Yoga Class Incorporates Canine Partners

Yoga teacher Brenda Bryan demonstrates a pose with her dog, a boxer/Shar-Pei mix.

Yoga teacher Brenda Bryan demonstrates a pose with her dog, a boxer/Shar-Pei mix.

Participants in Bryan's class assume the Warrior 2 position, each to his or her own ability.

Participants in Bryan's class assume the Warrior 2 position, each to his or her own ability.
Attention, sophisticated canines: Are you tired of the same old walks? Been there and done that with the doggie spas? Looking for enlightenment? A yoga class in Seattle may be just what you're seeking. Bring along your owner: The teacher won't mind.
Brenda Bryan says the Humane Society asked her to develop the class as a way of enhancing the human-animal bond. Her message to students is to relax and have fun.
"This is really about making a nice connection and deepening that relationship with your dog," she says during a recent session.
The instructor says her class allows people to return the undivided attention that dogs usually give their owners. Her dog-inclusive poses include lifting a pet's legs to stretch them, and full-body hugs.
Bryan has been at the center of a media whirlwind since word got out about the class. What's next, an instructional book or DVD? Nothing concrete yet, Bryan says. For now, she's "trying to relax the world, one dog at a time," she says with a laugh.
Phyllis Fletcher reports from member station KUOW in Seattle.


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