Fitness Finesse: Be The G.O.A.T at Goat Yoga
(Image courtesy of Goat Yoga)
The Acronym G.O.A.T forms the phrase Greatest Of All Time. In the sports world, athletes such as Michael Jordan, Babe Ruth, and Tom Brady are considered the G.O.A.Ts of their sport. In the fitness realm, the G.O.A.T takes on a new meaning when discussing Goat Yoga. Goat Yoga combines fitness and animal therapy that allows participants to leave with a new sense of centeredness. I had the opportunity to speak with the founder of Goat Yoga, Lainey Morse, to learn more about how and why Goat Yoga is considered the G.O.A.T.
(Gif Courtesy of Wix.com)
1. What inspired you to create Goat Yoga?
I started something called Goat Happy Hour. I had been diagnosed with a disease and going through a divorce and all I wanted to do was spend time with my goats. They were so therapeutic to me and always made me happy. I started inviting other people to my Goat Happy Hour and it started to become a thing in our town. A yoga instructor came to one and suggested that she have a yoga class in my back field. The scenery was beautiful and my goats were babies at the time. It told her we could, but the goats would be ALL over the humans. We laughed and she said that's the coolest part! Let's do it! So I started marketing it as "Goat Yoga" and it just blew up!
(Image courtesy of Goat Yoga)
2. What are the benefits of animal therapy?
Animals and particularly goats have a very calm demeanor. Even the way they chew their cud is very methodical and oddly relaxing to watch. It's almost like they go into a meditative state. They're also very funny animals and so they make you laugh. They are also very social and loving animals. They don't need a bond with a human to love them. To be around that energy is very therapeutic and it's almost like you take on that calm energy. I struggle with anxiety issues and for me, it calms me down and I don't think of anything else when I'm with them. Since starting goat yoga, I now see that it has that same effect on all humans! There is also scientific research that petting animals and being around animals has several health benefits like lowering your blood pressure.
(Image courtesy of Goat Yoga)
3. How has Goat Yoga evolved since the COVID-19 pandemic?
Since we shut down goat yoga in 2020, my pandemic inspired idea was creating The Goatel. I didn't know if Goat Yoga would survive (It has....all my locations are open now and doing well!) but, after everything shut down I thought how important it would be for people to get out in nature and spend time with goats. To have a place where you could go stay and have it include a Goat Happy Hour Experience (they can upgrade to goat yoga for a small fee) seemed like it would be a big hit after everyone is sharing a home with their family and not being able to get out. We launched two at our Original Goat Yoga Locations. One in Texas on the Chocolate Bayou and one in California on top of Mount Madonna. We launched in June and they're currently booked through July. We are thrilled with the outcome and hope that we can launch more Goatels around the USA soon!
(Logo courtesy of Goat Yoga)
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