Caila McElwee

Uploaded Activity #2
Puppy Yoga

Activity Title: Puppy Yoga

Sources:

Yoga – benefits beyond the mat. Harvard Health. (2021, September 8). Retrieved October 25,
2021, from https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/yoga-benefits-beyond-the-
mat.com

Puppy yoga? what is it and what are the benefits? Yoga Basics. (2020, February 18). Retrieved
October 25, 2021, from https://www.yogabasics.com/connect/yoga-blog/puppy-yoga/.

Written by Michael G. Fehlings, M. D. (n.d.). Spinal Cord Injury Center - treatments, research,
rehabilitation, paralysis. SpineUniverse. Retrieved October 25, 2021, from
https://www.spineuniverse.com/conditions/spinal-cord-injury.

Yoga for spinal cord injury: Understanding its benefits. Flint Rehab. (2021, July 26). Retrieved
October 25, 2021, from https://www.flintrehab.com/yoga-for-spinal-cord-injury/

Equipment Needed:
Just a space to complete the activity (yoga studio) and a yoga mat (optional) you can also simply
use a blanket or sit on the floor!

Activity Description:
Puppy yoga is the same as regular yoga, you will be moving your body in the different moves to
feel relaxed and destress, accompanied by some furry friends to boost your serotonin!
-first you want to get all the participates ready for yoga, have them get set up and to start
stretching.
-Then you can play some calming music to set the mood for the activity. At this point you could
bring in the puppies to help make the participants excited about this activity!
-After this you can get started, as the instructor you want to be in front of the room making sure
everyone can see you.
-You will demonstrate the yoga move and then watch as the participants follow, be sure to
remind them to stay relaxed, keep breathing and to have one.
-Reminder: remind the participants that the puppies are there for their benefit they are allowed to
play with them and enjoy their company!

Primary Social Interaction: This activity is very beneficial to someone’s mental well-being as
well as their mindfulness. It also gets your body moving in just enough way to consider it a form
of exercise. By adding the puppies to this yoga section, it provides an extra boost of happiness
for the participants. In many forms of therapy and other activities it is proven that adding animals
can up the notch on people well-being. The yoga will simple help participant’s feel grounded,
relaxed, and calmed. Hopefully this activity is a time for them to destress.
Adaption:
To adapt this activity for a 21-year-old man with an incomplete C 6 spinal cord injury, I would
bring in maybe a comfortable chair for him or so where he was able to sit and relax but could
still participate to the best of his abilities with the group. I would also possibly make the yoga
moves all super basic, so he doesn’t feel discourage if there is something he can’t do.