Elizabethtown College values and prioritizes the physical and mental health of all students, offering upbeat exercise classes at the Bowers Center, access to counseling, and delicious coffee at the popular Blue Bean. I am.
Yoga is well known for allowing meditation and relaxation of the mind, body, and soul. Nevertheless, one key element is missing. It’s a goat.
This recent campus activity gained attention for providing healing services to students. Picture a grassy field on a sunny afternoon, a warm breeze blowing, students enjoying a calming yoga practice, and little baby goats running around underfoot. As if all this wasn’t enough, throw on a jumper, pink overalls and a baby T-shirt and you’ll be in a coma of cuteness.
Thanks to the university, Buttinhead Farm, and the goats, students were able to attend the goat yoga event for free. Yoga was led by instructor Ashley Raspen. I really enjoyed Raspeng’s emphasis on partner yoga. Each participant pairs up with a friend or neighbor and shares their gratitude for each other.
Most of the goats were less than a few months old, one had just been born on the morning of the event, and the youngest had not yet set foot on the grass on his own and was not yet able to walk on his own. . He took his first shaky steps at Brinser Field, but he’ll soon be doing yoga by himself and jumping on people’s backs.
Students in attendance entered a fenced area and laid out their mats. Shortly after, about 15 goats were released and were able to run free, eat delicious grass, and snuggle into students’ laps.
Due to their young age, goats were thought to be less experienced in practicing yoga than older goats. The helpers actively taught the new goat “trainees” how to participate in yoga, helping them do different poses on people’s backs. Once they grow up and are big enough, they will learn how to do this on their own. The youngest goats are still learning how to walk properly, but most needed bottle feeding along the way.
Goat yoga was immediately followed by goat therapy, where participants played and snuggled with friendly goats. After the yoga session, some of the goats were so sleepy that they obviously took long naps on the students’ warm laps to soak up the sun. My favorite of all the goats was named Eclipse because she was just born during a solar eclipse just a few days ago. He struggled to stay awake during yoga, but then fell into a deep sleep on my lap in the sun.
If you’re looking for a uniquely therapeutic experience to connect with your companions and animals, I highly recommend trying goat yoga.
