On October 17, right beside the library, a small pen was erected to contain the tribe of goats and the students who performed yoga with their assistance.
Over the last several years, goat yoga has gained prominence as a more rural alternative to puppy yoga. The goats on campus ranged from adulthood to merely a month old. A small crowd gathered around the pen to watch, pet, and snap pictures with adorable baby goats.
“It’s been a very successful event; I haven’t seen this many smiles and laughs in a long time. It’s just a testament to what the students union is able to do for the students here.”
Ryan, Marketing Executive of the Laurier Students Union Healthy Lifestyles Committee.
The most common yoga pose observed during the session was a form of a Bālāsana, where the student would arch their head forward and allow a baby goat to climb on their back.
“This is a wellness event; that’s what a lot of our events and campaigns focus on in our committee, to highlight the different wellness topics here at Laurier… overall an event to bring up the mood and happiness of the student body.”
Students across campus are stressed as the school year is in full swing and midterms begin to rear their ugly heads. Goat yoga served as a brief but important reprieve from the stress of university for many students.
There was often bleating, and occasionally, a goat would faint stiffly over. Still, the Laurier student population can rest assured that no goats or students were harmed during this interactive yoga session.
