Vinyasa for Dog People

Designed for folx who have already taken Intro to Yoga for Dog People, this class is a slightly more active 60-minute yoga class where we’ll practice the lessons we learned about how our dogs read our non-verbal language and invite them back into our practice more mindfully so that we can both work our bodies AND our brains. We’ll play around with poses and try incorporating a little bit of indoor agility work on our mats through basic hand targets, luring, and a mini introduction to groundwork and nose work.

We’ll cover:

  • Being the agility set! A more active, heat-building standing series using treats
  • Basics of proprioception/balancing groundwork for your dogs (TTouch)
  • Tips & tricks for more ways to wear out your dog indoors (summer + winter)
  • Community Circle for sharing, teacher Q&A, and troubleshooting

The beauty of doing this practice in your own home is that it is open to anyone of any experience and ability, including our sensitive, shy, and reactive dogs who may not have ever been comfortable in an in-person group training session with other dogs.

Class sizes will be kept small (10 or fewer dog & handler teams per class) so that we can create community for ongoing support and a more inviting space for sharing. We are passionate about our mission of intersectionality and diversity: BIPOC and foster families always attend for free!

Melissa Massello DuBeau is the founder of Pack Wellness and a trauma-informed yoga teacher (Yoga Alliance RYT 200). She's also a former elite figure skater, a veteran dog rescuer, foster coordinator & mom to two rescue pups—Pixie and Jack, aka @KeepAustinWhippet—from Greyhound Rescue Austin. Together, Pixie and Melissa are an AKC therapy dog handler team with Divine Canines in Austin, Texas. Melissa is also the former co-founder of @1Dog1Hour, an international non-profit that ran for half a decade on the mission of inspiring more people to volunteer to exercise with shelter & rescue dogs. Melissa is currently a student of Dr. Linda Tellington-Jones, with the hopes of someday (post-COVID) becoming a certified TTouch practitioner, and a member of Ethics in Animal Care Austin dedicated to positive reinforcement and fear-free dog interactions. You may have met Melissa and her rescue whippet Pixie around town volunteering with Divine Canines, where they work as an AKC therapy dog and handler team bringing dog love and nervous system regulation to the community. Melissa's favorite book is If Bones Would Rain From the Sky by renown dog whisperer Suzanne Clothier, and two of her biggest lifelong influences are Dr. Jane Goodall and Dr. Temple Grandin.

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