Benefits of Doga - as part of the expert series by GeoBeats. The benefits of Aoga to me are the same as the benefits of a regular Yoga class. You are working on breathing and relaxing, you are working on stretching and strengthening. You are working on loving yourself, your pet, and it is a bonding experience between you and your dog. I know that Coley and I have over the years grown immensely closer than many dogs and owners, because we do yoga together, because we are hands-on. There is a lot of massage and touch and stretching, and trust. Coley has come from a few postures to many poses that he does, and as a 10 year old dog I find that his health is superior because of the stretching, the postures, the breathing, the meditation. Doga can be for all sized dogs - it is not just for small dogs, it is not just for big dogs. It can be for elderly dogs, and sick dogs. I had a cocker spaniel who was 17 and was dying, and I still did Doga with her with her just lying on the ground and me just massaging and working around her. Doga is about spending time together and letting them feel your energy and you feeling their energy. Dogs already bring to us that unconditional love and that ability to stay present in the present moment, to be happy and content right now. So we learn from them, and they learn from us. The great part about Doga is that you can do Doga anywhere, you do not need to just go to a class to do Doga. Doga is about bringing it into your life on a daily basis. We do Doga when I walk in the door when I get home from work, we do Doga at night, or in the morning and Doga can be done in 5, 10, 20 minutes segments. You do not have to always been on the mat for 30 minutes or an hour. It is about making Yoga and Doga a part of your life. Your animals are your family and your partners, and to me Doga is just a partner Yoga class. It can be explained like taking your infant to class with you. They do not know exactly what they are doing at first, but they love it when you are with them and you are touching them and stretching them and moving them, and that is the same thing we do with our pets. We do a lot of rubbing and massage and working on the chakras, that both dogs and people have - the energy centers that run from the top of the head to the third eye point, the throat, the belly, down to the bottom of the animal. We work on waking up those energy centers just like we do the same for ourselves in Yoga. Yoga and Doga bring us energy and powerfulness. It gives you this inside brightness and lightness that shines out after you do your Doga practice. And people always feel better when they are with their dogs. Most people are happier people when they are with their pets.