DOWNWARD DOG TAKES ON A WHOLE NEW MEANING
The puppies, which range from six to eight weeks old, benefit from socialization. The addition of cute puppies to yoga sessions is catching on and providing benefits for all involved, including socialization for the dogs — and therapy for when things get
It’s a sunny autumn Sunday and yoga instructor Charmaine Pang is leading a class of 30-odd students on the 15th floor of One King St. W. Positioned on her forearms and knees, she arches her back then curves it in reverse to demonstrate a classic move known as cat-cow. But there’s another animal making its way into the pose — a sixweek-old Australian shepherd puppy is crawling between Pang’s legs to seek shelter under her arched back.
Acollection of “awes” escape from the class as the adorable scene unfolds. Pang gives the pup a quick pat and it emerges from beneath her to greet the class.
This puppy is one of eight stars of Toronto’s latest fitness craze — puppy yoga. Much like it sounds, it’s a regular yoga class with the addition of cute, adorable puppies — miniature Australian shepherds, short-haired Siberian huskies and woolly huskies in this case — that roam the studio during practice.
A one-hour puppy yoga class cost $39.99 and includes about 40 minutes of yoga and
20 minutes for extra cuddles and photos at the end. Participants sign up online at puppyyoga.com.
Keith Mitchener ran goat yoga classes in Ottawa before he switched to puppies in January 2018. He brought puppy yoga to Toronto 10 months ago and has hosted about 1,000 students so far with every class sold out weeks in advance.
Mitchener connects with rural breeders online then checks out their facilities himself before partnering with them. The breeders drive puppies in for each day of classes. They’re as young as six weeks old and participate in classes for two to three weeks before they become old enough to be sold to their new owners. Breeds are always changing which Mitchener says entices repeat customers. French and English bulldogs are on the roster for November.
The classes take place at One King West’s Fifteen Hundred event room, on the Danforth at Dream Yoga Dance and in North York at the Jaya Yoga Centre. Mitchener runs four classes a day most Saturdays and Sundays, working with a roster of local instructors to lead classes.
Canine yoga is clearly catching on.
In March the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology hosted a one-off class in Edmonton with foster dogs from a local rescue. In Montreal the Dogue Shop offers “doga” classes but its BYOD (bring your own dog). And in Toronto, Mitchener’s idea has spawned competition. In September, Pups Yoga began holding weekend classes at the dance studio Lindy Hop Revolution near Dupont station.
Sisters Ashley and Natasha Menezes saw Mitchener’s ad for puppy yoga online and while they aren’t regular yoga practi- tioners, they had to try it. “I more so wanted to play with the puppies than do yoga,” Ashley admits as she pets a Siberian husky curled up at her feet postclass. She says she entered the session stressed out from transitioning to a new job in account management and felt happy and relaxed afterwards.
“I think it brings extra calmness to you,” Natasha adds after snapping photos and sharing videos of her furry fitness mates on Instagram and Snapchat — a practice frowned upon in the average yoga class but welcome here.
Pang, who teaches yoga flow, yin and guided meditations at Iam Yoga, approaches puppy yoga with an open mind.
“It’s a very different kind of experience,” Pang says.
Pang has fun with her distracting “assistants” and will incorporate them into the routine. She might do boat pose — a challenging core exercise and if someone has a puppy nearby, she’ll encourage them to pick it up and use it to enhance the move by twisting side-to-side at the hip with the creature inhand.
She also warns students as they’re coming out of challenging poses to “Be careful, don’t crush a puppy when you come back down to the floor.”
For Pang and most participants, dog ownership is unattainable, whether it’s the lack of space, finances or time to give a furry friend. But puppy yoga provides dog lovers an opportunity to take advantage of the therapeutic benefits pets can provide. A study released by the UBC’s department of psychology in March 2018 found that students who interacted with therapy dogs at a drop-in session reported reduced stress and increased happiness and energy immediately afterwards.
Participants can also feel good about supporting the puppies’ growth. Breeder Alisha Vandermale, who runs a kennel and horse farm in Cornwall, Ont., knows her litter benefits from spending time with large groups of people.
“When you socialize them this way as puppies, they don’t get anxiety from being in big crowds,” says Vandermale. She also gets inquiries from students about purchasing her puppies and has sold two through Mitchener’s classes.
As these puppies wrap up the second of four sessions this Sunday afternoon they are clearly exhausted from the excitement and have curled up on the corner of some yogis’ mats as the class winds down.
It’s the typical trajectory for an afternoon of puppy yoga as the energetic pooches get tuckered out as the day progresses.
Pang recalls a recent class when a puppy fell asleep on a participant’s chest.
“He just had the biggest smile on his face,” she says. “I think everyone is looking for that experience. And you definitely get that, because what’s not to like about puppies?”