Goat yoga, a trend that's been sweeping the nation over the past year or two, has arrived in the Scenic City. Goat Yoga Chattanooga is holding its first event Saturday, Aug. 4 from 9-10:30 a.m. at a downtown-area location which will be disclosed to ticket-holders the day before.
Goat yoga is pretty much what one would imagine. Like a typical yoga class, participants do a series of poses lead by a certified instructor; but with goat yoga, the poses are interrupted by cuddly, climbing, comedic (and occasionally pooping) baby goats.
A goat climbs onto the back of a yogi during one of Goat Yoga Chattanooga owner Becca Caney's friends' classes in Dallas, Texas. The success of that business inspired Caney to start her own in her new hometown when she moved to Chattanooga."There's a lot of laughing involved," said Goat Yoga Chattanooga owner Becca Caney, who learned of the fitness trend in her previous hometown of Dallas, Texas, where she had friends who'd had great success with their own goat yoga business.
When Caney moved with her husband and three boys to Chattanooga a year ago and discovered that the trend hadn't made it here yet, she decided to give it a go.
"I felt the people of Chattanooga would really bite onto it," she said.
During the hour-long class Aug. 4, Goat Yoga Chattanooga will have assistants on-hand to photograph yogis with the goats in action. After class, participants will have another 30 minutes to pet and play with their new hoofed friends.
Tickets for the 30 spots available for this first event quickly sold out, but Caney said she may offer a second class that day if she gets more requests from people interested in participating. Four or five goats per 30 people is a good goat-to-yogi ratio, she explained, and attempting to add any more of either would likely result in chaos.
If she decides to add another class for Aug. 4, it will be announced via the Goat Yoga Chattanooga Facebook page, where she'll also be posting information on future classes along with links to purchase tickets on event management website Eventbrite.
Caney plans to hold regular classes on Saturday mornings, and to possibly add afternoon "happy hour" classes during the week if there's interest.
As she works to get her personal property rezoned for goats, Goat Yoga Chattanooga will hold classes at Midtown-area locations that will be disclosed to ticket-holders the day prior. This helps the business ensure everyone pays, she said.
A goat climbs onto the back of a yogi during one of Goat Yoga Chattanooga owner Becca Caney's friends' classes in Dallas, Texas. The success of that business inspired Caney to start her own in her new hometown when she moved to Chattanooga.For the first event they'll be borrowing seven- to eight-week-old pygmy goats, each weighing around 40-50 pounds, from a farm in Cleveland, Tennessee.
"They're low maintenance, but really responsive, much like a puppy," Caney said, adding that the young pygmies have similar therapeutic qualities to dogs.
All the proceeds from the first event's $18 tickets will go to Chattanooga Preparatory School, a public charter school for boys that will open its doors in August to its inaugural class of 60 sixth-graders. Caney plans to charge $18-$20 for tickets to future classes, she said.
For more information visit facebook.com/goatyogachattanooga.
Email Emily Crisman at ecrisman@timesfreepress.com.