What is Goat Yoga?
I was causally looking at things to do in my area when it hit me: Goat Yoga! The advertisement was colorful with pictures of goats climbing on the woman’s back. That is when I realized I have been missing this activity from my bucket list and NEEDED to add it as soon as possible.
I reached out to my mom and sister about coming with me, unsure of the response I would receive. I sent the invite with pictures from the ad, and my sister was fast to reply yes. My mom… well, she had to call me for more information… which led to her fear of a goat sniffing her (ahem) inappropriately in the yoga poses. After I reminded her that goats were not dogs, she was game and we all signed up.
With the class in Gettysburg, we decided to plan a whole girl’s day out in this historic city. Check out The Ghosts of Gettysburg!
Being Flexible
Although yoga is all about balance and flexibility, you may need to be flexible in other ways. We planned the trip about a month out, but as the day got closer, we started to get nervous. They were calling for rain and thunderstorms a few days prior. Since the classes tend to be outside, unless the area is covered, the rain can spoil your plans for a class.
The owner of the farm was so generous and responsive to all the concerns. She even sent out emails for all the participants to expect this weather, and if we are from out of town and decided not to come, she would work with us to reschedule—either this year or next.
For the two days leading up to the class, I checked the weather every hour to see if the rain would come. I was sweating it until we were in the car and on our way. Luckily, it turned out to be a perfect day for it. The sky was overcast, which made it nice to work out, and not dying in the summer sun.
Why try it?
There is a new yoga craze on the horizon of incorporating animals into a yoga practice. In Goat Yoga, the goats will walk around and, sometimes, jump on you during the practice. Having a goat as a yoga partner is fantastic, since they can be used as a solid support in the class, while also being a fun companion in the positions.
Tips:
Wear your hair up in a ponytail or bun. Goats are notorious for trying to eat EVERYTHING. While moving from different yoga positions, having your hair up is always a good idea, but with the goats, you should have it up to dissuade the goats from nibbling on your hair.
Ask if the location will provide yoga mats. I brought my personal yoga mat to the class, and quickly rolled it up and placed it outside of the pen. Goats tend to use the bathroom frequently, and without much warning. In this class, the farm had a large stock of their special yoga mats. I used three throughout the hour because of the little accidents on my mat. Luckily, no one stepped in an unpleasant surprise!
Raise your hand if a goat is bothering you. If a goat it bothering you, someone from the farm or studio will come to your rescue.
Bring sunscreen and bug spray. You will be sweating in a grassy area, so the bugs will stick to you without it.
Bring hand sanitizer. Although most places will have access to a sink and soap, you may want to bring your own personal stash of hand sanitizer—just in case.
Overall Consensus:
We were all in stitches from laughing so hard at these fun animals. The goats are already in a sort of meditative state, since they stare off into space for long periods of time. Plus, they are very friendly animals with a lot of patience. If I ever have the opportunity to take this class again, I would jump on it—and so should you!
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Would you try Goat Yoga?
