Do Pets Benefit from Meditation? What the Science and Trainers Say

Have you ever seen your cat or dog sitting silently and still? Does their breathing become calmer and deeper? This could be a form of meditation for your pet.

Our pets often mimic our energy. If you are calmer and relaxed, there’s a good chance your pets will also be calm and relaxed. On the other hand, if you are always on the go, a little anxious, and even a bit high-strung, your dog or cat may do the same. Do our pets meditate, and do they benefit from meditation? Let’s discuss.

What does the staring mean?

Does your pet sit silently and seem to stare into the void? Do you practice meditation and notice your animals joining you in a relaxed manner? The first few times you sit on the floor in a meditative pose, your cat or dog might take this as a sign they should beg for some attention, but after a while, they will get the hint and understand that you’re trying to relax. In fact, many people say that pets will sit next to them while they meditate, and the animal becomes much calmer than usual.

Your pet has mindfulness mastered

Mindfulness is being fully aware of the present moment and all the sounds, feelings, and experiences of that moment. People have trouble with being mindful because of our egos and wandering thoughts. The worries and challenges that await us will often cloud our meditative trance, causing us to lose focus on what’s important and think about other things.

Pets don’t have this problem. Their lack of language and ego allows them to stay in a meditative and mindful state much longer than any person can do. Does this make you a little jealous of your pet’s ability to meditate? Don’t worry, that’s pretty common.

Is your pet stressed?

Although you probably provide a calm, simple life for your pets, it’s easy to observe stress and anxiety in our animals. Dogs tend to dislike loud noises, which makes thunderstorms, fireworks, and sometimes even the vacuum cleaner challenging for them. Despite the relative calmness of their lives, pets can have issues at times. This would lead to the idea that your pet needs to meditate in order to relieve this stress and feel calmer. Thankfully, many dogs and cats can meditate without your assistance, making it much easier for them to return to the calmness they enjoy.

Is purring a form of meditation?

Cats purr to show pleasure, and dogs wag their tails, close their eyes, or tilt their heads to show they are experiencing pleasure, comfort, and joy. Some people believe that when cats purr, it’s similar to the OM sound that people are supposed to make during meditations. The benefits of these specific noises haven’t been proven to benefit pets or humans, but the OMs can help many people stay focused because they are both hearing and making the noise that keeps them in the moment. As for cats, purring is their pleasure language.

Animals have strong survival instincts

Despite the domesticated nature of our pets, they can still display behaviors associated with survival instincts. This is why cats bring you strange gifts and why dogs turn circles before lying down. Some dogs will sleep with their noses in their tail area as a means of protecting themselves, and some are known to be protective of their area, especially when food is present. These are all survival instincts that are ingrained into the DNA of our pets.

Experiments to test animal meditation

Some scientists have found that they can train monkeys to relax their minds by offering a reward for the monkeys that tuned their brain waves to specific frequencies. When the animal does this, they seem relaxed and meditative. This doesn’t prove that our pets benefit from meditation, but it certainly can’t hurt.

Give them hugs

Your cat might receive hugs differently from your dog, especially if there’s a large difference in the size of these two animals, but both can benefit from hugs. Oxytocin is the hormone associated with love, connection, and trust, which is released during hugs, especially in humans and dogs. This release allows your dog to know that you love them and want to keep them safe.