Study Buddy (Challenger): ‘Paw-ga’ sessions teach yoga with shelter dogs that melt students’ hearts

[2] Welcome to “paw-ga” – yoga with pups. Three university friends – Swathi Renugopal, Sindhuja Krishnakumar and Subhashree Madhavan – launched the initiative in 2020 in the southern Indian city of Chennai. The wellness experience is all about de-stressing while spending time with animals through yoga. The beginners’ yoga sessions have puppies, and sometimes kittens, from local animal shelters joining in. This helps new yoga students to relax – and often helps the animals find forever homes.

[3] “Paw-ga is a one-of-a-kind wellness experience,” said Madhavan, a full-time corporate executive who organises the “paw-ga” classes on weekends. The animals run around freely as beginners learn yoga poses, usually for 45 minutes. Then, they play with puppies for the rest of the hour-long sessions.

[4] The “paw-ga” movement has spread to more than a dozen cities across India and is growing around the world. Madhavan said the practice was increasingly popular among young people in cities. “We’ve seen people come to tears during the sessions and tell us that this is what they needed after a stressful week,” she shared. “Some people who earlier feared dogs saw their fear dissipate after a few sessions and even adopted pups. We encourage people to come 15 minutes early and also stay back a little longer to spend more time with the puppies.”

[5] The benefits of exercising with animals are well documented. Harvard Medical School report “Get Healthy, Get a Dog” notes that dog owners tend to have lower blood pressure because their pets usually have a calming effect. The dogs also require exercise, which generally prompts their owners to take them for walks. According to the American Heart Association, owners of dogs and other pets tend to have lower blood pressure, less stress and a higher chance of survival if they suffer from acute coronary syndrome.

[6] Yoga with pets has had great success in countries including the United Kingdom and Canada. Many international celebrities, including Hollywood actress Jennifer Aniston and British footballer David Beckham, are known to include their dogs in their workout sessions.

[7] Yoga experts say “paw-ga” is premised on the ancient yogic method through which asanas – or poses – got their names. It is believed that sages back in the day would take inspiration from nature, hence the names for asanas as we know them today. For instance, the matsya (fish) asana and bhujang (cobra) asana resemble the creatures they are named after.

[8] “Most of the postures we know and practise today are derived from animals and a close study of them. They remind us how animals are connected to people and have a relevance and connection with yoga, too,” said Rajesh Kumar Singh, national vice-president of the Indian Naturopathy and Yoga Graduates’ Medical Association in Noida, in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.

[9] “It is believed that ancient yogis would go out into the forest and develop these postures through observing and copying animal behaviour,” Singh said. “So it’s hardly surprising that people are rediscovering the benefits of animal yoga, which allows people to become mindful as they live in the moment – and enjoy it, too.”
Source: South China Morning Post, March 27

1. Paragraph 1 describes ...
A. what happens during a typical “paw-ga” session.
B. the background of the animals involved in a “paw-ga” session.
C. a “paw-ga” student practising a specific pose.
D. all of the above

2. Based on your understanding of paragraph 2, how might some of the animals find forever homes?

3. Find a phrase in paragraph 3 that means “the only thing of a particular type”.

4. List TWO ways individuals can benefit from “paw-ga”, according to paragraph 4. (2 marks)

5. Why do you think yoga with animals might be popular among young people in cities?

6. The main point of paragraph 5 is that ...
A. dogs provide better health benefits compared to other animals.
B. having pets contributes to better physical health.
C. better mental health is linked to pet ownership.
D. exercising benefits both pet owners and their animals.

7. What could be the writer’s intention in including paragraph 6 in the story?

8. Based on your understanding of paragraphs 8 and 9, how do most asanas come about?

9. Which of the following best describes the article’s tone regarding the “paw-ga” movement?
A. condescending
B. ambiguous
C. critical
D. supportive

1. A
2. They are adopted by the students.
3. one-of-a-kind
4. It helps them to de-stress, and it helps them to get over their fear of dogs.
5. It is because they are stressed at work and most of them do not have the spare time / do not have space in their flats / cannot afford to have pets. (accept all reasonable answers)
6. B
7. to show the popularity of yoga with animals
8. the study of animals and their behaviours (accept other similar answers)
9. D