Rocky Mountain Goat Yoga

Rachel Rasmussen

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Rocky Mountain Goat Yoga was born from the collaborative efforts of Vanessa Vitali, Boulder native, holistic nutrition coach, and certified yoga instructor; and her business partner Jim Naron. They got the idea from Lainey Morse, who began using goat yoga in 2016 as a form of therapy in Oregon. Since then, the trend has spread all over the country.

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Rocky Mountain Goat Yoga has locations set up all over Colorado, the closest to Fort Collins is in Longmont. Interested parties can sign up for a session online. The cost is $30, plus $5 if you wish to rent a yoga mat.

As the session starts, you will be given information about what to expect from goat yoga and what to do if a goat goes to the bathroom on your mat. When the goats are released into the yoga area, you can hear a collective “awe” fill the room as everyone tries to reach out and pet the baby goats. Throughout the session, two farmhands walk around with treats for the goats that they use to get the goats to jump on people’s backs while they are holding various poses; plank, tabletop, downward dog, or child’s pose. The yoga is very relaxed as most people are more concerned with interacting with the baby goats than they are with actually doing yoga.

Everyone gets a good laugh as the herd of baby goats makes its way around the room; each one fighting the others to jump on someone’s back in order to reach the treats, sliding off people’s backs, nibbling on strands of hair, and occasionally stepping on a stray phone or two. At the end of the session, people get the opportunity to hold, play, and take pictures with the baby goats.

I would advise people who want to go to goat yoga to be aware that little baby hooves are kind of sharp and can act as nature’s deep tissue massage as they jump on and jump or slide off your back. Rocky Mountain Goat Yoga doesn’t just host goat yoga, they also work with local goat rescues to maintain a healthy and vibrant herd of goats.

For more information on Rocky Mountain Goat Yoga, or to sign up for a session, go to rockymountaingoatyoga.com.