The Govs Programming Council (GPC), the Association of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs (AFA), and Rossville Goat Ranch 901 Goats partnered together to host goat yoga on Austin Peay State University’s Intramural Field.
The event was first come, first served and allowed a total of 60 people split between two back-to-back goat sessions Wednesday afternoon. Each session had about 35 minutes of actual yoga, with the rest of the timeframe being devoted to mingling and getting pictures with the goats. 901 Goats supplied all the materials, including yoga mats and water bottles.
Goat yoga is exactly what it sounds like: Yoga with goats. The goats, prompted by treats and their own general curiosity, continuously hang around the participants, climbing and jumping on them, crawling underneath them, and casually begging for pets as if they aren’t the center of attention the entire time.
That’s one of the benefits of goat yoga; You don’t have to worry about if you’re doing it right or if people are judging you, because they’re not. They’re focused on the caprine companions around them.
“It was exactly what I needed. I have a really busy schedule, and the goats really helped me to step away and relax,” said sophomore Nia Homes.
The only thing you have to watch out for is the goats accidentally using the bathroom on your mat, but when that happens, the owners are quick to brush off mats and wipe them down.
