The Reason Your Dog Wants to Practice Yoga

Downward Facing Dog for Real

4 minute read.

Credit: @hazelhoyle1

Last Thursday night, Sarah Herrington unrolled her yoga mat in her small New York City apartment. As she sank her hips toward her heels in Child’s Pose, she heard the familiar jingle of her poodle Sukhi’s collar as the dog jumped off the sofa.

“It had been a long day, and I really just wanted to dim the city noise and find stillness,” Herrington said. “But my dog had other plans.”

Sukhi trotted in from the other room just as Herrington was beginning to breathe deeply. By the time she reached Downward Dog, the literal dog was already underneath her, rolling onto its back in a blur of white fur.

“She always sparks joy in me, but that night it was backlit with annoyance,” Herrington admitted. She tried stepping over the dog to continue her flow, but Sukhi followed, romping close to her toes. “I moved through a Sun Salutation trying to ignore her, but she was everywhere. I couldn’t find my balance or move with any grace—she was intercepting everything I intended to do.”

Eventually, Herrington gave in. “I figured I’d just include her,” she said. “I dropped a kiss on her head as I transitioned from Plank to Chaturanga.” Sukhi, in return, leapt excitedly toward her face. “If yoga is about connection,” she laughed, “then my dog was definitely going for it.”

So what exactly is it about her yoga practice that draws Sukhi in so reliably?

Group Practice

Herrington isn’t the only one whose pet treats yoga time as a shared ritual. Friends of hers have said the same.

“My dog always comes over and tries to get belly rubs when I practice,” said Siri Newman, a yoga teacher in Wyoming.

“It’s mostly endearing,” said Lori Walker, a yoga practitioner and digital marketer. “Mostly,” she added with a laugh.

“My pets zoom underneath me at top speed if I’m in Down Dog!” said Kathryn Chaya Lubow, a Southern California therapist.

Social media is full of similar scenes: dogs and cats wriggling onto mats, weaving through arms and legs mid-flow. One viral post of an Australian Shepherd practicing beside its human racked up more than 90,000 shares on Instagram. Maybe the secret was giving the dog its own mat?

It’s a near-universal experience among yoga-practicing pet owners. So why does this keep happening—and what does it say about the bond between humans and their animals?

More Than Just Playtime

Dr. Christopher Pachel, a Portland-based veterinarian and certified animal behavior consultant who also practices yoga, offered a few insights.

“There aren’t specific scientific studies on this exact behavior,” he said, “but I can think of a few likely explanations.”

“Many pets interpret their owner getting down on the floor as an invitation to interact,” he explained. “And for owners who practice regularly, most pets quickly learn to associate unrolling the mat with floor time together.”

Herrington said this made sense. “Setting up my mat is almost as effective as saying ‘treat.’ She comes running every time.”

Anthony Newman, founder of Calm Energy Dog Training, agreed. “Dogs want to be included,” he said. “When you get on their level—literally—it becomes a form of bonding. You’re no longer standing tall in a leadership position; you’re down low, moving in non-threatening, playful ways.”

But beyond physical gestures, something deeper might be happening.

Adaptive yoga teacher Audrey L shared that even when she practices from a chair, sofa, or bed, her dog Ruby insists on being nearby. “The weirdest thing is when I’m just sitting on the couch to meditate,” she said. “Ruby just sits at my feet and stares. And when I move to my practice chair, she always finds me.”

“Animals are incredibly attuned to our emotional and energetic shifts,” said Olivia LaBarre, an animal communicator and Reiki practitioner. “When we begin a practice like yoga, they feel that change.”

Dr. Pachel added, “Some dogs and cats probably respond to the breathwork, calm energy, and focus that come with a yoga session. They’re picking up on those good vibes and they want to be part of it.”

Herrington believes that’s what’s happening with Sukhi. “It really feels like she senses the calm I create in practice—and she’s drawn to it.”

An Invitation

If pets are attuned to human energy, then perhaps yoga offers a two-way channel of connection. As humans ground and settle, animals feel it too.

“I kept going back to that old saying, ‘what you resist persists,’” Herrington said. “Instead of trying to shoo her away, I started inviting her in. It changed everything.”

Rather than rigidly sticking to her flow or stepping over Sukhi like an obstacle, Herrington reimagined what a home yoga practice could look like. “Now I let her be part of it, even when she shows up wildly. It brings me back to myself.”

It’s not like a quiet studio class—but for Herrington, it’s become something even more special. “It reminds me of the parts of yoga I’d disconnected from: playfulness, presence, softness. Sometimes it’s not about how many Warrior poses you hit—it’s about being where you are. And Sukhi helps me do that.”

When Herrington adopted Sukhi from a Los Angeles shelter, the dog had no name for two weeks. “The staff had called her Heidi,” she said, “but that didn’t fit.”

It wasn’t until a Sanskrit teacher of hers suggested “Sukhi”—derived from sukha, meaning “happiness” and “ease”—that it clicked. It turns out that name captured the energy of their entire yoga journey together.

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