2 May 2021
Dog Yoga Context
Following advice from my doctor, I searched for yoga routines to increase bone health. On Day 119, the Yoga Journal pointed to a 12-minute workout that would help strengthen bone health. Today was the first opportunity to try out the 12-minute routine, which ended up becoming dog yoga. Nothing like goat yoga; this was an impromptu assault.
Michelle’s place had some space, and while everyone sat in the day bed area, I occupied the lounge-dining room. These exercises usually are a challenge at home as either one or both cats decide the yoga mat is where they want to be while I’m exercising on it.
Dog Yoga Sensei
The exercises began with Tree Pose, which was easy enough. Standing on the left leg was easy, and as expected, the right leg was shaky. The exercises continued with various standing, stretching exercises, among them warrior two and side extensions. For these exercises, the resident canines decided to visit me during the routines. My yoga workout became dog yoga.
Ever so helpful, jumping onto me to ensure my stances were stable . Fortunately, both dogs are little; one is a fox terrier, and the other is Shih Tzu. After checking my stability, both dogs checked their other humans in the day bed area, and I thought that would be the end of their assistance and dog yoga.
A few moments later, this was going to be proven a false assumption. For the floor exercises, I used a small section of the rug as my yoga mat. No sooner had I commenced Locust Pose when a fox terrier was on my back while the Shih Tzu wanted to provide supportive kisses. This assistance took me by surprise, and the integrity of the Locust pose fell apart from my giggles. Yes. Giggles 🙃.
Then it came time to do the Bridge pose. There was a guard change, now the Shih Tsu was lying under the hips, and the foxy wanted to provide kisses (ew?). Unlike the Locust pose, the Bridge I had to hold, or there would be a squashed Shih Tzu. The dog yoga sensei was serious about my practice. No more laughing; it was time to get serious. Once again, the dogs provided quality assurance and integrity for the duration of the pose. Amazing how animals know to keep you honest. Animal sense is my guess! It was all so incredibly cute … aw…
Revisiting the Scene of My Fall
After dog yoga, we went to lunch at the Twin Towns Club, next to where I broke my ankle back on Day 018, January. Back then, it was raining, and the tide was lapping at the steps making the algae on them wet.
It’s incredible how innocent the place can look when it’s not raining, and I’m not in pain on one of the steps. After my fall, I had contacted the council saying some signs warning people the steps could get slippery when wet would be a minimum. Some anti-slip “pimples” would also help. It’s not like anyone would be doing dog yoga on the stairs, even if they are wide enough.
The council did put or had a warning sign; however, it wasn’t evident. My husband and I also suspected the warning might have been there when I slipped. As I said, it’s still not obvious, and when heading toward the “slippery when wet” steps from any angle but in front of the sign, you wouldn’t even notice it. The warning was below the eye line. Nonetheless, the stairs were algae free, so some cleaning activities have occurred.
Today the weather was sunny (or at least when we were there), and the tide was out. The step I slipped on looked incredibly innocent and had the look of “no-one would slip on me look”. With the step being dry, it was easy to walk on, although I did shy away from stepping on that step in that place. You know the saying, “once bitten, twice shy”.
On the whole, revisiting the area wasn’t anything significant. There was no trauma to speak of and no repressed memory or shocking insight. It was very much like visiting a nightclub during the day – meh. Anyone for more dog yoga?
Back to Dog Yoga Home
The longer than 12-minute routine, thanks to dog yoga assistants, wasn’t the only exciting thing to happen. When heading out to lunch and revisiting the “scene of my accident”, my husband locked the second lock on the front door. That’s the one next to the deadbolt.
You see, there’s the deadbolt, and then there’s the original doorknob. The original doorknob has a small barrel turner in the centre of the back that you twist and pull the door shut. Unbeknownst to him, this doorknob does not have a key on any of the car key sets. Usually, with the screen security door and the deadbolt, the gate doesn’t get locked unless they travel.
With the dogs barking at the window and the gate and no amount of dog yoga (yoga by dogs, in this case) would get us in without a key. We needed to find an entry. Fortunately, the key to an always-locked door was a forgotten key on an owner’s keyring, and it saved the day. There wasn’t talk of getting a locksmith yet, but we would need one if we hadn’t gotten lucky.
Today's Cards
The Cards - Dog Yoga Analysis
Carryover Cards
Only one card carried over from yesterday, and the day before; The Miser stayed in Hopes & Fears.
Cross
The Master influences Existence which is in the Now position. Existence is about being one with yourself and the universe. The Master is about being an “untouchable” who is free of desire for material possessions. Perhaps me just doing the dog yoga what this is all about. I was experiencing Existence and just being myself, and the dogs were being The Master/s exhibiting nothing but themselves.
Ripeness is in the Goal position. The Goal was to find the right time to perform the yoga workout. From today’s context, I found the moment.
It comes from a decision in the past, possibly when we agreed to visit Michelle – visiting is always a joy. The dog yoga made it extra special. Hence, the choice or judgment in the Distant Past for Slowing Down.
In the Recent Past is the card of Letting Go. My Letting Go may have something to do about the potential “fears” of revisiting the scene of the broken ankle accident or the fear of COVID restrictions occurring at a moment’s notice.
Future Energy has the card of Sharing. Sharing is the resulting energy from bonding with the universe during dog yoga and being allowed to be yourself and accepted for it. Generosity, sharing, and love breed themselves and everyone benefits.
Base
As for the Feelings position today, it is occupied by the card of Silence. The Silence card in the layout is an extension or echo of the Existence card. It’s when the noise inside your head stops, and there’s the moment of blissful silence. It’s what I enjoy about yoga, or today during dog yoga.
The Others’ Views position has the card of New Vision. The person on the card looks like they’re doing a yoga pose, so just from a visual perspective of how others saw me today, this card relates. New Vision is about opening up to the universe and connecting to it. It’s possible others saw me in this light while I was doing yoga.
The Hopes & Fears position is the complete antithesis of everything else in the cards to this moment, and that is the card of The Miser. I hoped to maintain the state of unity, sharing and Silence. The fear comes from trying to hold on to it, and like sand in your hand, the tighter you try to hold it, the more it slips away.
And finally, the Outcome position displays the fear’s evolution manifested, Clinging to the Past. After such beautiful moments, like dog yoga, it is natural to want to hold on to them, yet as mentioned in Hopes & Fears, trying to hold on only sees it disappear faster.
References
- Osho, Osho Zen Tarot – The Transcendental Game of Zen, St Martin’s Press, ISBN 0-312-11733-7
- 2017, Goldman L., The 12-minute Yoga Sequence for Strong Bones, Routine, Yoga Journal, Last viewed Saturday 1 May 2021 Online
