WKU hosts goat yoga session to help students

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (WBKO) - It’s not uncommon to see cardinals or wildcats on Kentucky college campuses, but what about goats?

Western Kentucky University held their second goat yoga session for this school year. Goat Yoga takes the medicinal benefits of yoga, like increased flexibility and blood flow, and adds the serotonin boost of getting to play with goats.

“If you love animals, I would definitely recommend doing goat yoga. If you’re scared of goats, probably not because you get to have a lot of one on one time with them. But you get to pick them up, take pictures, it’s a lot of fun,” said WKU freshman Malea Plough.

Students were coached through yoga poses by a university instructor, while goats from Westbrook farms played and ran around them.

“The benefits of yoga in general are the mind-body experience, the calming, the stress relief, the flexibility, the balance,” said Student Wellness Navigator Amy Wininger. “With the goats added to it, of course it draws a bigger crowd, but also the students just love to feel the cuteness and feel the heartbeat, the warmth.”

Area Coordinator for the university’s Resident Life Association, Chad Lawhorn, said the event was meant to help students take a deep breath before starting the spring semester.

“Yoga is obviously a great exercise to exercise some of those demons out. But also, we wanted to combine that with bringing goats along,” Lawhorn said. “It’s known that goats bring up dopamine in humans.”

“I definitely think it was a stress reliever,” Plough said. “You get to go out here with your friends and just really have a lot of fun.”

While nothing is determined yet, Lawhorn said with student reception, it’s likely the goats will be back soon.

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