Yoga is going to the dogs

Spending time with your dog is fun but sometimes you want to do something a little different instead of the same old walk around the block. That new option is here – doga.

Doga is yoga for dogs; not dogs alone, but you and your dog doing yoga together.

Suzi Teitelman credits herself and her dog Coali as the creators of doga and says it came about by accident.

“My dog Coali kept getting on the mat with me and so I started putting him into postures.  I was teaching many people at their homes with their dogs, so we started teaching their dogs too. Then I decided to put it on the schedule at Crunch Fitness in NYC where I was the yoga director and that was just the beginning of a worldwide phenomenon,” said Teitelman.

She said doing doga isn’t much different than the stretching and postures of yoga; it’s a partner yoga class.

“There aren't any perfect postures; just like in regular yoga, we modify and work around size and age and weight, and do what we can do.  Just like in yoga, you do what you can do and if you sit and breathe the whole time and meditate and massage and love on your dog, you are doing doga,” said Teitelman. “It doesn't have to be all fancy postures, it is about being together on the mat and sharing the breath and life and love.”

She said she believes doga is gaining popularity because people love their dogs, want to have them involved and know they need activity just like humans do. She said doga is not a replacement for taking walks together or other activities, but should be an addition to that.

For more on this story, see the Aug. 11 issue of the Navarre Press or subscribe online.