted earlier this week by the community coordinator of DogVacay.com to share one of their recent posts with you, which is all about "Doga.”

I had heard about doga in the past, as Matilda’s doggie daycare & hotel, Pampered Pooch Playground, has hosted a few doga events. I was tempted to try it then, but I wasn’t sure how Matilda would behave. She is a high-energy, easily distracted kind of dog. I had a feeling she might have trouble “grounding herself on the mat", (i.e. she would have trouble not chasing the other dogs, or even more likely, chasing SHADOWS. She is obsessed with shadows. Don’t you worry- if a shadow was out to get you, Matilda would be ON IT!)

Anyways, as DogVacay.com’s post states, doga is a fun new trend in the world of exercising. Apparently, there are some at-home workout DVD's on the market (Amy Stevens’ Yoga 4 Dogs DVD appears to have good reviews!) So you may want to try it out at home first before enrolling in a doga class (such as the one at Pampered Pooch Playground for those of you in the Minneapolis area). I think that a DVD might be a better option for Matilda and me, since I’m unsure how well she would behave in a class with other people and dogs.

  

Here’s a little history of “doga” from the DogVacay.com blog post:

The doga concept was originated by Suzi Teitelman and her dog Coali. During her at-home yoga sessions, Teitelman noted that Coali seemed to be very intrigued at the practice, prompting Teitelman to work on poses with none other than her four-legged best friend, Coali. The idea escalated from there. Teitelman began conducting doga classes and soon enough, the practice became popular among the poshest of pooches.”

Well. I’m pretty sure that Matilda wants to be considered one of the poshest of pooches!  #lifelongdream

Matilda..so posh...though not a fan of cards against humanity

She always gets very interested whenever Dustin or I am doing any sort of workout at home, hence all her photo bombs with the plank challenge recently! (By the way, did you do your 2 minute plank today? I hope so!)

It sounds like yoga studios have different interpretations of "doga." Some classes just allow the dogs to be there to mill around, yet the dogs are not actively participating in the yoga practice. But other "doga" options actually incorporate your dog into your practice.

The Dogvacay.com post actually provides a few examples of doga poses to try, so I figured I’d give them a shot to see how they went with Matilda. (I apologize for the mess, these pictures were taken in our basement.)

  

Weighted Boat Pose  (i.e. the "weight" of your dog) 

Assisted Handstand

Flip Your Dog

We were having so much fun with the dog poses, that I tried to find a few more online to try. 

Chair Pose: This pose requires your dog to sit on its hind legs while you hold the dog from behind and raise its front paws in the air.

Savasana: Your dog lies on its back while you stroke its belly.

Heart-to-hound Mudra: This pose simply requires you to place one hand on your heart and the other on your dog’s heart. Close your eyes and breathe slowly.

I wouldn't say our first doga session was exactly a success, but I can definitely see the benefits of having your pup join you in your practice. The idea is that if you practice together, you'll gain more than just a few minutes of quality time together. After all, the word yoga means "union" (union of mind and body). Doga is all about bonding and building a union with your pet.

“Union in yoga means discovering a feeling of connection to all living things. In doga, we move toward that union by first feeling that open-hearted connection to our dogs, then opening up to a broader connection.” source

Have you ever tried doga? Would you try it with your pup?

If you're a dog lover, I think you'll enjoy following DogVacay.com's blog, or follow them on Pinterest. 

Curious about they do? Their community coordinator contacted me just to talk to me about doga, and ask if I would be willing to share their post about it and spread the word to any fellow dog lovers out there. But as a company, DogVacay.com is a home-boarding service that provides dog owners with another option for animal care when traveling. I love our doggy daycare and kennel, Pampered Pooch Playground St. Louis Park. However, when we're gone for extended periods of time, I do worry about our little princess getting tired of the nonstop play at Pampered Pooch. I also worry that she is missing out on the cuddling and special attention that she gets at home with us. DogVacay.com finds you a dog sitter in your neighborhood. You can schedule, book, and pay online. You get 24/7 support, daily pictures of your loved one, all at a price that is 50% less than most kennels (usually about $15/day!)  I haven't tried out this service yet, but I'm definitely going to look into it further, as another option for the "dogi" Matilda!