Replace green smoothies with grass and Zen music with bleats and you’ve got “Goat Yoga.” On Sept. 25, CWU Campus Activities switched up the typical yoga session by adding goats to the equation.

A total of 50 students and three goats attended the event that was put on by Health Programming and Marketing Coordinator Claire Cox and Assistant Director of Campus Activities Robbi Goninan.

The goats were supplied by The Wobbly Ranch, a goat sanctuary in Snohomish, Washington that specializes in goat yoga. Cox came into contact with Wobbly Ranch owner and CWU alum Amanda Leone after doing some research. Five months later, Goat Yoga arrived in Ellensburg.

According to Goninan, this was CWU’s first Goat Yoga. “She [Cox] called me up one day and said what do you think about doing goat yoga and here we are,” Goninan said. “It’s beyond me why so many people signed up but I know it’s a phenomenon all over.”

Leone thinks the nature of the event is what made it appeal to students. “Goat Yoga is so popular because it combines two of the very best things on Earth- goats and yoga! More than anything, it’s just plain fun. When we become adults we sometimes stop doing things purely because they are fun,” she said.

Leone said that she felt positivity in the air after the sessions, noting that the goats were great for stress relief.

“People are present when doing yoga with the goats.” Leone said. “They aren’t thinking of their classes or schedule or what paper is due or impending deadlines.”

Kacie Little, a graduate student in the English department and Nicole Johnson, a freshman Information Technology and Administrative Management major, attended the event.

Goats roamed around the fenced-in impromptu yoga studio as students stretched. Occasionally the goats would hop on the backs of students. This was Little’s first time doing goat yoga.

““I usually do power yoga, so it felt like a good stretch, but the goats were awesome,” Little said. “It kind of felt like a massage.”

Johnson noticed that the yogis were unfazed by the goats, even though poop and goats nibbling on clothes is commonplace in goat yoga, according to The Wobbly Ranch Website.   

“I think regular yoga is going to be a disappointment now. The goats were the best part,” Johnson said.

Goat yoga is as therapeutic for the goats as it is for the students. Wobbly Ranch brought three goats for the event: Seamus, Arlo and Elwood.

Seamus was the biggest of the three and wore a red harness. Arlo and Elwood are twins but can be easily identified because Arlo has more white fur on his face and head.

Leone stated The Wobbly Ranch started after she adopted a three-legged goat named Trippy.

“I was visiting a local sanctuary when I met him [Trippy] and just fell head over heels in love. He was our inspiration for starting the Wobbly Ranch and providing a home to other goats in need,” Leone said. “Everyone who lives here has been rescued from deplorable conditions. They are all individuals and everyone has a story.”