How about some Goat Yoga?

For those with an adventurous spirit, this blog post is for you! When I received a text from my girlfriend saying "Goat Yoga in Rapid City!" and she shared the link with me to Sol Yoga Collective's last goat yoga class of November, I thought to myself, "This could be fun!" And how often does someone get the opportunity to hang out with baby goats for an hour?

I wasn't really sure what to expect but figured I would go with an open mind and have some fun with the kids (which is what a baby goat is called!). In preparation for the class I grabbed my mat and a towel. Why would I need a towel you might ask? You may think perhaps its like hot yoga where you are sweating away all those toxins in your body. But no, it is because of all the pee and poo the little baby goats of cuteness are depositing throughout the yoga studio. I very much appreciated the two gals that were there to clean up the presents left behind by the kids.

You may be thinking, "Did you know there would be diaper-less baby goats there?" Yes, yes I did and I still went and brought my can-do attitude and an OLD yoga mat! 

I arrived at the charming yoga studio that is located on Main Street in downtown Rapid City, directly across from the Firehouse Brewing Company about thirty minutes ahead of class starting so I could set up my camera tripod and get myself organized before the goats came in and started running amok. Well, that is what I had envisioned anyway; little tiny goats just running rampant around the studio, climbing and jumping on us as we go about our yoga practice for the evening. 

To be honest, I really had no idea what to expect so I think between what I had seen in passing on the internet and my own imagination I had envisioned quite the acrobatic scene!

But alas, the kids were not crazed at all and they were actually quite docile and friendly! They allowed us to lift them up and place them on each others backs for pictures. And when I say "us" I mean that I lifted the goat onto my friend's back while I took pictures! My favorite interaction with one of the goats was when he licked my toe as I was doing one of the back stretches! My eyes were closed so it made me laugh to feel this rough little tongue lick my toe out of the blue!

I found the yoga class to be more focused on stretches and inviting opportunities for the goats to interact with us compared to doing a more traditional yoga practice where it is focused on more self reflection and vinyasa yoga which is what I am more accustomed to. With the goats there, the yoga practice was more silly and fun. There was lots of laughter and interactions with not just the goats but the adults and kids in the class. 

Everyone had a smile on their face and seemed to enjoy the opportunity to get outside their comfort zone and try something new!

​If you are looking for a fun and carefree activity to do with the whole family, goat yoga is a great choice! Check out Sol Yoga Collective's Facebook page so you can see when their next goat yoga classes are. It is definitely worth going!

Blog post written by Amy Karras
​Unnamed Adventures​