Goat Yoga at Such and Such Farm
Listen, I recognize that Goat Yoga is a weird and ridiculous trend. I know it’s silly nonsense. But you know what else I know? Goats are so freaking cute. So when I saw that a farm that I follow on Instagram, Such and Such Farm, would be hosting a Goat Yoga event just about an hour away from where I live, I marked my calendar.
Did I mention that I hate yoga?
I really do. I’m a fit person and I work out on a regular basis, even while I’m on the road. Yoga would make a great addition to my workout routine, but I just can’t stand it. I actually wrote an article for xoJane, I Know Yoga is Good for Me and I Still Freaking Hate It, that explains my issues with yoga. The point is, I never attend yoga events, but Goat Yoga was just too tempting. There was also an added bonus…
Gertrude Swine
The real reason I started following Such and Such Farm on Instagram is because they have this amazing pet pig called Gertrude Swine. She is as cool as her name. I’ve been obsessed with pigs my whole life, so honestly just knowing that I’d get to pet this beautiful beast was worth a few yoga stretches.
Gertrude Swine wants to do yoga too!
Let’s get to the Goat Yoga already
This was Such and Such Farm’s second annual Goat Yoga event. It had grown in popularity, so they offered both a morning and an afternoon session. My friend, Jenn, and I showed up for the second session. At the sign in table, there was a small gum ball machine with little balls full of goat feed. We both bought some, then proceeded to buy a couple healthy snacks for ourselves from some of the vendors that had showed up for the event. They also had a food truck, beer, and cocktails, but we stuck with water and snacks.
The yoga class took place in the goat pasture. Participants were invited to pick a shady spot for their mat, making a circle around the instructor. Meanwhile, the goats (and Gertrude Swine!) just wandered about, living their life.
Goat Pasture Greeter
These guys were hanging out right behind me for awhile.
The yoga class was gentle and very beginner-friendly
For all my hate of yoga, I actually incorporate a lot of yoga moves into my post-workout stretching routine. I was pleased that the Goat Yoga class focused mostly on stretching and I was familiar with all the moves. They offered more challenging modifications as well, but it was very low-pressure. The instructor was very relaxed and encouraged you to stop to pet goats or to try to coax them over to you. The balls of goat feed came in very handy for this. If any goats were nearby, you could give the ball a little shake and they’d trot right over. My first visitor was Gertrude Swine!
You have no idea how happy this made me.
I’ll be honest with you, the goats and the pig made it pretty difficult for me to focus on the actual yoga class. One of my biggest issues with yoga is that I am terrible at clearing my mind. Sitting in a pasture full of cute animals who wanted to eat out of my hand did not improve my focus.
This is one of my favorite photos from the event. Notice the people in the background performing yoga moves while I fangirl over Gertrude Swine.
Not a great workout, but definitely a great day
The class was about an hour long, but the way I did it, it was hardly a workout at all. I guess if I had been more dedicated to the class, I could have gotten in at least a good stretching routine, but is that really the point of Goat Yoga? After the class, I fed the goats the rest of my goat feed and solidified this day as a strange but adorable experience.
