What is Doga?

"Doga is the sacred union between dog and owner."

(MAHNY DJAHANGUIRI )

Doga is a human yoga practice that helps support the natural bond we have with our dog.

 

You don't need to be good at Doga or even good at yoga! Your dog is allowed to "misbehave" as we trust that Doga will work it's magic on you and your dog regardless of whether your dog is involved in the poses or not.

 

"If you're feeling anxious about your dog, or your dog feels anxious about you.... Doga can help."
(Phillip , 52 )

 

Doga works on the natural symbiotic relationship that already exist between you and your dog. If there's stress and tension in YOU, your dog may feel it and absorb your tension... this may reflect in his immediate environment and the way he socialises we other dogs.

Watch Mahny and Robbie doing Doga together at home

 

By releasing any tension, stress or anxiety you automatically help your dog to be more accepting and feel secure to meet other dogs without worrying about you. Yoga can help this process and Doga is the magic glue that derives from your internal practice of Yoga.

STRESS

Stress is one of the common causes of disease and death. This doesn't just apply to humans but also to dogs. Bringing your dog to yoga will help:

• increase his life expectancy
• decrease high blood pressure
• lower the heart rate
• regulate the adrenal glands
• balances and replenishes  the parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous system responsible for "fight or flight "
• builds trust in humans and deepens his /her bond
• govern sleep and digestion
• decrease anxiety and depression (yes dogs can become depressed)
• aids with the process of rehoming, fostering or adopting a new dog

DOGA IS FUN

A sense of humour is required for it to work!

Having your dog included in your yoga practice enables you to observe "your attitude" towards yourself and all living beings and get a deeper insight and understanding of behaviour patterns that arise from the mind.I love it when my dog interrupts my yoga because he reminds me that I mustn't be so uptight about getting the poses right. There's no such thing as perfection, anything goes.

(Judy Lambery and Moxley (Greyhound)

The Breathe is the Key

Similar to young children, dogs ‘copy’ the owners breathing habits. A restless, irregular breathing pattern can influence the dog’s behaviour as well as sound and touch. Mahny came to realise by using ‘yogic’ breathing and physical contact (massage) the dog’s heart rate would slow down automatically, improving the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide to the flow of the blood.

The dog’s parasympathetic nervous system would usually kick in after the first 20 minutes of a yoga session. Similar to a human yoga class some dogs may fall asleep on the yoga mat, some may enjoy a quiet space far out of reach from the group while other dogs may happily join in the fun.