DOGA — yep, it’s a thing. Yoga, but for dogs.

It’s BYO dog, in case you were wondering.

How do you make your downward dog a thousand times more fun? Get your dog involved!

Dog yoga (Doga) is officially a thing. Is that not the best news you’ve heard all day? Doga involves about 20 different yoga poses that you can do together with your dog. Combining each yoga pose with a strategically-placed pooch (your own), the exercises are great for bonding, balancing, toning, and for calming your pet. Win-win! A room filled with dogs and like-minded dog-lovers, and with no prior experience necessary sounds like our sort of exercise class!

There are many benefits to doga. It’s a great way to bond with your dog and fit some exercise in for both of you, it’s also relaxing for both dogs and their dog parents, and doga can also be helpful for injured or old dogs, and is great exercise for obese and elderly dogs. As it requires a certain amount of attention and concentration from your dog, it’s also great training opportunity to get them to listen and cooperate whilst doing something fun.

Signing up for a weekly doga class is also a great way to meet likeminded dog-loving people, socialising your dog and committing to spending at least an hour of quality one-on-one time with your furry friend every week — which they are guaranteed to love you for!

Your pup has probably already mastered the downward dog, but there are 19 other poses to try.

Doga also combines yoga, meditation, gentle massage, and stretching, and is ideal for anxious or nervous pets. It helps to balance their energy and calm them down — this is because it’s their instinct to read your energy and to match the energy around them. When they’re born, dogs are deaf and blind, so they learn their mother’s scent and respond to the energy around them. Have you ever noticed that when you’re stressed, your dog will seem stressed or anxious as well? Or when something exciting is happening, they have a lot of energy? Dogs respond to the environment around them. So when habitually hyper or nervous dogs are in a room full of quiet, relaxed people, doing yoga poses, the dogs adapt to the energy in the room and in turn, relax*.

*(Apparently the trick is to stay calm and not talk or show any excited energy during class or the dogs will read that and they in turn will start getting excited.)

Finally an exercise class we can look forward to!