I'm awake. It's always a good day when you wake up! When I wake up in the morning the first thing I like to do is stretch. I have my own version we call doggy-lates. Like Pilates, or Yoga, but for dogs!
Stretching is luxurious, but its also free and it really makes you feel good. I start out by stretching just where I lay. No need to get up yet, especially if the morning is a little nippy. So I roll over and lie on my side, and I push my front legs and back legs out as far as they go, and arch my body wide. I breath in deeply as I do this and I can feel everything get tight. Now comes the good bit...
I exhale and relax and draw everything back into the middle so I'm in my normal dog-on-his-side position. Wow - that feels amazing so I may even do it twice. Then I roll over and lie on my back. All four legs go straight up to the ceiling and I arch again and sort of wriggle. Then I let my legs flop and maybe wave them around a bit. Lastly I rub my spine hard up and down the floor while I'm laying on my back. I bound up and then I do the dog stretch. A bit of deep breathing, a big shake, a smile and I'm ready to face the day!!! Sometimes I throw in a crazy dog dance too, just out of sheer happiness. Or I head out on a walk to enjoy the freshness of the day. Joy just sneaks up on you like that.
I found a good stretching demonstration here for you humans. It's named after us! The Dog Stretch. I liked this man - he seems to really understand where we canines are coming from!
Starting the day with stretching doesn't just limber you up, it gets everything flowing and it even expands your mind. See, we dogs know these things! Go try it for yourself.
Learning: Stretching is a great way to start the day! You can start off in bed with some gentle stretches and then when you get up, keep going and really limber up to face the day. Moving is AMAZING, and remember to BREATHE and SMILE!! Why not dance a little too?!!
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