What’s common between holding one’s breath and the sound of woof- woof? Confused? Is that tough? Here’s another one. What could possibly be a common link between meditation and a pooch? Ok, we will just give it to you. It’s Yoga.
Apparently, one of the world’s most keenly-followed lifestyle practices has reaffirmed its presence in the globe as an all-encompassing way of life. Only this time, Yoga has a partner in company. It turns out that the practice of Dog Yoga is gaining momentum and making heads turn especially in the West.
So even as questions might be directed toward the engaging new Yoga practice, it appears that there’s no rocket science here at all. All that happens is that one’s friendly pup (or pet) joins a Yoga practitioner on the mat as a barrage of daunting but vital practices unfurl in session overseen by an experienced exponent or teacher. Right now, as you are reading this, various Dog Yoga sessions are being conducted in London, one of the world’s most loved and enigmatic cities.
But there is more to this interesting new program. Apart from body-strengthening and attributing to one’s physical temple- a sense of fluidity and agility- Dog Yoga has emerged as a practice that is aimed at making the bond between an individual and a pet- stronger and healthier. Apparently, the person responsible for cultivating a brand new style of performing Yoga and its many Yogic exercises is London-based Mhany Djahanguiri.
Born in Switzerland to a British mother and Iranian father, the founder of Dog Yoga has been involved in the practice and teaching of Yoga for a period close to two decades. This relatively newer concept of Yoga came about in 2012 and its proponent, Ms Djahanguiri shared that over the course of past few years, she had been thinking of coming up with a concept of Yoga that could incorporate one’s pet into a learning, practice session.
The popular Yoga practitioner-teacher is of the view that simply by allowing one’s pet to run about freely in an uncontrolled way in the confines of a Yoga room, after a certain time the pet is able to absorb the practitioner’s sense of calm. Eventually, the pet dog- full of energy and rush- settles down and simply lies on the mat. In that very moment of clarity and closeness- one experienced between a dog’s owner and the dog itself- the two come together to practice what is also interestingly called ‘Doga’. This process of letting one’s pet be free and do whatever it is that it likes to do is important in the sense that it finally leads the dog to surrender the practitioner’s calm and silence.
That said, there’s another interesting facet to this practice. One doesn’t need to necessarily have a pet dog to be able to practice Dog Yoga. Students and practitioners are free to interact with another person’s pet and it has been found that some dogs get more involved in the routine process than others. However, there is one central requirement to practice Dog Yoga and it is something that a practitioner must adhere to. All dogs that attend a session must be vaccinated, social and somewhat neutered.
In fact, so moving has been the brand-new practice that the owner Ms. Djahanguiri’s own pooch attends- unfailingly- each session. At the moment, classes are being organized by London-based Funzing.com. A 90-minute session costs one around 20 quid. That’s definitely worth some buddy-bonding and health, lifestyle improvement. Isn’t it?