You’ve tried meditation apps. Breathing exercises. Guided sessions. Your brain refuses to cooperate, and you’ve decided meditation just isn’t for you.
What if the problem isn’t you but the fact that you’re trying to do it alone? Dogs are natural meditation partners, and their presence changes the entire experience in ways that make previously impossible mindfulness suddenly accessible. They breathe slowly. They exist fully in the present moment. Their calm nervous systems actually regulate yours through biological mechanisms most people don’t know exist. Therapists and researchers studying animal-assisted mindfulness are finding results that traditional meditation practices struggle to replicate, especially for people who’ve never been able to make it work before.
In this article, you’ll discover why meditating with your dog works when solo practice fails, and the simple techniques that transform your dog from pet into meditation guide. If you’ve given up on meditation, this might be exactly what finally makes it click. It certainly has worked for me and my dog, Henry.
Budget Tip:
You don't need to spend any money to meditate with your fur kid. Yet the return can be tremendous for your furry buddy and you. Mark this down as a win-win-win for you, your budget, and your fur baby. There's truly no downside. You can't go wrong!
Benefits of Meditation
The benefits of traditional meditation can be very individualized. Here are the most common benefits of meditation.
1. Great for reducing stress and controlling anxiety
2. Improves emotional health
3. Better self-awareness (more positive thought patterns)
4. Improved focus and memory
5. Better sleep
6. Decreases blood pressure
7. Could reduce pain
If you don’t meditate already, I bet your interest is at least piqued a bit. Let me take this to the next level. Let’s add your dog, or fur kid, to your meditation session.
Petitation
What does it mean to meditate with your fur kid? Petitation is a word that was coined a few years ago, by Elizabeth Paige. Traditional meditation means you’re focusing on yourself, your breathing, or a higher plane of energy.
Petitation means you focus on petting your furry friend for extended periods of time during your meditation time. This is certainly one method of mediation with dogs. This method seems to help those who have a difficult time with traditional mediation.
In fact, a woman diagnosed with bipolar had tried several times to meditate at her therapist’s recommendation. Each time she failed to be able to calm herself enough to meditate.
However, when she brought her dog into the picture in a “petitation”, she finally received the benefits of being calm. This woman was Elizabeth Paige. She later went on to write the book, The Petitation Companion.
Forms of Meditation with Dogs and Fur Kids
Is petitation the only method of meditation with dogs or furry friends?
No. The methods of meditation with dogs and fur kids are as varied as the styles of traditional meditation.
1. Room – You can simply be in the same room with your furry friend
2. Lap – Have your dog or fur kid on your lap
3. Touching – Be touching your fur baby
4. Combo – Any combination of any of these works
The point is to involve your fur kid in the meditation process. By doing so, you and your buddy benefit from meditation. So, what are the benefits of meditating with dogs or pets?
What are the benefits of meditating with my furry buddy?
There have been scientific studies on the benefits of meditating with dogs. This is the most recent study. The result is remarkably positive.
1. Deeper bond and build trust
Both you and your fur kid will feel connected energy as you meditate in the same space. You will both trust each other more as you continue to meditate with your buddy over a period of time.
2. Helps with anxiety
If your dog suffers from anxiety (or you do), you will probably want to pet your dog or have a physical connection of some sort to your dog during your meditation. The point is to increase your bond/trust quotient while decreasing your anxiety/stress quotient, which ultimately results in relaxation.
3. Improves overall health
In the same way, traditional meditation is good for your physical health, meditation with your dog or fur kid is as well. It helps to reduce stress, improve emotional health, and increase heart health.
4. Easier to meditate
As Elizabeth Paige demonstrated with her petitation, petting your furry friend in a rhythmic motion can allow you to relax in a safe space place, which makes it easier to meditate for many. However, just having your dog or furry friend nearby during meditation can be enough to make it easy to move into a space of meditation and allow your dog to receive the meditation benefits.
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Chill out and meditate with your furry friend
Are you one of the many who meditates? I am. Meditation is even doctor-recommended. Moreover, meditation with dogs or furry friends can be very easy with a petitation. This method allows people who have a difficult time with traditional meditation, to more easily reach a space of meditation and reap the benefits. However, meditation with your dog or fur kid can take any form as long as you have a connection with your furry buddy.
I start every day with meditation. Henry is always included. It helps to calm me and set my intentions for the day. I’m glad it’s good for both my health as well as Henry’s health. But the knowledge that it’s free is the icing on the cake, or maybe that’s the doggie cookie.
