Doga - Yoga For Dogs

Benefits of Doga - as part of the expert series by GeoBeats. The benefits of Aoga to me are the same as the benefits of a regular Yoga class. You are working on breathing and relaxing, you are working on stretching and strengthening. You are working on loving yourself, your pet, and it is a bonding experience between you and your dog. I know that Coley and I have over the years grown immensely closer than many dogs and owners, because we do yoga together, because we are hands-on. There is a lot of massage and touch and stretching, and trust. Coley has come from a few postures to many poses that he does, and as a 10 year old dog I find that his health is superior because of the stretching, the postures, the breathing, the meditation. Doga can be for all sized dogs - it is not just for small dogs, it is not just for big dogs. It can be for elderly dogs, and sick dogs. I had a cocker spaniel who was 17 and was dying, and I still did Doga with her with her just lying on the ground and me just massaging and working around her. Doga is about spending time together and letting them feel your energy and you feeling their energy. Dogs already bring to us that unconditional love and that ability to stay present in the present moment, to be happy and content right now. So we learn from them, and they learn from us. The great part about Doga is that you can do Doga anywhere, you do not need to just go to a class to do Doga. Doga is about bringing it into your life on a daily basis. We do Doga when I walk in the door when I get home from work, we do Doga at night, or in the morning and Doga can be done in 5, 10, 20 minutes segments. You do not have to always been on the mat for 30 minutes or an hour. It is about making Yoga and Doga a part of your life. Your animals are your family and your partners, and to me Doga is just a partner Yoga class. It can be explained like taking your infant to class with you. They do not know exactly what they are doing at first, but they love it when you are with them and you are touching them and stretching them and moving them, and that is the same thing we do with our pets. We do a lot of rubbing and massage and working on the chakras, that both dogs and people have - the energy centers that run from the top of the head to the third eye point, the throat, the belly, down to the bottom of the animal. We work on waking up those energy centers just like we do the same for ourselves in Yoga. Yoga and Doga bring us energy and powerfulness. It gives you this inside brightness and lightness that shines out after you do your Doga practice. And people always feel better when they are with their dogs. Most people are happier people when they are with their pets.

Doga: Introductory Stretches - as part of the expert series by GeoBeats. So, Pauley heard the sound of "Om" and knew that it was time for Doga practice. He is ready to stretch. So here is a move. A lot of the moves you go into when the dog wants to do it. You do not force them to do it. Pauley is wanting to stretch up here. I get a nice, good hold underneath his arms, which is really important. You always support your dog so that they feel comfortable and never in any kind of pain or struggle. It is all about soft touch and love. What a good stretch you are getting here, cocker spaniel! In the meantime, you give him a little massage. You can give him a little deeper of a stretch. Oh, stretch up. But the important thing is that you are doing a pose and they are doing a pose. I am getting a nice, good seated position here with great posture. You ready to move into another pose? And then here is another one. We reach from underneath the legs and lift up the back legs. This is one of Pauley's favorites. And you can rotate back and forth. Lifting up the front legs. See, this is like the dog's sun salutation or vinyasa. And lowering the legs and then lifting up the back legs. Good boy. Let's show it on a small dog. Curly gets in line. She likes to get in line and they actually do that. Lift up. Hi. That is a good lift. And then down and we come and, oh, good girl. And again, repeating over and over. That is a move...you like that? You want to do more? Roll over and a little massage on the belly with a long stretch here. Good girl. And then the other legs. Sometimes it allows them to get a little playful and that is okay. Tucker, are you ready for yours? Okay. Hardy, you will have to wait your turn. So for Tucker, we will start with a massage into the head, right into the third eye point. Very nice. Very good. And breathing. We massage into the ears. A lot of acupressure points. We do a lot of acupressure on the dogs. Reflexology on their feet. Get a little