My dear Global Yoga Community,

I have been working with my dog now for months on changing her behavior and I felt that I have come quite far.
As some of you know, it took a lot of patience, time, discipline, restrictions and being conscious about any signs that I receive as well as give.

The last couple of days I felt like going back to square one. First she ran away after she was searching for her food in the woods. The next day, she ran off while searching for her food. Today left even earlier and was even gone for an extended period of time. I started with her dealing with consequences on the 2nd day; like staying outside and no more food till the next day. It worked a few months ago in the learning phase, but this it didn’t have an effect at all.
To tell you the truth, it was and is pretty upsetting and frustrating, but I consciously tried to change my response to it, like laughing/being amused by her being so strong minded. I know she is testing me, trying to get away with things one more time. That’s what intelligent dogs do. And if you let them get away with it, the next time it will be even worse.

As I was sitting on a pile of rocks close to the car waiting for her, I was thinking to myself “that she is pretty much like how our mind behaves as well”.
When we decide we want or need to change something – the most obvious time is New Years and our resolutions. We start with a strong determination to follow through this time with the change of diet, working out every day, stop drinking alcohol or smoking. Then after a week or two we might slag here and there and then more and more. The mind convincing us of various reasons to go off track and soon all is out the window.

Dogs can sometimes be mischievous or attempt to do things they aren’t supposed to. How about if we would treat our mind like an intelligent dog and not let it get away with anything. Not let our mind engage in thoughts or behaviors that may not align with conscious intentions or desired outcomes. This could include impulsive or automatic reactions that go against our conscious goals.

The moment we thing we got it and we go with business as usual, it will throw a bigger or harder test at us to see how committed we are. So next time you are going through a change, you may think about your mind being a dog in behavior therapy. Instead of getting upset with yourself and beating yourself up, you might be able to laugh at yourself how it caught you off guard again 🙂
Then continue your journey in your new found spirit!
Consider smaller steps towards your goal that you can’t set yourself up for “failure”.

Using this metaphor, is an acknowledgment that the mind, like an intelligent dog, requires attention, training, and understanding. It emphasizes the need for self-awareness and the ability to guide one’s thoughts and actions consciously.

Monday 22.01
Self-Love
Slow Flow

Wednesday 24.01.
Three Breaths
Flow

Thursday 25.01.
Open Theme
Yogis Choice

Friday 26.01.
Feel the Alignment
Elasti-Band-Flow

Wednesday 31.01.
Happy Hips
Flow

Thursday 01.02.
Open Theme
Yogis Choice

Friday 02.02.
New Perspective
Slow Flow

After all my dog gave me at least the inspiration for this blog!

Love,

Nicole