Goat Yoga!

Last month I was thinking about how I wanted to celebrate my 45th birthday with my husband and boys. It’s hard to get us all together at once. We have a lot of commitments between the five of us…work, school, marching band, club soccer…The list goes on. I tried to think of something fun and new…a tiny adventure we could all do together, that wouldn’t take all day. I searched the internet, the visitor center magazines, my friends’ minds… and then I saw IT while I was casually scrolling my social media… GOAT YOGA.

Small goats. Yoga. A big grassy field. 80s themed clothing. Ummm, count me in! I was so excited! I text all the boys right away and shared my birthday celebration idea.

Silence. Crickets. Nada. The boys did not share my enthusiasm.

So, I changed my text approach. It went something like… “It’s my birthday and we’re going to goat yoga. Clear your schedules. Love you. Mom”

My husband and oldest put on their happy faces and started planning their 80s themed outfits. My younger sons have not yet learned the art of pretending to be happy to support the ones you love. They moped.

On the day of the event, we all met at the farm, and I was surprised to see about 100 other people in their 80s gear, ready for some goat yoga fun. The large group set up our colorful yoga mats in a semi-circle, breathed in the fresh green grass scent and waited for the yoga teachers. Pygmy goats wandered freely around, dressed in pink tutus, jean jackets and neon T-shirts. There were even a few alpacas meandering and one friendly cow munching in the back corner.

From what our teachers told us goat yoga has spread in popularity through the nation, but this particular class was established in 2015 and pioneered the movement. If you’re looking for a true yoga class, I can’t say this is it. I can say, you do some true and fun yoga poses and those little goats look at you like you are their own personal jungle gym. In fact, we had cute little goats jumping on us even before we held our first pose. The goats were just as excited to play with the humans as the humans were excited to play with the goats.

Within the first moments of posing, my boys were having as much fun as I was. How do you not smile at a happy little goat running over to you in a jean jacket, excitedly jumping onto you, or under you?! It was absolutely ridiculous, and I recommend it to every human out there.

After our hour of goat yoga fun, each and every one of my boys told me how much they liked the experience (yes, even the ones who originally moped). After the event, I learned goat yoga is an actual type of animal therapy and I understand why. I can 100% say those little goats spread love, laughter and joy to each and every participant that day, as I’m sure they do at every event. So, if you’re looking for a little family adventure…or friend adventure…or date adventure…think about these little goats. I am sure they will warm your heart, as they did ours.