yoga

Farley’s Friday: Dogs and Yoga

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 8 Comments

Farley here,

Did you know I love yoga? Kristina used to do yoga on the beach, and I could run anywhere I wanted for a whole hour.Farley running on beach

Now she does yoga in our house. First she runs on the treadmill – she doesn’t like to run outside with the bears in the area – then she does yoga.

Farley on Yoga Mat

I sleep on her yoga mat while she runs. When she’s done, she wants it back. Ha. I never move, so she does yoga on the carpet. That’s just as soft right?

Later she takes me off-leash near the village so I can run, too. I get my freedom time ever day. We cover 5.5 km. So life is good here.

Woof Woof.

Farley’s Friday: Bear Barking

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 11 Comments

Farley here,

I’ve finally trained my humans to understand my barks.

A deep growl followed by frantic, high pitched barks means: “There is a bear within 20 feet.” There is a lot of body language involved here too. Mostly, me putting my body between the humans and the bear, so the humans know which way to retreat.

Deep, in the throat, repeated barking means:  “There is a bear in the area but not close.” I’m a herder by genetics, so…I herd them away to safety.

Howling, long barks mean: “There is an aggressive deer nearby.” My experience, a doe with a fawn can be cranky at the best of times. My front paws usually lift off the ground during this communication.

Cheery barks mean: “There is a deer, but a nice one nearby.”

Barking while running in a circle, repeatedly looking at my human, and wagging my tail means: “There is a squirrel, so let me go chase it.”

It’s exhausting teaching humans to understand my language, but since their sense of smell is lousy, they need to be warned if there is a creature in the neighbourhood.

After a strenuous session of teaching Kristina dog speak, we relax with a yoga class.  I’m supposed to be doing the downward dog, but I’m just too tired.

Farley doing Joga

Woof Woof.

Beach Yoga

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 4 Comments

Since Mattina is for sale, we are trying to make the most of our time in the Bahamas and one of my favourite things to do is yoga on the beach.

Beach Yoga 2014

What do you need to do this?

If you don’t have a yoga instructor handy, yogadownload.com has a variety of classes that you can download onto an iPod. Then you need a set of speaks with loud volume. You might be surprised how loud the waves are. We discovered this early on.

I love listening to a class that mentions wind or sky, and I’m actually outside and can feel the wind and see the sky.

The only downside is if holding a pose properly is important to you. Sometimes you shift in the sand or the wind pushes you.

Try holding the tree pose in a 20 knot gust.

Thanks for reading . . .

Cruising and Keeping Fit

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 4 Comments

Like most things in life, keeping fit is more fun if you have friends to keep fit with. I’m not going to talk about New Year’s resolutions, because I don’t make any, but I often get asked how do you keep fit while sailing. It depends on where we are. I run on the beach, swim laps, windsurf, kayak, walk, and with so many choices, I find yoga is an easy one to add in.

 

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

 

The cost of equipment is low. If you don’t have a yoga mat, a towel is fine.

Yoga can be done almost anywhere, but a shady spot to hide from direct sunlight  is best.

It doesn’t matter what skill level you are at, everyone is welcome to work at their own pace.

Having fun is the most important part.

Thank for reading . . .

Dogs and Yoga?

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 1 Comment
Farley is late for class.

#sailing What could be better than a downward dog to make you feel good? Farley’s answer: A downward dog on the beach with your yoga pals.

Yoga is an easy way to keep fit while cruising. If you don’t happen to have a yoga instructor handy you can bring yoga classes on an iPod and play them on the beach. You’re only gear – A yoga mat. It doesn’t weigh much and doesn’t take up a lot of room.

Doing yoga alone is okay, but it’s much more fun with friends. Farley attends regularly and find his spot near the others. If you’re not watching he’ll grab your mat before you do.