Unleashing Calm: Yoga Meets Canine Companionship

Dog-yoga and goat-yoga being promoted as yoga therapies in the West, wrote this blogger on merinews,com -a CJ portal now closed down, (see clipping). The blogger wrote ahead of the International Day 2017, two forms of yoga are becoming popular in the West called dog-yoga (doga) and goat-yoga (goga). Doga and goga are the partner yoga classes in which clients do yoga in the presence of pet dogs and friendly goats respectively.

A Short Note on Dog Yoga

Doga, or dog yoga, is a unique fitness trend in the West that combines traditional stretching and mindfulness with the company of dogs. This allows pets to join in on gentle movements, massages, and relaxation. It's a modern fitness craze where people do yoga alongside their pet dogs.

This practice was started in America by Suzi Teitelman in 2002. It's not about making dogs do complicated or unnatural poses. Instead, it uses Hatha yoga principles that match a dog's natural abilities and comfort.

A typical session usually includes assisted stretching and massage, where pets are gently guided through light movements or have their limbs massaged to help relieve tension.

There are shared poses that involve smaller dogs being lifted during standing postures like Warrior poses, or having larger dogs rest quietly on or next to the mat.

In Summary

Kishore (2026) explores the therapeutic benefits of combining traditional yoga with canine interaction, commonly known as "Doga" or puppy yoga. The practice fosters a mutual state of relaxation through tactile therapy with a protocol by a certified practitioner, stimulating oxytocin release in humans while promoting a calm, social environment for dogs while performing yoga postures.

Reference

Kishore, L. (2026). Unleashing Calm: Yoga Meets Canine Companionship, Lalit Culp, https://lalitculp.wixsite.com/website/post/unleashing-calm-yoga-meets-canine-companionship