When thoughts and feelings arise.

One minute of relaxed uncontrived sitting is better than an hour of forced “no thought” posturing. It is natural for thoughts and feelings to arise. Let them pass without feeling the need to follow. Clouds pass on their own.

When we are massaging dogs, our ideal state is to be completely present and available for them. Thoughts that have nothing to do with them do arise. It happens. That’s what humans do.

When we participate in our thought’s narrative instead of observing, we become the story. We express all the emotions of the circumstances.

Our dogs can smell what we are experiencing in our breath and perspiration. And, that’s okay. They forgive and love us anyway. That’s what dogs do.

When thoughts arise, simply acknowledge them, let them pass, and return your total awareness to the dog.

Sometimes, the act of noticing that we have been seduced by a random thought, is the trigger we need to become even more aware of our level of presence. That’s a real benefit.

Let’s be kind to ourselves. We are doing the best we can. The aware breath is our entry back to the flow of the session. Always return to the breath.

Conscious breath-work is fundamental to the practice of PetMassage. Learn more about how it is applied with the book, Canine Massage for Passionate Dog People https://petmassage.com/store/canine-massage-for-passionate-dog-people/ and the video stream, Confident Dog Handling for The Canine Massage Practitioner https://petmassage.com/store/confident-dog-handling-for-the-canine-massage-practitioner-petmassage-streaming-video-and-download/