Yoga Dog

There are times in my life when I see, read, or hear something that I make a mental note to remember and use later in life. For instance, when I was in middle school I started keeping a small journal of thoughts and ideas for future book and character ideas, jotting down such details, as inconsequential as they may have seemed at the time, as interesting last names, bad habits, or facial quirks for my future protagonists and antagonists.
Yesterday I had a similar ah-ha! moment before my Power Vinyasa class. At West Hartford Yoga there is a cute, little white dog named Ky who lounges around the studio lobby and back office. I always greet Ky, as I am not only a dog lover but I am sorely in need of canine love what with leaving my dogs back in California. Before entering class, Ky and I shared a moment-- I pet her until she literally melted in my lap and became as limp as a stuffed animal-- and then entered the studio to warm up.
Five minutes later, as I resting in shivasana, Ky ambled into the studio, sidling up to the nearest yoga for a pet! I don't know why the addition of a furry creature in my yoga class, stretching and resting on a mat like the rest of us, was such a wonderful occurrence for me, but it was at that moment that a. I fell in love with a dog (I should probably see a therapist for this) and b. I vowed, when I open my own studio or establish myself as a teacher at a studio, I must get a yoga dog as well! Of course, the only problem I foresee with this is people who are allergic to dogs, but I suppose if West Hartford Yoga can get away with it, then so can I!

Chudleigh, the "yoga dog" for a studio on the Big Island, Hawaii

Yoga dogs are awesome and I can't wait to have one of my own. However, I am never going to teach or understand these so-called crazy yoga classes for dogs.  And the scariest part is that this trend appears to be spreading throughout the world...