After many months of preparation and anticipation, the goats finally arrived on the UCLA campus. The Her Campus at UCLA team hosted Goat Yoga event was a success, and was a fun way to relax for everyone involved. With sunny skies, a light breeze and beautiful 60 degree weather, the setting was great to capture those perfect insta pics.
In order to put on this goat-tastic event, Her Campus at UCLA reserved a spot of grass on Wilson Plaza, setting up a white picket fence and speakers. The music was light EDM, setting the chill vibe ideal for de-stressing college students in the stressful week 8. At the center of the fenced square was the yoga instructor, Caith Wright, seamlessly guiding all 60 participants through each yoga formation and position. The two goats were free to roam around in the square the fence made, sometimes jumping on people’s backs. Two men dressed in overalls led the goats on leashes, one being the owner of the goats, Eli Bahar.
Bahar is a second year economics and accounting major at the University of California, Santa Barbara. He decided to start the business, YoGoat, to try to make goat yoga more accessible after participating in goat yoga himself. The goats are both 4 months old, one black and white named Enzo, and the other beige and white named Henry. They are trained for goat yoga, but can also be invited to various events like weddings and birthday parties. Check our profile on Eli here!
Most people seemed to really enjoy participating in the goat yoga, or at least watching it. There were plenty of students passing by and stopping to take a quick pic or video. It was a mixture of novelty and intrigue that brought people to check out the event, but just seeing such a spectacle was enough to de-stress students for a bit.
As for the yoga instructor, it was Wright’s first time teaching yoga with goats about. When asked how the experience was, she said, “Crazy, it was crazy. No one was focusing. I would say it was fun and playful, but it wasn’t yoga.” However, she seemed just as excited as everyone else about being with the goats. It was more a fun time with goats, and a side of yoga. However, if you are interested in more exposure and experience, Wright teaches yoga at the Sunset Recreation Center. Wright also mentioned that she liked that it was a great opportunity to attract animal lovers, who may have been intrigued in yoga but had no experience in it. Check out our profile on Caith here!
The yoga session lasted around an hour, and afterwards the goats were available for pictures (AKA the best part). One participant, Alyssa Tassone, a fourth year psychology major, said, “It was really fun and cute seeing the goats on campus and interacting with them. I felt really honored having them jump on my back. It felt like I was being chosen.”
Even the New York Knicks were among the audience watching the goats, after finishing practice in UCLA’s Student Activities Center. Player Kyle O’Quinn even took to Instagram to show his excitement, posting a video on his Instagram story of the event.
All in all, it was a fun filled event spent in the warmth of the sun with goats, a much needed break from the pressures of the last wave of midterms and before the storm of finals.
To see all the fun photos from our goat yoga event, check out our Facebook page and be sure to post all your cute photos using the tag #hcgoatyoga for a chance to win one of our giveaway items!
Photos courtesy of Carly Steinberg