Dog plus yoga is “doga.” It’s the newest exercise regimen sweeping the nation because many are doing their yoga practices at home. Human hipsters need to jump on this because, as a dalmatian, I really know how to “spot” a new trend.
My lovely human dog-food-bowl-filler thinks it is a fun idea to lay on the floor without rolling around much. I provide extra encouragement and weight resistance to improve her results. It’s no biggie to lift your hips up from the floor. Try making that same move with a 50-lb. dog sitting on your lap. Feel the burn, baby!
Here are the classic yoga poses reformed as doga poses:
Lotus
This pose is for meditation. Sit on the floor with your back straight and your legs bent and crossed in front of you. Close your eyes. Relax. With your mind’s eye, observe your breath. Follow your breath as you breathe in through the nose and out through the mouth. When I come up to lick your face, try not to react. Even though it feels like bliss, it is not the nirvana you are seeking. Or maybe it is.
Downward Dog
There are two poses named after canines. This pose is the first one many learn when practicing doga. Get on the floor on your hands and knees. Put your hands in front of your shoulders. Lift your knees off the floor and push your butt up toward the ceiling. When I come up from behind to sniff your butt, don’t squeal out. That is just our friendly way of saying hello.
Upward-Facing Dog
This pose is the other pose named about us; although, I have never done anything like this pose. Lie down on your stomach on the mat. Stretch your legs out with the toes of your feet extended. Bend your elbows and put the palms of your hands touching the floor by your hips. Push up from the floor with your hands, raising your head toward the ceiling. If I come up at this moment and sit on your legs, I am simply trying to help you stretch.
Bridge Pose
Lie on the floor with your arms by your side. Have your feet on the floor, with the heals down and legs apart at a hip-wide distance. Then, lift your butt off the floor. Interlock your hands on the floor under your back and push the shoulders to the floor. There is no way to do this pose when a dog is sitting on you.
Corpse Pose (Savana)
This pose is the one we always do at the end. My owner lies flat on her back with her arms extended. Her hands are slightly away from the hips on each side. The legs spread slightly, and the feet extend.
We always end with this pose because I weigh a lot and am sitting on her. She might as well give up and pretend she is dead.
Now that you have learned some of the beginning poses of doga, you can practice this at home too. All you need is a big friendly doggy to help you make the best of it.
