Dog yoga starts in Pearland with aim to spread
Lifting one of her two Norwich terriers above her head as she situated her legs in a scissor-like position to balance the weight, Teri Williams never imagined she would have the opportunity to incorporate her dog into a yoga exercise when she began practicing regularly in February.
“I had previously seen videos of people doing yoga with their dogs; so when this chance came up, I said, ‘I can do it now too!” ’ Williams said. “I could have never anticipated it, doing something like that with something I love — my dog.”
Williams joined the 30-40 people who participated in a two-day “doga” event hosted by the Natural Pawz pet store in Pearland June 20-21. Taught by a YogaOne Studios instructor, the free event brought together dog-owning, yogaloving individuals for the first time in the community, with the hope of eventually making this a regular practice throughout Houston.
“This isn’t something that’s prevalent in Houston, even though doga has been around for a long time, and there are other places in the country that do doga,” said Nadine Joli-Coer , co-owner of Natural Pawz. “It’s a recognized term, and it’s something that could catch on more here if we can get the right support.”
Doga is the subject of numerous websites, videos, blogs and books. In simple terms, it is yoga that incorporates dogs into well-known positions.
Those practicing doga might use a small dog as a weight for various positions or use a larger dog to stretch and lean on.
At the doga hosted by Natu-
ral Pawz, small dogs were the focus on the first day while bigger dogs participated on the second. YogaOne Pearland co-owner and instructor Amanda Hale coached each day’s group through several doga positions she learned through research.
“I’ve always wanted to integrate teaching yoga with my dog,’ said Hale, who has been with YogaOne since 2011. “The goal for me was to create a connection between the owners and their pets.”
Joli-Coer and her husband and Natural Pawz coowner Biff Picone met Hale at a May 9 running event on the same day the couple opened their Pearland store. Joli-Coer and Picone first began Natural Pawz, a supply store for natural dog and cat food products, in The Woodlands a decade ago. They now own 16 stores in Houston.
Hale and the couple began exchanging ideas for a mutually beneficial event, and Hale suggested doga.
“We have a space that is pet-friendly, which a yoga studio might not be; so it was a win-win,” Joli-Coer said.
During doga sessions, owners also stretch their dogs and massage them. Because both parties get exercise and stretching by using each other, practicing doga draws an ultimate connection between owner and pet, Hale said.
“They are both creating more balance. They are both becoming more flexible,” Hale said. “It’s stressrelieving for the dogs because they get those rubs, and when they see their owner relaxing, they too feel that same energy and relaxation.”
Getting each dog settled enough to efficiently practice yoga seems to be the greatest obstacle, Hale added, but she said that came fairly easy both days because of the owners’ cooperation, as well as the use of pet-calming sprays.
Both she and the Natural Pawz owners are planning to spread the doga classes throughout Houston after a successful inauguration. Because YogaOne has several sites near locations of Natural Pawz stores, the expansion could be fairly easy, Hale said. The next doga will happen before summer ends, although neither Hale nor the Natural Pawz owners know exactly when or where.
“We just kicked it off, but our aim is to make it a regular thing,” Joli-Coer said. “We’ll use the model of the first event for future events moving forward. It worked great.”
For more information on doga, Natural Pawz can be reached at 281-362-7299 and YogaOne Pearland can be reached at 832-617-7082. Both businesses also have websites at www.naturalpawz.com and www.yogaonehouston.com.