Students had the chance to stretch and de-stress with the help of Blue, the therapy dog Wednesday in a 30-minute yoga session called “Paws and Reflect.”
The Exercise is Medicine on Campus (EIM-OC) club and Basic Needs teamed up to host the event.
Around 20 people attended the yoga session from noon to 1 p.m. at Cal State Monterey Bay’s (CSUMB) Meeting House (Building 98). This weekly event supports EIM-OC’s goal to “help people form healthy habits and create a sense of community,” says Bailee Vranish, a fourth-year kinesiology major and student leader of the event.
The “Paws and Reflect” sessions are set to continue through the semester and while the event is scheduled as an hour, the yoga session itself is a 30-minute guided class, with mats provided (though bringing your own is recommended). The remainder of the time, before and after the yoga is dedicated to set up or for those attending to take a moment to destress with blue. However, it is not necessary to do it before or after as participants are free to come up to Blue at any given time during the event.
The open space of the Meeting House, with its large windows, allows for natural light combined with essential oils and Blue there for support while the yoga session takes place.
What sets this event apart is the star of the show, Blue. A 3-year-old golden retriever, Blue has been a therapy dog for 1.5 years. He is a certified therapy dog that belongs to Lisa Leiniger, a Kinesiology professor at CSUMB. According to Leininger, Blue was certified through Therapy Dogs International and demonstrated early on that he would be perfect for this line of work.
“He was so social, wasn’t afraid of anything, and had no problem with any animals or people,” said Leininger. “We mostly just had to train him to not jump on people out of excitement! He does everything else really naturally.”
Blue sits — or sometimes lays— toward the back of the room, and throughout the hour, even during the yoga session, participants are allowed to come over and pet him as needed.
After a successful event during Welcome to Finals week a few semesters ago, Blue has become more involved in campus events. In addition to “Paws and Reflect,” he can be found at the library on Tuesdays for a 90-minute shift. Leininger shared, “He was such a popular addition to events, the dean of the library and I worked together to bring Blue to the library once a week. Because we are insured and have an agreement with CSUMB, he can also be invited to other events.” His popularity continues to grow; last Tuesday, there were already people waiting for him and Leininger to arrive.
Leininger added, “Plenty of research indicates the benefits of therapy dogs on physiological stress markers and other health indicators. From my personal experience though, he brings an instant ray of sunshine to any place he is at. He is happy to greet every single person that comes near him, he lives in the moment and just wants to be friends. He usually matches people’s energy really well, meaning if they want to be calm and sit next to him while he gives cuddles, or if they do the ‘baby voice’ and give him lots of scratches, he provides what anyone needs.”
The “Paws and Reflect” sessions are offering students a chance to win a wellness basket at the end of the semester, which will include fuzzy socks, journals and water bottles. “Every time you come, you get a ticket. This is to help encourage consistency in participation,” Vranish explained.
“Our purpose is to give students, faculty, and staff a space to improve physical and mental health,” Vranish adds. Leininger “always says in class that if exercise was in the form of a pill it would be the most prescribed medicine. So our goal is to make people form healthy habits and create a sense of community.”
If you haven’t found a way to de-stress and get some exercise during the busy day, this event is worth checking out.