This event is free and dog-friendly.  We will offer doggy photos with Santa with all proceeds going to DDB.  Beer, wine, food and live music with Whiting Tennis!

We have a limited number of goody bags so get there early!!

This is Super Dog Pose.  Super Dog Pose not only looks very cute, but it has some health benefits as well; It stretches the front legs and armpits of your dogi, increasing circulation and relaxation,  stretches their belly and their innards, and promotes trust. Oh and did I mention it looks really cute? Super Dog, Super Cute.  Always a crowd pleaser in demos.

Super Dog at the David Barton Gym Demo

Honey and I demo in Portland, Oregon

Super Dog at Westside

At Westside Yoga and Doga

Here are photos of an advanced version of Barking Buddha Doga’s Barking Crow.  I only encourage the advanced yogis to fully balance on their upper arms, making sure there are no yogi and dogi crashes.  The modification would be coming up to the tippy toes resting your body weight and inner legs on the upper arms, while connecting the crown of the head to your dogi.  This pose promotes trust, fearlessness and courage while working the core, the arms and the shoulders.   

Pictured are Jeff and Dexter and Carrie and Bella.  Bella is the white dog and she is really, really soft.  Bella  took to doga very quickly, which probably has nothing to do with her soft fur, but an interesting observation (to me anyway). 

 Dexter is a young dogi but has been attending doga classes since he was just a few months old and has developed his own unique version of many poses.  He is becoming quite the class clown.   Come meet him on Saturdays at Westside!  And don’t forget Bootcamp Doga tonight at 7:00 pm.  Gus and I continue to whittle our waists for summer! We will begin the class with a short walk or run and follow with a fast paced doga class. Meet at the studio and wear comfortable running or walking shoes.

Have a wonderful Monday!

xo, Brenda, Honey, Gus and Nelson

 I’m trying to view my living room pillows with detachment, they are just pillows after all.  3 duvets and duvet covers later, I’m getting used to it..and hey I’m learning , no more feathers, he loves the feather filling and the mess is quite spectacular, so foam filling from now on, a little easier to clean up and I can patch the holes with out losing too much stuffing.     He’s so fast, if I forget about him for 5 minutes that could be the death of another pillow.  I just have to remember to make sure he’s in the same room with me all the time. 

While this isn’t a daily occurance and since my glass is always half full, I’m grateful he doesn’t go after  my shoes, since my shoe collection is quite immense and lovely (ah shoes! how I love thee almost as much as dogs!).

Nelson pulls Brad on a skateboard on our beach almost everyday, sometimes I join them (super fun!)

 What’s kinda weird though, is he doesn’t do anything to my yoga room where he  stays when I’m not at home. It’s weird because there are pillows and other items that he could easily get into and have at, but he doesn’t.. Ha! he just climbed up in my lap. all 49 pounds of him., guess he wants to help me write. 

 Anyway, maybe when he’s out in the whole house his world feels too big and he freaks out, or the opposite, maybe when he’s out of the yoga room around the family he’s relaxed enough to get into trouble.  There is probably some sort of lesson on dog behaviour in here somewhere,  I have to think about it a little more, and usually the lesson is more about human behaviour anyway.  I just know that he’s part of the family now and despite his love of the pillow, he’s a sweet boy and he tries to be good.  So  until I figure it out, guess I’ll just continue to do my best as his caretaker and just watch the sales for duvets and pillows and stay vigilante around my shoes.

Hello Yogi and Dogis,

Although in the the world of  Yoga we use the Sanskrit word asana to mean pose, the literal translation is acually seat or sit.  The word asana is tacked on to the end of almost every yoga pose in Sanskrit.  Downward Facing Dog in the ancient yogic language of Sanskrit is Adho Mukha Svanasana, the word for forward bend in Sanskrit is Uttanasana,  Cobra Pose is Bhujangasana…  you get the the picture.

The reason the word asana is so prevalent in our traditional yoga practice is because the whole purpose of yoga is to still the fluctuations of the mind allowing us to sit peacefully in meditation.  Asana, seat, sit.  Sit.  Since most people don’t spend as much time thinking about, writing about and spending time with dogs like I do,  you probably didn’t have the same eureka moment that I did when I realized that ”sit” is the first trick most dogs learn.   How cool is it that we teach our dogs to be in their asana?

After they learn sit we often teach then to stay in their seat.  I often use sit to divert my dog’s attention away from potential drama  (squirrel, cat,ect).  This takes some practice and focus of attention, just as our meditiation seat takes practice. 

When we teach our dog to stay in their seat, we start by just taking a couple of steps away from them and we work up to keeping them in the sit/ stay as we lengthen the time and distance . 

 In doga class I can usually put Gus and/or Honey in a stay on the doga mat, using a hand signal so I can move around the class room If I need to.  Of course this is’nt fail proof, sometimes they can’t resist the temptation to get off the mat.  But for the most part they are pretty good in their seat.

  It’s just like when we meditate, some days,  we are right there and other days it’s tough to focus the mind and the breath and to sit still.   Just remember be patient with yourself like you are with your dog when teaching him a  trick..  And just like teaching our dogs,  learning anything new takes practice and consistency.

http://www.bullyroundup.org/blog/?p=20

Also, Nelson ran with us at Bootcamp Doga and he did great, no anxiety issues during the run/walk with the other dogs at all!  Yay Nels!  I’m glad others get to see what a great dog he is.

This is Anubis:

He was rescued on the streets of Bangkok and brought to the United States by Soi Dog rescue organization. Here’s their website: www.scadbangkok.org

Anubis was named after this Egyptian guy:

They do indeed resemble each other. And judging by the size of those ears they are probably both very good listeners.

If you want to meet Anubis the dog in person come to Doga this Saturday, where he will be in class with his foster mom Jen and his foster sister, Snickers.

Nelson and me

Bad pic of me, cute pic of Nels

Nelson's new friend

Nelson's new friend

We joined a pitbull play group that meets every Saturday.  It’s cool because everyone there understands the breed and many of the dogs are rescues like Nelson.  The dog above, Callie, is deaf.  She is a great first friend for dogs being introduced to the group.  A wonderful opportunity for socialization in a safe controlled environment, which is important for any breed.   If you are interested in a play group for your dog,  just do a search online for play groups in your area, there are loads of breed specific groups in the Seattle area.  Or come to Doga class, where all breeds and sizes are welcome!