Leave Your Phone at Home
Texts, notifications, emails, DMs and phone calls are just some of the ‘noise’ that enter into our consciousness on a daily basis. Our internal chatter plays another large role in the constant stream of activity within our mind. In yoga’s language of origin - Sanskrit, there is a word vritti. Vritti is defined as the stream of consciousness (thoughts) that arise in the mind (often like a whirlpool).
How do we calm this whirlpool of thoughts and activity within our mind? I would like to propose doing so during an everyday activity for most dog owners – the daily walk. By calming your mind (vritti), you will calm your dog and his/her reactions. Remember the game of telephone with two Styrofoam cups and a string that we played when we were kids? Your dog’s leash works even better than that ‘telephone’ did. Your stress, anxiety, anger and/or happiness travel directly to your dog.
To prepare for your walk, I highly recommend leaving your phone behind. Give your dog your undivided attention for the duration of your walk. Not only will it strengthen the bond between you and your four-legged friend but it will also give you much needed time away from your device. There are several studies linking phone to anxiety and depression. Do yourself a favor and spend some time in nature.
To unwind from a rough day, take a few deep yoga breaths. Take mental survey of your body and notice if you’re holding tension anywhere, let it go. Typically we hold tension in our jaws, our foreheads, our fists and our shoulders. Let it go.
Choose a place that is relatively quiet and relaxing for you and your dog. There’s a park near my house that has minimal foot traffic which is ideal for my sometimes reactive dog. Within the park, there’s a grassy trail that is away from roads which is a bonus. On most days, I put a harness on Emma and a long line to give her added benefits. Sometimes we vary the course we walk, sometimes we vary the park but this is our weekly staple. During this style of walk, I don’t train. I just let Emma be a dog and I enjoy her company as is. If she wants to sniff I relax the long line, she can do a little sprint to catch up which I think she enjoys that little burst of speed every so often. I’ve taught her loose leash walking and engagement, so she does both of these on her own but I don’t ask her to. There are other parts of the day where we train, but not on our daily nature walk.
By taking the steps listed above, you can calm your vritti which can lead to benefits for both you and your dog. Building a relationship, encouraging engagement and loose leash walking and enjoying time in nature without technology are the foundations of a great relationship with your dog.
Yoga simply means 'to unite,' By walking your dog without your phone, practicing calming your mind and uniting (strenghening your bond) with your dog, you are doing yoga. Yoga does not need to be the asanas (poses). Bring this practice into your walks and you are doing yoga daily.
How do we calm this whirlpool of thoughts and activity within our mind? I would like to propose doing so during an everyday activity for most dog owners – the daily walk. By calming your mind (vritti), you will calm your dog and his/her reactions. Remember the game of telephone with two Styrofoam cups and a string that we played when we were kids? Your dog’s leash works even better than that ‘telephone’ did. Your stress, anxiety, anger and/or happiness travel directly to your dog.
To prepare for your walk, I highly recommend leaving your phone behind. Give your dog your undivided attention for the duration of your walk. Not only will it strengthen the bond between you and your four-legged friend but it will also give you much needed time away from your device. There are several studies linking phone to anxiety and depression. Do yourself a favor and spend some time in nature.
To unwind from a rough day, take a few deep yoga breaths. Take mental survey of your body and notice if you’re holding tension anywhere, let it go. Typically we hold tension in our jaws, our foreheads, our fists and our shoulders. Let it go.
Choose a place that is relatively quiet and relaxing for you and your dog. There’s a park near my house that has minimal foot traffic which is ideal for my sometimes reactive dog. Within the park, there’s a grassy trail that is away from roads which is a bonus. On most days, I put a harness on Emma and a long line to give her added benefits. Sometimes we vary the course we walk, sometimes we vary the park but this is our weekly staple. During this style of walk, I don’t train. I just let Emma be a dog and I enjoy her company as is. If she wants to sniff I relax the long line, she can do a little sprint to catch up which I think she enjoys that little burst of speed every so often. I’ve taught her loose leash walking and engagement, so she does both of these on her own but I don’t ask her to. There are other parts of the day where we train, but not on our daily nature walk.
By taking the steps listed above, you can calm your vritti which can lead to benefits for both you and your dog. Building a relationship, encouraging engagement and loose leash walking and enjoying time in nature without technology are the foundations of a great relationship with your dog.
Yoga simply means 'to unite,' By walking your dog without your phone, practicing calming your mind and uniting (strenghening your bond) with your dog, you are doing yoga. Yoga does not need to be the asanas (poses). Bring this practice into your walks and you are doing yoga daily.