Pets Interrupting Yoga Is A Very Real Struggle

Yoga-loving pet owners the world over face a common challenge: How can you do yoga at home when your fur-child thinks you’re a playmate or, worse, furniture? The Huffington Post finally sheds light on this important issue in a video compilation that depicts the ordeal faced by long-suffering yogis as their as dogs and cats try to snuggle, lick, play with, sit on, and—dear Lord—hump them during their practice.

This video hits me right where I live. When I do yoga at home, my dog assumes I’m initiating a special new game just for her, called “Face Plant.” The rules of the game seem to be as follows:

1. She gets points every time she makes me fall over.
2. In “Face Plant,” there are no rules.

Dog, you are seriously harshing my Zen. Maybe I and my fellow pet-owning yogis should take these furry shenanigans as a spiritual challenge: I’ll know that I’ve finally reached total mastery of my mind and body when I am able to maintain my concentration, even as my pup chews on my toes. Will that be enlightenment? Or maybe the trick is simply to incorporate your pet into the yoga itself. “Doga”—yoga with dogs, naturally—is actually a thing, and it looks sort of amazing. What could be better than doing Downward Dog with an actual dog? Your pooch will probably tell you you’re doing it wrong.

Namaste, everyone!

Image: YouTube