Goat Yoga for All

Goat Yoga???

Picture yourself in a tranquil, outdoor setting.

You breathe in the fresh, crisp air, silencing the running dialogue in your mind and connecting to your inner self. You stretch slowly into a downward dog pose.

A gentle bump on your forearm prompts you to open one eye... and there, on face level with you, is an adorable baby goat, blinking blue eyes and nudging you, wanting to be petted.

Goat Yoga is the newest spin on the yoga movement in the USA, which itself has skyrocketed in popularity in the last decade.

According to a recent study by the Yoga Alliance, the number of yoga practitioners in the USA rose from 15 million in 2008, to 36 million in 2020.

That's a lotta lotus!

Add to that, America's newfound obsession with baby goats.

Goats in pajamas, goats in sweaters, baby goats doing what they do best : jumping and playing.

If you haven't seen at least one super cute goat video shared on social media during the last couple of years, I'm not sure where you've been hiding.

To fully realize how gaga our nation is over the "baah baah kids", look no further than the wildly popular Instagram page, "Goats Gone Grazing Acres", which kicked its way to the top of the hay bale in 2017, when 21 baby goats were born in one season.

Goats Gone Grazing Acres now has a whopping 37.2k followers.

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So, how did these two escalating enthusiasms, goats and yoga, come together in the first place?

Enter Lainey Morse of Monroe, Oregon, the official godmother of goat yoga.

Her small farm, No Regrets Farm & Sanctuary, was home to eight goats in 2016, when she hosted a child's birthday party as part of a charity auction.

One of the moms happened to be a yoga teacher, and she approached Morse with a question:

Would she be interested in hosting yoga classes in the picturesque setting?

Morse joked, "OK, but the goats have to join in."

And with that, the concept was born.

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"Goats are great therapy animals" - Lainey Morse

One year later, Morse had a waiting list of 1200 goat-loving yogis, and by 2020 she had expanded her venue to ten different locations.

It didn't take long for people to realize how naturally goats complimented the objectives of yoga.

As Morse points out, "Goats are great therapy animals." Unlike dogs and cats, goats don't need a one-on-one bond to interact with you. They are quite happy (and insistent) to be petted and cuddled by strangers.

In addition to the natural benefits of yoga and fresh air, studies indicate that by petting and cuddling animals, our brains are stimulated to produce more oxytocin, the "love" hormone, that gives you a boost of warm, fuzzy happiness, as reported by H.A.B.R.I - the Human Animal Bond Research Institute.

The baby goat yoga phenomenon has sprung up all over the USA, and can even be found in the UK now

It's so big, the mega ticketing platform, Eventbrite, has jumped into the game, and there are Goat Yoga Spring Festivals popping up in multiple locations this year, as Covid-19 restrictions are being lifted.

Prefer to go small?

A Google search in your state might well turn up a goat yoga farm near you. The price for a goat yoga class averages $20–$30 for 30–45 minutes.

What to Know

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Not sure if goat yoga is for you, but still love baby goats?

Check for local goat farms in your area offering cuddle sessions. There's never been a better time to support local businesses, and you might make a new friend!

Special thanks to the following farms for providing these adorable goat photos!

Carolina Goat Yoga & Snuggle Sessions in Mount Ulla, NC (704) 956-9427

GlennArt Farm in Chicago, IL (847) 226-9510