What is the point of goat yoga?

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You might be looking at the title of this article and thinking to yourself, “hilarious pun, but what is goat yoga?” Well, goat yoga is exactly what it sounds like: yoga with goats. While this might seem like a hokey fad, there is actually quite a bit of evidence to support the benefits of goat yoga for your mental health and overall wellness. 

So let’s break it down. For most of us, spending time with animals is a super easy and quick boost of serotonin. According to GoatYoga.net, these are some of the mental health benefits of animal assisted therapy:

• Just petting animals releases a relaxation response
  • Humans interacting with animals have found that petting the animal promoted the release of serotonin, prolactin, and oxytocin- all hormones that can play a part in elevating moods
• Lowers anxiety and helps people relax
• Provides comfort
• Reduces loneliness
• Increases mental stimulation
  • Can provide an escape or happy distraction
• Can act as catalysts in the therapy process
  • May help break the ice
  • May reduce anxiety

Combine this with the known physical and mental health benefits of yoga, such as stretching, mindfulness, cardiovascular health, reduced back pain, relaxation and meditation, and you have a sure-fire recipe for feeling great. 

Now you might be thinking to yourself “what exactly happens during goat yoga? Am I doing yoga, or are the goats?” Another great question. Seeing as it would be hard to explain the concept of yoga to a goat, it is you who practices the yoga. The goats simply roam around the room, sometimes jumping on the backs of unsuspecting yogis, while they enhance the overall yoga experience and provide a great deal of entertainment. This video gives you the inside scoop about what a goat yoga session looks like and can provide you with more information about this unique form of yoga practice. 

Whether you’re new to yoga or an experienced yoga practitioner, goat yoga is a fun way to move your body while interacting with some adorable barnyard animals. Goat out there and try it out for yourself! 

Goat yoga sounds like a joke, right? But this new trend is popular for non-ironic reasons, as well. Yes, goats are cute, and who wouldn’t want to hang out with them? But also, here are a few reasons goat yoga is beneficial to your overall health. 

One With Nature

A particular portion of people who enjoy yoga do so for the spiritual benefits of the exercise, which is why we are starting with one of the benefits a few have discussed when it comes to blending yoga with goat cuddles. From a spiritual perspective, it connects you to nature. It’s grounding, which can make you feel more connected to others and the world. It’s hard not to feel close to the earth when you have a bleating creature pooping and peeing on you – which is a thing, we checked the FAQ. 

Therapy Animals

Studies show that interacting with friendly animals lowers blood pressure. It also reduces feelings of loneliness and depression. You can’t be sad when there’s a herd of kids trying to make downward dog into downward goat. And yes, apparently, some of the little goatlings will try to imitate the pose. The reason goats are used is because baby kids are known for their friendliness and curiosity. This is why they try to cuddle you, climb on you, or poop on your mat mid-pose. 

Vitamin D

If you’re going to a goat yoga class, chances are it is outdoors. Most classes take place at a farm or barn where the goats call home. You’ll get some extra vitamin D, which helps fight depression and low energy levels, as well as fresh air at a goat yoga class. It’s important to find out where the course is taking place. You might need to bring a light jacket or sunscreen, depending on the weather. 

Also, the Yoga Part

According to a recent Forbes article, the primary physical perks of yoga include cardiovascular benefits, strength, flexibility, back pain relief, and burning a few calories. If you’re not a yogi, don’t stress. Most goat yoga classes are for beginners, because the main focus is hanging out with goats. 

Looking for more ways to decrease stress and live happier? Read on at the Harbour Island blog.

Hello! Do you enjoy incorporating elements of the ancient discipline of yoga into your fitness routine? Have you developed the requisite properly calibrated appreciation for the improvements in strength, flexibility, and mental health that the practice may bring about? Are you a member of those strange corners of the Internet that have developed an unsettlingly passionate fondness for goats? I have important information to share: Goat yoga, heaven help us all, is probably available at a studio near you.

Helen H. Richardson/The Denver Post via Getty Images

To be clear, "goat yoga" does not refer to some novel new pose for you, a seasoned yoga aficionado, to study, practice, and eventually master. It refers to a regular old yoga class that is punctuated by actual goats wandering aimlessly in between you and your fellow yogis and doing...goat stuff, I guess. From NBC4 in Los Angeles:

During the studio's classes, two baby Nigerian dwarf goats, Pippin and Spanky, climb on people's backs, run between their legs and, sometimes, chew on their hair as they work through Vinyasa poses.

Look at these people who are definitely having a good time, and who are not at all terrified of the creature that has little to no regard for their personal space:

Ken Koons/Baltimore Sun/TNS via Getty Images

MARK RALSTON/AFP/Getty Images

MARK RALSTON/AFP/Getty Images

Far be it from me to cruelly and spitefully denigrate any of the fellow creatures with which we must share this fragile Earth. (Notable exception: most cats.) But may I humbly suggest that it is unnecessary to combine an activity undertaken for the purpose of physical fitness with an activity undertaken for the purpose of cooing uncontrollably at the furry little guy nibbling daintily at your toes and/or nuzzling adorably up against your Warrior II pose? Can this possibly present enough of a challenge to make it qualify as a workout? Is nothing sacred anymore, America?

Ken Koons/Baltimore Sun/TNS via Getty Images

Consider this quote from the proprietor of a goat-yoga class in Cleveland, which I think is supposed to be a selling point of this person's wares:

"Don't come expecting a stuffy yoga class," Jones says assuredly. "This is about letting go, having fun and interacting with the goats. They act a lot like dogs. Half the class is doing yoga poses. The other half have a baby goat in their lap, feeding them. It's just about being in the moment."

I willingly concede that stuffy yoga classes are dreadful. Furthermore, I, like Vincent Chase, also enjoy being "in the moment." But this is not a description of a yoga class. This is a petting zoo! There is a time and place for petting zoos, and to be specific, the time is "not when I'm about to exercise" and the place is "not in the immediate vicinity of the place in which I am about to exercise." (To those hawking goat-yoga classes that also include a wine tasting, I ask in genuine bafflement: What the hell are you people doing?)

Ken Koons/Baltimore Sun/TNS via Getty Images

Goats are...fine, I guess. But the apparent emergence of goat yoga is the clearest sign yet that the novelty yoga craze has gone too far. We as a society must recognize some reasonable limits on the universe of variables we will introduce into our fitness regimens of choice to make them feel marginally less tedious or difficult. Together, let us aim to improve our fitness the old-fashioned way: without a live animal clambering up on your stomach in the middle of holding wheel pose.

Helen H. Richardson/The Denver Post via Getty Images

(Beer yoga, though? That's still fine. Long live beer yoga.)

Watch Now:

Here, a Goat-Free Yoga Workout