What is Animal-Assisted Yoga?

AAY is the practice of following the eight-limbed path of yoga under the guidance of an animal counterpart. The goal is to unite the mind, body and soul through healthy and moral lifestyle choices laid out in the yoga sutras. Animals can help separate a person from their insecurities and distracting thoughts the way Asana does in an advanced practice while giving inspiration as one sees the animal embodying a yogic lifestyle and sometimes demonstrating way that a human can teach them to live a more joyful life through discipline.

What is symbiotic Living?

Symbiotic living means practicing living a life of symbiosis, where your healthy habits feed the healthy habits of someone or something else, and their healthy lifestyle supports yours. This can look like sharing healthy snacks, using dog-safe and healthy leftovers as treats, exercising together, getting in nature together, etc.

What can symbiotic living help me with?

Symbiotic living can help overcome a variety of personal struggles through gentle discipline and accountability such as:

• Disordered Eating - You would never allow your pet to be malnourished, and you need a proportionate amount of food to them, so practice eating something wholesome every time you feed them. It doesn’t have to be a big meal; baby steps have been most effective in my personal journey.

• Food Addiction - Sharing snacks with your pet can help you be aware of how much you are eating of different types of food and help you stay motivated to eat more healthy foods that you can share and to avoid foods that you don’t want to feed your pet. Bonus! If you know how much food your pet is supposed to eat, you can keep an idea of how many snacks you are sharing in mind as opposed to balanced meals that you eat separately.

• Depression, Anxiety and Other Mood Disorders - Good nutrition and exercise have a huge impact on mood disorders, and while it’s not a cure, symbiotic living can make a night and day difference by offering the motivation you need to practice healthy habits. If you don’t feel like your own well-being is a good enough reason to take care of yourself, you are not alone. Your pet needs exercise, healthy food, and your love and energy. Only 10% of your pet’s diet should come from treats, while the rest should be balanced by a board-certified PhD veterinary nutritionist. By making food “for them” but not overfeeding them, you end up with nutritious meals for yourself that you might actually enjoy making and eating since the intention is to share a special moment with your best friend. When you start to explore symbiotic exercise routines like hiking, SUP with Your Pup, or Animal-Assisted Yoga, you are likely to find joy in exercise through the engagement and fulfillment experienced by your pet.

• Overfeeding Pets - When you practice symbiotic living to it’s fullest, you and your pet will be eating at the same times. You will eat your main meals together if your pet is on a balanced homemade food plan in partnership with a veterinary nutritionist, and you will eat a comparable human meal if they are on a premade food, like kibble, freeze-dried or prepackaged fresh. You’ll figure out how many calories their 10% treats maximum should account for, and you will give them bites of veggies, meat and (if your vet approves the sugar content) fruit when you are eating them in direct proportion to how much you eat. For example, Waffles needs 800-900 Kcal per day, and I need 1600-1900, so to put it simply, I should eat twice as much food as her, but I know my meals are a smaller portion of my daily calories since I can’t eat as much in one sitting if I’m not on a mindless binge. That means for shared snacks, we follow a 3-for-me, 1-for-you rule, and when I get full, my dog does NOT need any more treats.

How can Animal-assisted yoga help me?

Animal-Assisted Yoga (AAY) is a fantastic way to build strong habits through a shared motivation. Your pet wants to play and engage with you in creative new ways, and AAY offers an endless catalogue of ways you and your pet can play while building strength and flexibility in your own body. This increases mobility and thereby increases longevity.