During the pandemic, 12 million American households added a dog to the family. Countless more are adopting mindfulness practices to help with stress and anxiety. Can these two be combined? Absolutely.
Why meditate with your dog?
For many people meditation is difficult. Our mind wanders. We get distracted. Following our breath can be boring.
If you are a beginner or experienced practitioner, try meditating with your dog? It is easy. It is fun. Best of all, it is delightfully rewarding.
Dogs crave attention. They are continually seeking it. When we open to them, it can be wondrously gratifying and blissful.
Our dogs evoke amazing emotions in us. They make us happy! They can shift our moods immediately. They are wonderful objects for meditation.
Mindful attention significantly elevates the quality of sensory experience increasing clarity, liveliness, satisfaction, and fulfillment. You can use it to have richer, more profound experiences with your dog. For example: love, play, connection, affirmation, companionship, even joy.
Here is a simple beginning strategy: Pay attention to your pet. Focus on Small, Every Day, Magical, Dog Moments with all your awareness. Feel the joy deeply. Let it shift your attitude. This meditation Micro Hit takes less than a minute to do. You will find the instructions below.
Unfortunately, many pet owner’s interactions with their dogs are not very mindful. And I must admit, I have been guilty of this too, most of my life.
Our pets are often in the background, outside of our awareness. Even during shared activities, walks, meals, and bio breaks, the owner’s focus may more likely be on their screen than their pet. You can observe this for yourself in your neighborhood or local park.
Why does this happen? Great question. Maybe we are multitasking. Perhaps we are juggling many roles: work, children, school. We might just be distracted. Perhaps we are bored.
Sadly, we are missing out on some really big Magical Moments. This poem illustrates the point quite well.
I Am Waiting For You
I am waiting for you
to notice me
because it’s time to play.
We could have
an enjoyable time
if you would please
look my way!
So here are the instructions to refresh, renew, and re-energize yourself with magical dog moments.
- Start to notice when your dog is in the background, outside of your awareness.
- When you do this, your attention of your dog will shift from the Background into the
- Gradually begin to increase your percentage of Foreground pet awareness.
- Start noticing small, every day, magical dog moments such as:
- Welcome home!
- Happy to see you.
- I love sleeping at your feet.
- Hi, I came over to visit and get a little loving.
- Connect with your dog’s joy during walks, play, eating…
- Watching your dog at rest will calm you.
- Laugh when the dog does a Full Body Shake
- Do a full-blown, Feel Good, Micro Hit on these moments.
- Let the joy spread throughout your core.
- Afterwards, note if your mindset becomes happier.
- Repeat often to establish this habit and make it a virtuous circle.
This is an easy way to feel happy and strengthen the bond with your pet.
Bio Stephen Villaescusa CERM
Stephen Villaescusa is long-time meditator and a Level 2 Unified Mindfulness Certified Meditation Teacher and Coach.
With more than 35 years of experience in operational excellence and change management, Stephen Villaescusa has a proven ability in assessing an organization’s needs and collaborating with key stakeholders to develop and manage transformation efforts. He had led or administered many multi-year, global engagements across a variety of industry sectors
From executives to team members, Stephen has trained and coached at all levels His expertise spans Enterprise Risk Management, Lean methods and tools, Six Sigma methodologies (process improvement and new product development), Rapid Improvement events, Voice of the Customer(VOC) and Change Management.
A creative, energetic and collaborative thinker, Stephen sees himself as a bridge for organizations, helping them go from where they are to where they want to be.