I’ve been seeing the concept of goat yoga showing up all over the Internet and I love yoga, I love goats so why not? When I saw that there was going to be a class offered not that far away at Hancock Shaker Village, I couldn’t miss it!
Hancock Shaker Village is just a quick hop over the New York border to Pittsfield, MA. A celebration of the Shakers and their impact on America. It’s a beautiful site to walk through, to talk to the people there who are experts in their craft. Shakers came to America in 1774 and you can enter a part of their world today from blacksmithing, box making, seeing what a Shaker home used to look like, a farm and more! This living Shaker museum has 20 authentic Shaker buildings to explore.
A few weeks ago, Hancock Shaker Village offered goat yoga. A beginner vinyasa foundations class, the only difference was that we were surrounded by goats the entire hour. It was oddly peaceful. Practicing my focus as well as working on being one with not nature but actual animals made for a really cool experience. I probably focused more on the goats than I did the yoga but I had a really great time. They’re so unpredictable, it really keeps you on your toes. I recommend bringing a mat that you don’t care as much about- they may try to eat it! The best part was that we were practicing under silos and the money made from this series of goat yoga classes allowed the village to repair them.