Doga: Aligning mind, body

Yoga has been around for over 5,000 years. Dogs have been domesticated by humans for thousands of years. What happens when you put the two together? The newest exercise craze that's sweeping Hong Kong - doga.

Doga is a way for owners to use the ancient exercise of yoga to achieve harmony with their pets - through mediation, stretches, and massage. Some say it's a good way to stay healthy. Experts have long touted the health benefits of yoga, including a stronger core, better posture, lower blood pressure, and less stress. It can also help with asthma, back pain, multiple sclerosis, and insomnia, according to WebMD.

In this photo, yoga student Oksana Maxwell and her dog perform exercises at a studio in Hong Kong on July 14, 2011. Keep clicking to see doga in action...

A yoga instructor, Suzette Ackermann, front, leads her students in doga exercises. Dogs can either be used as props for their owners' exercises, or can perform stretches themselves.

Here, a pet owner facilitates her dachshund's pose. Should this hot dog be doing hot yoga?

The humans in this class are getting into the downward facing dog pose. Are the dogs performing the upward facing human?

Doga is just now sweeping Hong Kong, but many doga clinics exist in the U.S. New York City, Seattle, Los Angeles, and Pittsburgh all have studios that encourage dogs and their owners to stretch their bodies and strengthen their relationships.

Yoga instructor Suzette Ackermann, front, and her student practicing a doga pose.

Doga is thought to date back to 2002 when New York City woman Suzi Teitelman started "Yoga for Dogs" classes after being inspired by her cocker spaniel. Teitelman currently operates a studio in Jacksonville, Fla.

"Doga is so HOT! All the Pampered Paws are doing it!" she writes on her website.

Doga participants - dogs and humans alike - are happy to stretch and pose for the camera. Only time will tell if doga will expand into different varieties, like its purely human counterpart. Bark-ram yoga, anyone?