Doing yoga with our pet friends, replicating their stretches, sitting postures can help boost our emotional connection with them.
Puzzled?! What in the world is DOGA and CAGA?!
Yoga with your dogs and cats. Yes, doing Yoga with your pets, also known as DOGA and CAGA! But what does CBD have to do with it? Continue reading.
The whole world is practicing the ancient form of exercise for the body, mind, and soul: YOGA
Join the herd! Remember to include your pet friends. Dogs and Cats!
So, get your mats ready to practice Yoga with your dog, DOGA, and your Cat, CAGA.
Certainly, I am going to share with you some yoga asanas that you can do with your dog(s) and cat(s).
DOGA the new trend
Doing yoga with your dogs is a trend that is catching up with pet owners, who are willing to go the extra mile to keep their companions happy and healthy.
For Instance, keeping your dog beside you while practicing yoga, holding or touching them while in meditation, and replicating their postures are some of the styles that some people adopt. Although there is no specific reference or study about this developing cult, it is interesting to learn about some ‘asanas’ that we can do with our pets.
Vajrasana
What a majestic posture?! Wow?! A typical guarding posture that a dog poses right in front of our house keeps intruders and evil eyes away when they get into a defender mode. A visual that makes the owner feel proud and shielded.
Vajrasana comes from the Sanskrit words vajra, meaning “thunderbolt,” “diamond-like,” or “adamant/firmness,” and asana, meaning “posture.”
In short, who taught dogs, Vajrasana? How do they naturally get into a ‘thunderbolt’ pose?!
How to sit in Vajrasana posture?
- Get in to kneel down pose, and sit on your heels
- Ensure to part your heels and your big toes touching each other
- Sit on the pit formed by the parted heels
Remain seated for 60 seconds minimum with head and spine erect and palms placed on your thighs. Take deep slow breaths. As you practice you will be able to stay for a longer duration but to begin with, just stay as long as you are comfortable.
Benefits of Vajrasana
- Enhances blood circulation in the lower abdomen
- Improves digestion.
- Nerves of legs and thighs are strengthened.
- Makes knee and ankle joints flexible and prevents certain rheumatic diseases.
Adho Mukha Svanasana
Firstly, understand the meaning of the Sanskrit name for this asana. After that get to know the benefits of practicing this posture.
Adho means down, Mukha means face, Svana means Dog, and Asana is the posture.
Adho Mukha Svanasana is one of the most recognized Yoga poses in the West. The asana is named after the way dogs naturally stretch their entire body similar to a pandiculation done by humans. Categorized under the standing postures, it helps build strength.
Benefits of Adho Mukha Svanasana
- Stretches your hamstrings, calves, feet, and hands.
- Strengthens your arms, shoulders, and back.
- Improves mobility in your digestive system.
- Relieves back pain, headaches, insomnia, and fatigue.
Uttana Shishosana
Uttana means stretched out or extended, Shisho means puppy and asana is pose or posture.
The extended puppy posture helps a great deal in alleviating stress. Just like our pets, when they stretch this way after a good nap, it helps them get back to action. Similarly, after a prolonged desk job or stress related to work just get into this posture with your pet.
- Helps strengthen hips and back muscles and improves flexibility
- Improves digestion, reduces bloating
- Helps burn belly fat
- Aids better blood circulation as the chest expands and eases tension.
- Eases chronic muscular tension.
CAGA: The legends
Compared to dogs, cats are natural yoga practitioners, I mean they are the legends!
Wonder how? You can easily find them stretching, turning, twisting, and twirling.
Although they can never fit into the discipline they can get into any funny weirdest postures to grab our attention! They are top-notch stretchers, learn from them, replicate whatever they do. Do you have a cat at home?! Just surrender to them as you have got one ultimate yoga guru at home. Ditch the expensive yoga class or gym membership, your cat can help you save your money.
In fact, I used to be a cat watcher when I was a kid. I loved watching cats jump from heights, and used to be astonished by the sight. The way they handle their body and land on their hind legs irrespective of the height, with excellent control and precision. A perfect landing worth an unbeatable Olympic gold medal. The best part is they are extremely patient to teach their young ones to jump. The mother cat jumps several times, repeats herself untiringly just to teach her kittens. See, they are worth being your Guru!
Although they look cute and amusing, there are several postures in yoga that can be related to the stretches of a cat or a tiger.
Marjaryasana or the cat pose, also known as Bidalasana has references in several texts such as the 17th century Hatha Ratnavali, Niels Bukh‘s early 20th-century Danish text Primary Gymnastics derived from the 19th-century Scandinavian gymnastics or the Sritattvanidhi 19th century text.
Pet Care
Our love for our furry friends extends beyond mere companionship. The emotional connection that we share with them is very unique.
All pet owners would sure understand that their life revolves around us. Right from waking us up in the morning, sadly sending us off to work, madly receiving and greeting us when we are home, lifting our moods when we feel low or sick, aren’t they, our guardian angels?!
Doing yoga with our pet friends gives us and our pets an emotional boost too. Replicating their stretches, sitting postures can help us connect better with them. Just like us dogs and cats also undergo physical ailments and emotional problems.
Although we care for them sometimes we do not really understand what bothers them when they fail to listen or follow our instructions. Such as refusing to eat, reluctant to use the litter box, overeating, oversleeping, not playing, hiding for long hours, losing interest in socializing with other dogs or cats, etc.
Besides taking them to a vet regularly and vaccinating, caring for their overall physical and mental health is essential.
Veterinary experts are now practicing new approaches to treat canine pets that integrate massage therapy, CBD, Hydrotherapy, Acupuncture, and Electromagnetic field technologies to treat several symptoms of diseases.
Arthritis, Dysplasia, Cancer, Anxiety, Epilepsy are some of the most common problems that your dog might face.
While cats could be affected with Aggression, Anxiety, and depression, Feline urinary tract disease (FLUTD), cancer, skin conditions, etc.
CBD for Dogs and Cats
According to a 2020 study by Neilson analysis, CBD based products for pets show an incremental trend.
- 74% of CBD buyers have pets
- 24% of pet owners use hemp-CBD for themselves and their pets
- 26% of American adults with dogs use hemp-CBD products.
In a 2018 study that published a report on CBD treats as adjunctive therapy for pets.
It clearly states the existing knowledge gap and proposes suggestions for further research in this field of study. But several studies on CBD for dogs and CBD for cats speak about the various symptomatic conditions and have reported anecdotal evidence from pet owners who have observed positive changes in their pet’s conditions.
Most importantly, the impact of CBD on the endocannabinoid system is quite widely accepted but less talked about than it should be. According to a 2018 study, CBD oil is helpful for yoga and meditation as it improves focus.
Firstly, CBD oil can improve flexibility when it is used as a topical application. Secondly, it enhances the production of natural cannabinoids, as a result of its anti-inflammatory properties.
In conclusion, before you start a CBD routine for your pets, most importantly consult your veterinarian, take into account the size of your pet, age, pre-medical history, food allergies, etc.
Summary
Therefore, having pets confers us with great mental and physical health. Walking with them, playing and talking with them or just being with them quietly elevates our moods and stress. Reduces tension, eases blood pressure, decreases feelings of loneliness, more opportunities to carry out outdoor activities, and I can just go on and on.
Especially if your pets are too active and naughty, they can keep your weight in control.
So, if you feel lazy to do yoga, just head to your yoga mat, your furry friend would go head over heels to join you.