Attempting to find a place of solitude and relaxation within yourself can be one of the hardest tasks to get full control over. Many people have found a passion within yoga and practice it daily because of the great benefits it gives to your body and the relaxation you feel afterwards. As a society, we are always trying to increase our experiences and make it as enjoyable as possible.
Now, combine the love of baby animals that (almost) everyone holds within themselves and that love of yoga. It’s hard to imagine baby animals being part of your yoga ritual, but it is becoming a nationwide trend. This trend started in a small farm in western Oregon where the owner, Lainey Morse, has a total of eight baby goats. When she started hosting children’s birthday parties at her farms, she noticed how loving they were towards people and the happiness that people felt around them. There was one particular birthday party where a mother who taught yoga came up with the idea that Morse should hold yoga classes on her farm. Morse would not completely agree to the idea unless the baby goats were part of this experience. Thanks to this beautiful soul, “goat yoga” is now a trend!
If you’ve ever been around baby farm animals, then you would understand the energy and enthusiasm most of them have towards new visitors. Yoga is based off of different positions and stretches on the ground, which is perfect eye level to the baby goats. Morse now has a 1,200 person waiting list for this experience and she could not be more thrilled for the publicity that her animals have received. She speaks about how most of these visitors are not even from Oregon, but take the time and travel to her farm to visit and be part of this experience. She seems to find it more beneficial for people with anxiety, depression, or even ones recovering from a depression. The baby goats are used as therapy for these groups of people and it is not that shocking because therapy dogs are very prevalent in our society and are known for calming people down.
The baby goats have no problem climbing onto your back during these yoga exercises and will try to get your attention in anyway they can. Downward dog seems to be a very popular position for these baby goats to sneak up on you, from the front or the back. They are simply trying to get your attention and hope to get petted by the time the session is over with. Morse adds, “They have this sense of calm, and they kind of go into a meditative state. Maybe that's why they work so well with yoga.”
Overall, this is a new and fun stress reliever that adds a different twist to yoga. It’s comical to think about, or even be apart of, because yoga is known for having a very calm and structured practice, while these baby goats do not believe in any of those two concepts. If you’re lucky enough to have these farms that offer yoga classes, don’t sleep on it!
Beware: Baby goats tend to like to pee on your yoga mat, but they will be ready for a cuddle after they do it.
