Dog-owners and yoga-lovers have finally found a way to bring their two passions together: doga. Yoga classes for dogs and their owners are sprouting all around the United States, combining massage and meditation techniques with gentle canine and human stretching. Ludicrous or blissfully relaxing?
Doga aficionados are adamant: there's nothing like balancing your cocker spaniel on your belly as you stretch to create a bond between you and your canine companion. The practice stems from an unsaid philosophy shared by many yogis: because dogs are pack animals, they are a natural match for yoga's emphasis on connection with other living creatures.
Created eight years ago by Florida-born yoga instructor Suzi Teitleman, the popularity of doga classes has skyrocketed in the US, drawing attention from major media outlets like the New York Times and CNN.
But not all yoga afficionados are comfortable with this new development. They fear that doga brings a trivial, fad-like approach to a 2,500 year-old spiritual practice. Teaching doga requires no official certification, so the quality and content of classes vary from veterinary-approved stretches and massages aimed at improving dog's digestion and heart function, to more dubious courses where dogs are trained into executing poses in exchange for treats.
Instructors vary in their approach to doga - some say it requires the same physical effort and concentration as traditional yoga, while others adopt a more laid-back approach. Brenda Bryan, a Seattle-based yoga and doga instructor who has recently written a book on the subject, told the New York Times her classes are loosely-structured and filled with humour, the essential being that humans and dogs alike leave with a smile.
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source: observers.france24
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