Hi,
I'm Dr Kim and I love dogs.
I was inspired to make this track after teaching my client Julie in a one-on-one session how to perform these somatic movements on her old and sick dog,
Bear.
When we began,
Bear was extremely excited and distracted.
He kept moving around the room,
Leaving the practice,
But then curiously coming back.
And by the end of the session,
He was laying down on the floor with his head in her palm.
It was absolutely amazing to witness this on video,
So I thought I would make a track so that you know that you can do this with your dog as well.
Just like humans,
Dogs have a nervous system that holds stress,
Tension,
And even trauma in their bodies.
The beautiful thing is,
They have natural ways of releasing it when they feel safe.
Yawning,
Sighing,
Or lying down.
With gentle,
Mindful touch,
You can help your dog's nervous system shift into calm and balance.
This practice isn't about forcing anything.
If they walk away,
Let them.
They will come back to you if they are ready for more.
Notice the signs of release.
Softer eyes,
Deeper breathing,
Lying down,
Stretching,
Licking their lips,
Or sighing.
These are all signs that the nervous system is letting go.
Let's begin.
Approach your dog and sit down next to them.
Take slow breaths.
Dogs pick up on your nervous system,
So your calmness is the very first step.
Close your eyes and prepare your body for this connection.
With a soft but firm palm,
Start to gently stroke from the top of their head all the way down to the base of their tail.
Keep your strokes slow and rhythmic.
Imagine your hand is like a comforting blanket running down their spine,
Which houses their nervous system.
Take deep breaths into your belly and continue petting.
The vagus nerve in dogs runs along the side of their neck.
It starts just below the ears,
Runs down the neck and into the chest.
Let's start with activating the left side.
Depending on the size of your dog,
Use your fingertips or your palm and start to stroke from the left ear down the left neck and into the chest.
Always pat,
Blow and rhythmically.
This activates their rest and digest state,
Calming their heart and digestion.
Again,
Take deep breaths.
Keep your gaze on your hand.
Now start to pat from the right side,
Below the ear,
Down the neck and into the chest.
Notice any signs of release coming from your dog.
They may want to sit or lie down.
They may start licking their lips.
Their eyes might soften.
Next,
Let's move to their paws.
Dogs hold a lot of tension in their paws and there are a lot of nerve endings in this area.
Start by pressing on the top of their paw with a light but also firm and comforting pressure.
Then move to the next paw.
And the next.
And the last one.
Hopefully your dog has wanted to sit or lie down by now.
Gently take the base of their left ear between your fingers and your thumb.
Gently pull and stroke your fingers outwards to the tip of their ear.
Some dogs love this and others may not let you.
It depends on the dog.
Continue stroking their ears gently.
If your dog is allowing and loving this movement,
You can do both ears at the same time.
If your dog now move to the side or behind your dog.
Rest your hand under your ear.
If your dog now move to the side or behind your dog's jaw.
Invite them to let the weight of their head melt into your palm.
When they allow you and trust you to take the weight of their head,
It's such a magical moment.
Hold still and firm,
Breathing slowly.
If your dog is lying down,
You can gently lower your palm to the floor.
If your palm is underneath their head,
You can stay here for as long as you wish.
Enjoying this magical connected moment with your dog.
If not,
You can close with the same full body head to tail strokes again.
Thank your dog silently for trusting you.
Now give them space to be alone.
To lay down,
Sleep,
Or maybe they need to shake and release as they need.
This practice is all about connection,
Love and safety.
Dogs will release in their own time.
Sometimes they'll move closer.
Sometimes they'll walk away.
Both are part of the healing.
Over time,
This gentle somatic release helps regulate their nervous system,
Reduce stress and deepen your bond.
You may find that your dog will approach you wanting more of this practice.
Please enjoy,
Leave a comment and let me know how your dog liked this practice.
With lots of love to you and your best friend.
Have a wonderful day or night and I will see you tomorrow.
