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Jade Lee-Duffy

At a yoga studio in Sheung Wan, a small group of students and their instructor, Suzette Ackermann, are giving new meaning to 'downward facing dog', a yoga pose based on a natural stretch by a dog.
For an hour-long session, these students have brought along their pampered pooches for a class of dog yoga or 'doga'. 
'I've been practising yoga for many years, at home and in a studio, but with dog yoga you feel a special bond,' says Wendy Chan, founder of Pawette (www.pawette.com),  a pet boutique and grooming salon. 
'It's like going to a playgroup with your baby, that feeling is similar. And you're doing a healthy activity together.'
As the owner of a Toy Poodle named Mocha, Chan adds that it's a rare treat for dogs and their owners to be allowed in a commercial building. 
'There aren't a lot of pet programmes, or hardly any places indoors where you can play with your dog. I think [dog yoga] is  unique,' she says. 
'Doga isn't for everyone though. You have to like yoga and want to spend time with your dog.' 
While yoga has ancient Indian Hindu origins, dating back to 2,500BC, dog yoga was reportedly started by a Florida-based instructor, Suzi Teitelman,  who started the trend in 2002. 
Today,  scores of students and their deep-breathing dogs can find canine-friendly classes across the United States, Australia, Canada, Britain and Japan. 
The concept of Hong Kong's first dog yoga class started last year after Ackermann talked to a Japanese groomer at Pawette. 'I used to live in Japan and doga is already a big thing over there,' Ackermann says. 'But I wasn't sure if people in Hong Kong would accept it or think it's just loony.' 
Eventually, Ackermann decided to hold  regular Saturday classes for Pawette customers. A year later, popularity for the class has been growing, with the yoga instructor receiving requests from her own yoga and dance students for additional classes during the week. 
If you are thinking about attending a class,  Ackermann advises exercising with smaller dogs that can be easily picked up, such as Pekinese, Poodles, Yorkshire Terriers and Schnauzers. 
Most of the time, Ackermann leads the class with her Pekinese dog named Snowball in tandem, moving her dog from one arm to the other. 
'As you are switching the dog around, you are bonding with it. You also give it massages and, when we do seated work like open leg poses, you can gently massage the dog around its hips, spine, neck and forearms, stretching them out as well.'
Students of the class, Ackermann says, will feel its usual calming effects, while stretching out their muscles and strengthening joints. 
'Doga is also meant as a way to bond with your pet. It's not only about you and your practice, but about you and your pet,' explains the instructor from South Africa. 
The difference with having dogs in the room is everyone is happy, Ackermann says. 'Having any animal around is very calming. 
'They make you feel stress-free. And students will tell me pet stories like a parent talking about their child. People who bring in their dog really love their pet.'
For Chan, the classes are another fun excuse to spend time with her dog. 
'After class, you feel hot and sweaty, and your muscles burn. But it's fun doing the class with your dog. I feel more connected to Mocha than I would have otherwise,' she says. 
'Yoga is about a physical bond, as well as a spiritual bond.'



Pampered pooches join humans in 'doga' classes