Miniature goat yoga brings 'so much joy' to Dimboola yogis, aged care residents

Oct 02, 2023

In the small western Victorian town of Dimboola, monthly yoga classes with a difference are held in a grassy green paddock, near a corrugated iron shed.

Participants bring their yoga mats, sweat towels and a bleatingly open mind, because the other prop is a flock of five-week-old Australian miniature goats.

"The idea behind the whole business is, I just love my goats so much that I really wanted to share the joy," said breeder Bec Walker.

Yoga instructor Janelle Inkster was introduced to baby goat yoga in Canada 20 years ago.

She found it to be a fun and entertaining experience but also a tranquil way to relax.

"If you can be around animals, for certain people that brings you into the parasympathetic system, which means you are relaxed and calm and can enjoy your day," Ms Inkster said.

She says the classes don't have a strict focus on yoga techniques.

"It's not serious. It's just relaxed movement and any movement is good for people," Ms Inkster said.

"Everyone here has got a big smile on their face.

"[It's] a little bit of movement [and] a little bit of a cuddle."

For the baby goats, human interaction from a young age is important, Ms Walker says.

"I spend a lot of time with them right from the time that they're born," she said.

"And that's really the key to making them super friendly. So, if you give them lots of cuddles right from the first day, then they don't see you as a threat at all."

Katrina Fraser brought her daughter along to try the unique yoga experience.

"I thought, 'That looks fun'. So, I dragged one of my kids along," she said.

"Most people would think of yoga as being peaceful and serene, but baby goat yoga was a little different.

"There was lots of laughing and suspicious noises from the goats."

During the unique yoga experience, Ms Fraser joked that perhaps she got more than she bargained for.

"I 'gave birth' to a goat when I had my legs up in the air," she said.

"All of a sudden I had goats coming out of my derrière."

Joelle Brown heard about the yoga classes from a friend and also couldn't resist.

"I thought the goats were very cute," she said.

"It was great fun because there was a 'stacks on' situation and I thought 'Goodness, I'll never get up again!'"

Ms Walker wants everyone to experience the joy of cuddling tiny goats.

She already holds children's play sessions with the goats and also has regular visits to her farm by elderly people from a nearby aged care facility.

"I love working with nursing home participants and disability clients," Ms Walker said.

"It has a special place in my heart to do that sort of thing and create so much joy from the goats.

"If you're having a bad day you just go out and sit with them and you just have to smile.

"It just makes you happy and I just wanted to share that with other people."

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