What is Goat Yoga?

What is Goat Yoga?

goat running across backs of yoga participants

What is the Concept About? 

The idea behind goat yoga is to make a regular yoga into a therapeutic animal mental health session. But, before the goat yoga began, animal use for therapy is already a widespread trend. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention, promotes animal therapy as it can help lower stress and cholesterol. It also helps children with autism to build connections. 

Studies also show that it is good for people who suffer from depression and anxiety to experience the benefits of animal therapy. Studies show that animals help lower anxiety and feelings of loneliness in people. This very idea is the main push that led to goat therapy. It also helps that goats are especially friendly. Meaning, compared to cats and dogs, goats do not need special bonds before people can touch them. It is easier for goats to approach strangers and let people pet them than dogs and cats. Hence, they are ideal as animals for therapy. 

How is it Done? 

Goat yoga is similar in a regular yoga class wherein it happens as a group. But is has a twist. Baby goats, known as kids, join into the mix. These baby goats go with the students as they perform different yoga poses. They can be placed at the back of the students or just move around nuzzling the students as they perform their poses. 

How Did Goat Yoga Start? 

Yoga has long existed in the realms of physical and mental health, and it is already proven to be effective. But as more people immerse themselves with the benefits of yoga, more new trends come along. One of these innovations is caprine vinyasa, known as “goat yoga.”

Goat yoga is the brainchild of April Gould and Sarah Williams. It was created in 2015 and has continued to grow across the United States. Arizona goat yoga is now among the top 10 things to do in Arizona, Highest Ranked in the United States and has become immortalized in the Guinness Book of World Records.

Why Is Goat Yoga Good for Your Health?

As we work through the demands of our daily lives, the stress that we experience also rise. It will lead to health issues, both physical and mental. Hence, it is important that we manage our stress well. We have to keep ourselves both physically and mentally fit. One way to do that is through goat yoga.

What Are the Benefits of Goat Yoga? 

Compared with the stale and silent environment of a regular yoga class, yoga mental therapy is more favorable. This is possible because of the many benefits of goat yoga. Here are the top 4 benefits:

  • It is more interactive. Most yoga classes keep the environment silent. The students do not have as much interaction with the other students. Goat yoga mental health therapy removes this staleness. The students can interact with the cute baby goats that are with them.
  • It keeps you calm. The silence can increase frustrations and anxiety, especially when doing difficult poses. But with goat yoga, students focus instead on the hilarity of the goats sitting on their backs. Or, walking underneath them. It keeps the whole atmosphere light, fun and calm. 
  • It decreases blood pressure. Studies show that people become calmer when there are friendly animals around. Goat yoga allows the opportunity to see friendly and cute goats as well as lets the students pet the goats. The program centers on lightness and ease, so there is no problem at all if a student stops and pets a nuzzling goat. 
  • It improves the yoga routine. The presence of goats not only keeps the mind calm and the body relaxed. But it also improves the whole workout routine. With a goat on their back, the students exert more effort and energy to keep the pose. This adds more difficulty to the pose. It improves strength, endurance, and cardio capacity. 

FINAL WORDS

Stress can be a crippling matter, but with goat yoga, people can manage them better in a more engaging manner. Goat yoga improves both the physical and the mental health. When you find yourself stressed or needing a dose of fun and calmness in your life, dab into goat yoga. It can be a very interesting thing to try out. Many have found it a great help in their lives, it can do the same to you. Engage in therapeutic animal mental health yoga now and experience a wonderful change in your life. 

About the author:

Leon Edmunds began work in 2006. Since then, he has tried his hand at SEO and team communication management. He also writes for blogs and works as an academic writer at EduJungles, a professional essay writing service. His main interests are content marketing, communication skills development and blogging. Every day he is looking for new ideas to help people achieve their career goals. His team working as one ideal vehicle.

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