How do I do yoga with a hyper dog nearby?
Mastering meditation with a four-legged roommate who wants to lick your face
On Mother’s Day and beyond (and whether you’re childless or having a mother-daughter day), this is one of those days where you may want to kick back and relax. You’re probably thinking yoga and meditation will look and feel a lot like the lady above. And if you’re a dog owner, maybe your dog will join in, too.
Here’s the truth. Whether you’re a novice or an expert at yoga, if your dog isn’t used to you working out nearby, your yoga session is going to look a lot like the latter two photos with these two kids:
I wasn’t on the floor for more than 60 seconds before my dog crawled onto my lap to be petted and then tried to climb onto my shoulders. I dared to lay down, and all I felt was warm nostril breath from a snout possibly one centimeter away from my face. Then she paced around me the way one would do to trace a chalk outline. Yoga with a dog was going to be more difficult than I suspected. Here’s how I helped my dog get used to me meditating and doing yoga without being a nonstop distraction.
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First, let your dog check out the scene. The first time your dog sees yoga blocks, a yoga mat, pilates balls, workout attire or anything else that is just waiting to be sized up and smelled, just let her. Similar to a dog walk, your pup operates by smell. Dogs possess up to 300 million olfactory receptors in their noses, compared to about 6 million in us, reports PBS. Imagine your brain being able to recognize the object it smells. Now multiply that by at least 40, and that’ll tell you just how much cooler your dog’s nose is.