Get baaa-lanced at these 5 places to practice goat yoga in NC
If you’re searching for something new and unique to add to your summer bucket list, we’ve got just the thing: goat yoga. Whether you’re looking to switch up your fitness routine, incorporate extra moments of mindfulness, or pick up a new activity with friends, a goat yoga class in North Carolina is just what your summer needs.
What is goat yoga?
Goat yoga is a beginner-friendly activity for yogis and animal-lovers alike. It seamlessly combines exercise and meditation with the joy of interacting with adorable animals. Since its inception in 2016, goat yoga continues to grow in popularity nearly 10 years later!
It’s not just the cuddly, free-roaming goats that makes goat yoga so popular — it’s also the incorporation of nature into the practice. Most classes tend to take place in a beautiful outdoor setting such as a farm. During class, you’ll enjoy fresh air, movement, and a healthy dose of vitamin-D.
Additionally, goat yoga tends to be even more exciting than your typical yoga class. Because goats roam freely throughout class, you may find yourself sharing your mat with a one, or giggling as you watch another snuggle up to a fellow yogi mid-downward facing dog.
Goat yoga has a number of benefits too. As you might know, goats are some of the cutest and happiest farm animals; as a result, adding goats into yoga mixes in elements of laughter, joy, and fun into every class. Goat yoga also transforms the meditative practice into a therapeutic session, allowing participants to enjoy the mental benefits of animal interaction, including stress relief and a reduction in anxiety, sadness, and loneliness.
Ready to give goat yoga a go? Check out five of the best places to practice goat yoga in North Carolina:
Avery Family Farm
Join Avery Family Farm each week for an all-levels, 60-minute goat yoga class. Located in Durham, Avery Family Farm is a small, family and woman-owned farm that doubles as a healing space for visitors to connect with both animals and nature.
The aim of Avery’s yoga classes is to maximize the amount of goat cuddles per yogi. With 23 Nigerian dwarf goats and two sheep (yes, they’re specifically trained to cuddle), you’re guaranteed to get lots of snuggles and leave feeling relaxed, refreshed, and loved.
Price: $23/participant
To learn more about Avery Family Farm, click here.
Kidding Around Asheville
What’s better than goat yoga? Goat yoga with a complimentary post-class beverage!
Kidding Around Asheville, located in Asheville, offers 60-minute vinyasa classes led by yoga-certified instructors and certifiably-cute goats. Each class includes a mat rental and a post-class beer, glass of wine, or soda. You’ll also walk away with free photos of your experience!
Price: $45/participant
To learn more, click here.
Apple Hill Farm
Goat yoga, but make it even cuter.
Apple Hill Farm, located in Banner Elk, offers baby goat yoga every Friday throughout the summer months. In partnership with Avery Community Yoga, Apple Hill Farm puts on a 45-minute beginner-friendly yoga flow with 10 minutes at the end exclusively dedicated to baby goat snuggles and selfies.
Price: $45/per participant
To learn more and reserve your spot, click here.
Mount Gilead Farm
Calling all mountain lovers! Mount Gilead combines mountain views with playful goat yoga in their beautiful farm-surrounded pasture (weather permitting). Led by yogis Jenna and Jill, you’ll love this gentle class, focused on the rhythms of nature and connecting with the animals, individuals, and spaces around you.
Price: $30/per participant
To learn more, click here.
Asheville Wellness Tours
Move through your sun salutations and breathe in the fresh air alongside some of the cutest goats in the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Asheville Wellness Tours offers beginner-friendly yoga classes all year long. In the summer, classes take place outside in a beautiful, wide, open field. In the winter, you’ll snuggle up and stretch out beside a wood crackling fire. Asheville Wellness Tours also offers private goat yoga classes, perfect for birthdays, bachelorettes, or just an excuse to get the crew together!
Price: $45/per participant
To learn more, click here.
Why not give a go(at)?
Whether you’re new to yoga or a seasoned yogi, goat yoga is the perfect way to enhance your practice. Not only will you reap the benefits of yoga — including stress relief, improved flexibility, and reduced inflammation — but you’ll also experience the joy of connecting with animals and those around you.
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