Julianne Hough Starts Every Morning Playing with Her New Puppy in Bed: ‘Changes Your Energy’ (Exclusive)

Julianne Hough loves the perks of being a dog mom.

At the launch of her new venture, Kinrgy Fitness Studio, in West Hollywood, Calif., on Friday, Hough, 35, told PEOPLE that spending her mornings with her new pooch, Sunny, has improved her mental health.

“Our morning ritual is we’ll play in bed. I’ll wake her up and she’ll come and go to bed and we’ll play for a good, solid 15 minutes,” Dancing with the stars says the co-host.

“You’ll be surprised when you’re laughing and playing and being fully present with the dog — how much it changes your energy,” she adds of the positive impact spending quality time with her dog has had on her mental health.

Julianne Hough with her dog Sunny.

Julianne Hough/Instagram

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After they play in bed for a bit, the dancer takes the dog for a walk, during which she does “breath work” or tries to clear her mind as much as possible in a practice she calls “movement meditation.”

“Some people think you have to sit and meditate and be still, and I find that when I’m walking I can actually clear my head more,” notes Hough, adding that she was “bored” alone the morning before Sunny. came across.

“Nothing beats a dog,” she declares A safe haven In February, the star introduced her new canine companion with a video post on Instagram.

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Julianne Hough.

Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

“A little sunshine for your Monday scrolls 🐶☀️,” she captioned the video, which featured a man pulling down a curtain to reveal a picture of a dog.

“Showing everyone the love of my life,” read the text above the video.

As for her new venture, Hough tells PEOPLE that she decided to start fitness studio Kinrgy because she kept hearing people say she was on DWTS was for them a “transformative” experience beyond learning to dance.

She says she feels like she can help others develop a deeper connection with their bodies by sharing her knowledge of dance, mental health and meditation.

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Julianne Hough.

Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty

Hough, who has a background in ballet, tells PEOPLE that the approach she wants to share with patrons “took away my … identity of needing to be perfect.”

“It’s really like a fun, inviting space for people to just let loose,” she says of her new studio.

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