Friday, September 2, 2011

#Doga #Yoga: #Silly or #Calming

If I do yoga with you, do I have to wear a leotard?

In Florida, one yoga instructor calls doing yoga with your dog “doga.”  The idea being that you relax and so does your dog.
Now this doesn’t mean that, during the session, your dog becomes a pretzel.  According to the Reuters’ story, “Traditional poses such as warriors, triangles and backbends follow, possibly enhanced by a little dog balanced at the belly or waist.”
All well and possibly good.  But what happens when your dog licks your nose while you are standing on your head?  Or, when you are arching your back and your dog falls asleep under you?
One doctor, who began as a skeptic, Dr. Robin Brennen, a New York  veterinarian, said, "I witnessed the demeanor of the animals changing during the class.  They'll come in barking, seven, eight, nine dogs in room, but by the end of the session, they're sleeping. They're in savasana (the final resting pose)."
Maybe.  Or maybe they’re just bored.  Or laughing on the inside.
I’m in favor of anything (almost) that brings dog and owner closer together, but Doga sounds so silly.   And I have no problem encouraging my dog  to breathe in.  My problem is when Gizmo comes directly up to my face and sneezes into it.  
"A door is what a dog is perpetually on the wrong side of"   Ogden Nash 

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