There are some things in life that you just don’t understand until you experience them. That was my realization this weekend, on all fours under the hot sun, with a goat on my back chewing my ponytail.
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Yes, I’m talking about goat yoga! Turns out goat yoga is the greatest of all time — the G.O.A.T.!
For those of you who are reading this and thinking it must be a typo, let me explain. Goat yoga has gained popularity in the last few years. It is literally what it sounds like: yoga with goats.
You might be thinking, “How do they stop the goats from climbing on you?” And the answer is, they don’t! The goats climb all over.
One might also wonder, “Don’t the goats kind of stink and use the bathroom all over the place?” And the answer is, yes, that also happens! It’s part of the magic.
On Saturday, I conned my mother into joining me for a goat yoga session at the Alton Farmers Market. As we approached the goats, we were both apprehensive. This sounded fun on paper, but in person, the goats were a little intimidating. Adorable, for sure. But it was such a unique experience that it raised our eyebrows.
One more caveat — I am not a yogi. I enjoy yoga when I do it, but I am not a frequent flier in yoga classes. I barely know how to downward dog. How was I going to do this with a goat climbing on top of me?
As it turns out, I needn’t have worried. The goats’ keepers warned us right away that this was not like a normal yoga class; laughing was expected, pictures were encouraged, and goats were everywhere. It was supposed to be fun, that’s it.
Sounds good to me. I spread out my mat and took a seat, eyeing a goat as he chewed the grass beside me. My mom and I exchanged a look. Both of us were thinking the same thing: “This Year of Yes sure is bananas.”
As the yoga started, we stretched and the goats roamed around us. They ate the leaves off the ground and watched as I stumbled through the first few poses.
I found myself in a tabletop pose, starting to relax. And then all of a sudden, whoa, a goat was on my back.
The goat hopped on top of me and took in the views from this new height. I started laughing immediately but held the position, trying to stay as steady as possible so the goat wouldn’t fall. And then suddenly, a tug, and the goat was chomping on my curls. We stayed like this for several minutes, me laughing, him chewing. It was truly so fun.
The rest of the hour was filled with giggling. I couldn’t take any of it seriously, and it was awesome. The goats roamed and climbed and were incredibly cute. One of them took a liking to my shoe and chewed on the shoelace while I pet him. We bonded. We had a lot of fun.
As it turns out, getting permission to simply enjoy something is the greatest gift of all. With no pressure to be perfect or quiet or stoic, goat yoga allowed me to instead be silly and relaxed. I hung out with my mother and the goats and had the time of my life.
That’s my goal going forward — more moments of pure joy. I’m looking for reasons to laugh, chances to poke fun at the seriousness. If you can’t laugh at yourself when you’ve got a goat on your back, you’re doing it wrong. There’s humor in this, and it’s worth finding. It was absurd and it was awesome.
The next time I need a laugh, I’ll remember my Saturday of goat yoga. Here’s to more joy for us all. Where are you finding your joy these days?
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