In the last year or so the reality hit me that my dog, Marley, is getting older. He can get around well and even keeps up with our ten-month old puppy, although maybe not for as long as the puppy would like. He runs, but not for as long as he used to. Dog park visits sometimes get cut a little short. Even our veterinarian has told us to take precautions as he has developed a bit of arthritis in his joints. I can sympathize with some of these new aches and pains he’s going through. Part of age is dealing with that loss of youthful endurance gracefully and embracing the wisdom gained through one’s years of life. Knowing that; however, does dot make it any easier.

I used to take the idea of ‘balance’ for granted. In the last sixteen years I’ve spent time in  jobs that involve long hours, heavy lifting, repetitive motions, and a ton of driving. Combine those factors with a life of poor nutrition, not enough water, improper amounts of sleep, and copious amounts of caffeine and there is really only one direction my body could go. I never made the effort to address injuries the way they should be addressed because I was shortsighted. As years passed, all of these imbalances in my life began to manifest themselves in my physical body as aches, tightness, and pain (I do not believe I am alone in this struggle either). Eventually I hit a tipping point and this is about where Marley comes back in.

Marley is about as routined as a dog can be. He wakes up promptly at five in the morning with a thump to the floor and awaits breakfast. He drinks a full bowl of water every hour and a half; no joke. He’ll ask for his morning walk by bringing his harness an hour or two before lunch (which is always at noon if there is a human available to feed him). Dinner is at five and then there’s the wind down before bedtime. By eight at night Marley is snoozing in preparation for the next day to do it all over again. But the most consistent thing that Marley does do every day? Marley stretches.

For many of those whose jobs require them to sit for long periods; this in turn creates tight hamstrings. Work where a repeatable action is done with a part of the body such as the wrist or lower back can lead to degeneration in the area over time. Stretching keeps muscles flexible and allows us to maintain our body’s range of motion. It is also something that I particularly avoided doing daily for as long as I can remember.

It was one cold day in January when I was watching Marley fall into his downward dog and then into his upward dog pose that it finally clicked. I was tired of having pain in my neck from arthritis (caused by a trampoline accident as a child), pinched nerves in my shoulders (imbalances caused by a broken arm during my teenage years), and pain in my hips (no focus on stretching legs for years while being active at the gym). I was going to commit to yoga.

My studio came in the form of Pure 8 Hot Yoga. There was even a shop dog; it was fairly serendipitous. As I’ve worked on my practice I was able to narrow down where my pains were emanating from and with help from my teachers have since been able to alleviate almost all the pain that I came in with. The most important thing that arose from the experience though was the mindfulness of my physical body I began to culminate. I stopped slouching, sat upright, and began to sleep on my back. I even drank more water than ever before; drinking a glass for every bowl I would fill for Marley.

I realize it may even sound silly but it gave me a bit of perspective on how far we fall from understanding our own bodies as we age. You can go through life on autopilot and forget about the importance of your long term well being or reel it in and take ownership for your health. Meanwhile this bagel hound gets it. Nature didn’t intend for us to always just fall apart but we have to put in the work to make that so. If a dog instinctively stretches throughout their day then how can a human being; also of the animal kingdom, assume they can opt out from it? Keep an eye on your pets my friends; you just might learn something.

Written by Guest Blogger: Joel Cuozzo-Gonzalez