Goat Yoga: The wild exercise craze descends on Durham

DURHAM, North Carolina (WTVD) -- Yoga is all about discipline, focus, and unbreakable concentration. It brings about quiet relaxation through different poses and movements. So, a natural addition to this peaceful practice is a handful of untrained farm animals.

Downward goat?

Goat Yoga emerged to serve the droves of women hoping to escape kids jumping on their backs all day by taking an exercise class where kids jump on their backs.

Now that takes serious skill

All kidding aside, the new Goat Yoga craze is selling out classes from Oregon to North Carolina. Yoga practitioners try to Cat Cow and Downward Dog while little Nigerian Dwarf goats amble around, climb on their back, and sometimes lay right in their way.

"What is this lady even doing?" - The goats, probably

The idea behind the trend is that Goat Yoga is not just fun, it has true therapeutic benefits. Having a good giggle at a goat staring you in the face or licking your neck can help heal what ails you.

We can see how this would be a totally relaxing and not at all distracting way to practice yoga

Hux Family Farm in Durham, near Falls Lake, has jumped hoof-first into the bizarre trend. The goats, with a haughty ignorance of personal space, will not hesitate to leap onto a participant's back and lick the sweat off your face. The babies enjoy a good cuddle and will leap into your lap to do so.

Cuddling a baby goat while exercising is a concept we can completely get behind.

If cuddling a baby goat counts as exercise, sign us up.

Hux Family Farm offers Yoga with Goats and Meditation with Goats. Learn more about their classes here.

Some yogis enjoy the goat's calming presence

Classes are $15, but if you want to share a more profound experience with these spiritual quadrupeds, Hux Farm offers private classes for up to 15 people at $300 per class.

Hux Farm is located at 1923 Shaw Road in Durham.

This goat is in its element