Practicing Yoga with the Dog

practicing yoga with the dog

When I first got my dog, she was about 12 months old, still a puppy.  She would chase her tail around in circles, be so zippy at the thought of going outside and was a furry spitball of energy and enthusiasm.  When I first started doing yoga at home with some of my favorite yoga DVDs like Shiva Rea, Rodney Yee, Beth Shaw YogaFit or Desiree Rumbaugh she thought it was playtime and would be barking and yipping at me.  At first I locked her in the basement but that didn’t work so well since she kept screaming and  yelling.  (It’s not easy to be in shivasana when you hear BARK BARK WHINE WHINE BARK BARK WHINE WHINE WHINE …..

So then I let her be in the room with me again.  She loved to be on my mat while I was practicing on it.  Did you ever try to jump around a pile of breathing fur when you are doing sun salutations?

After a few dozen times of attempting to be calm and yogic when dealing with her (being compassionate, patient, detached) one day I yelled at her at the top of my lungs “ GET THE F—K OUT you F—HEAD”!  Just so you know, most people that know me well would not say I have a temper, I’m fairly even keeled and not prone to angry outbursts.  After I yelled at her like that, the furry crackhead never tried to distract me when I was on my mat again.

I kind of missed the interaction in a way though so we negotiated a compromise.  She had to stay away from me when I was in the standing and seated postures.  When I am in shivasana or in a long restorative pose, she can lay on my lap.  It’s kind of soothing…she is almost like an extra yoga prop and helps me get more relaxed when I am ready to drop down into the final relaxation.

Granted it’s not much exercise for your fleabag.  A few goods way to let them get some exercise and is quite stimulating as well for dogs (that are hound breeds especially). Is to have the dog hide (put them in a closet or basement) Then take a small treat, hide it somewhere in the house and let the dog out and say “Go Get It!”  Your dog might not get it the first few times but they will get it by the 10th time if not sooner.

You can also play hide and seek with your dog.  If you have small kids they will love to join in this too.

You could also just play some music and grab your dog front legs and just start to dance  with them.  My dog doesn’t love this but she does tolerate it.

What about you and your dog or cat?  Do you do yoga, exercise or dance with them?