Enlightened by Dogs Podcast

EBD099 The Power of Intentional Breathing to Calm You and Your Dog

Are you feeling stressed, anxious, or overwhelmed because of things like the current coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak?

If so, you’re not alone. The coronavirus outbreak is uncharted territory for many of us and the sudden change to how we live our lives can cause you to feel stressed, worried, anxious, or overwhelmed. It’s totally normal to feel this way but as you might have guessed, if you’re feeling a little stressed lately, your dog is probably feeling a little stressed too.

Our dogs mirror us in more ways than one. If they sense that you’re feeling stressed about something, they will mimic those feelings because that’s what dogs do. They trust you and your emotions. They assess situations as they happen based on how their leader assesses and reacts to certain situations. Of course, with a worldwide pandemic uprooting life as we know it for us all, containing feelings of stress and anxiety is becoming increasingly difficult.

Kathy understands this on a personal level. A series of events in her personal life, paired with the stress and anxiety that comes with the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak triggered Kathy to have a meltdown while she was out trying to enjoy her morning walk with her dogs. Kathy shares her personal story with you on this episode of Enlightened By Dogs and offers some advice to help you find your balance in times of great stress through intentional breathing.

In This Episode:

  • What caused Kathy’s emotional meltdown
  • How Kathy’s dogs reacted to her having the meltdown in the middle of their morning walk
  • How Kathy used intentional breathing to find her balance
  • Why intentional breathing is so important and beneficial
  • How you can breathe with intention and use this breathing technique to help calm yourself and your dogs in times of stress and overwhelm

Read the blog post on this topic.

Quotes

Within a few minutes I felt renewed, refreshed, ready to take on the day.”

We have the capability to influence our dogs to be happy, calm, and relaxed.”

Your body senses your breathing and adapts its heart rate in response to that.”

Our ability to be mindful and intentional is what our partnership lifestyle is based on.”

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One Response

  1. Intentional breathing really did the trick trying to calm down our German Shepherd Castor. At least it was a first big step in a much better relationship. I truly put my hand on his chest, breathing in, breathing out, for only a short time and the result is marvelous! Castor definitely calms down and will walk right next to me. Whenever this `exercise` is necessary, we go straight home, so that he can relax and there I do this again. We are absolutely not `there` yet, Castor still has some issues with cars and other dogs. But I know that he trusts me more now and that I want to help him. That feels so much better! He is 3 years old now, I hope to have so much wonderful moments with him after two years of struggling.

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