Therapy dogs join free yoga sessions for relaxation in Pasadena

Four certified therapy dogs will settle in beside yoga mats at Pasadena’s Center for Hope & Healing as Chesapeake Life Center opens “Paws, Poses and Peace,” a free, all-ages program built around gentle movement and calm. The first sessions are set for July 14 and Aug. 20, from 6:30 to 8 p.m., with walk-ins welcome and advance registration encouraged.

The evenings will mix guided meditation, breathing exercises, gentle yoga and cuddle time with Aggie, Gator, Venture and Chance. The setup is meant to feel open and low-pressure, with the dogs there as part of the session rather than a side attraction, giving participants time to move, breathe and then settle in for hands-on interaction.

Leading the class is Naomi Hurley, a certified yoga instructor since 2019 who has specialized training in trauma-informed yoga. Hurley has taught in schools, community settings, inpatient treatment centers and the Baltimore City Jail, a background that fits a program designed to meet people where they are, whether they arrive for the movement, the animal connection or both.

Christa Martin, a licensed master social worker and counselor at Chesapeake Life Center, said, “We believe wellness is for everyone,” describing the program as a judgment-free space where people can show up exactly as they are and experience connection, comfort and calm. That message matches the center’s broader approach, which includes grief support groups, workshops and special events for grieving children, adults and families.

Chesapeake Life Center, the program arm of Hospice of the Chesapeake, says the effort is part of a wider set of grief-support and wellness offerings that also includes Hope After Hours and All-Ages Grief Karaoke. On the John & Cathy Belcher Campus, the new therapy-dog yoga format folds that mission into something simple and immediate: a quiet room, a few easy poses, four certified dogs and enough time for the room to exhale together.