Turns out, RVers love doga!

I’d never heard of doga. (It rhymes with yoga, by the way.) I really had no idea something like this even existed, until the nearby town’s community center posted a “Doga Class” notice on our local campground bulletin board. I had to find out more, so I decided to watch a class. Turns out, many RVers love doga!

Two types

Doga comes in two forms: In the first iteration, dog owners simply bring their dogs along with them to yoga class. The people practice yoga poses and afterward, everyone (and their dog) socializes. A second type of doga actually involves owners and their dogs. Yep, the humans actually guide their dogs through various yoga poses.

RVers attend

I was surprised by the number of folks from the campground who participated in this weekly community event. The town’s doga class drew several local folks as well. Everyone gathered on the expansive park grounds near the community center. Dogs didn’t actually participate in the yoga class I watched but stayed near their owners throughout the session.

Instructor Tanya

When the session ended, the owners and dogs mingled. The yoga instructor told me one main benefit of doga was the social interaction between people and dogs, too. “It’s a great way to discover new (human) friends. People immediately have something in common—their dogs—and that can be a great icebreaker!” yoga instructor, Tanya, explained. She was clearly pleased that so many RVers joined the doga classes. “I should have been inviting campers all this time! Their participation is a welcome surprise!”

Benefits of doga

As I talked to some of the doga participants, they echoed Tanya’s thoughts. Some attend class as a way to meet new people. Others participate to help socialize their pups. Still others just enjoy yoga because of the benefits of stretching. (I found myself wishing I still had a dog!)

Doga video

When I returned to the RV campground, I ran an online search for “doga” and came across this cute video of an Australian pup and its human. Both appear to be doing synchronized doga and it brought a smile to my face! You can view it here.

Local classes

The doga experience got me to thinking: How many of you participate in local community programs, classes, or events as you travel in your RV? Some of our friends research the area where they plan to camp to see if square dancing is available. Other friends take the opportunity to visit local quilting groups. These seem like good ways to meet people from around the country and perhaps make new friends. Like doga, you immediately have a common topic to talk about. You can also pick up new ideas or learn new skills along the way.

So, here’s the question: Do you regularly participate in local community programs or classes as you RV? Tell me about it in the comments below and please make sure you vote in this poll answering the same question.

##RVT1113