Goat yoga: 'What more could you want?'

Udderly ridiculous, traditionalists might say, but goat yoga is just another of the weird and wonderful ways people do yoga.

Already a trend in the United States, goat yoga classes and retreats are now popping up around Sydney.

Inge Sildnik, a professional stuntwoman who has been teaching yoga for 16 years, taught her first goat yoga class in Sydney's Galston last week.

"I was really unsure about what was going to happen and how it was going to go. It was all pretty crazy but there were smiles all round, so it was pretty awesome," says Sildnik, the owner of Eliit Therapies & Body Balance who created the class after the owner of a local kindy farm agreed to provide the animals.

"Yoga has its benefits and everybody loves baby animals so combine the two together and what more could you want?"

During two outdoor classes, 50 participants who were both new and old to yoga flowed through a traditional yoga sequence while 10 baby goats roam free, climbing on people and kidding around.

"One person got a little golden shower but it was just on their mat and there were a few little pellets all over the place," Sildnik admits. "The baby goats are not too small or too heavy and because they like climbing and jumping, it does work well with some of the poses."

Biance Kinnear, 38, is an occupational therapist who has been practicing yoga for three years.

"I've not done yoga with animals before – it's a unique experience," says Kinnear, who has a miniature horse that she takes to hospitals, palliative care units and nursing homes as equine therapy.

"I know the connection animals have with humans but I haven't connected with animals therapeutically myself so I thought it would be a good experience to try and I really loved it."

It was not the relaxation experience she might have expected from a normal yoga class, but it was equally valuable, Kinnear says.

"I just had the internal feeling of happiness. I felt so light and refreshed and happy – you couldn't wipe the smile off my face for the rest of the afternoon," she says. "[Sildnik] gave snippets along the way about enjoying the moment and 'if a goat comes up to you, reach out stabilise your core and pat it' – it incorporated yoga principles with having fun."

Sildnik says she plans to make the classes a monthly event.

"Everyone was smiling, everyone was happy. I've had such a good response," she says.

"For me, yoga is a mental, spiritual and physical practice. If people are getting enjoyment out of having the baby goats around them, they're moving, it gets people outside, it gets people involved who may never have done exercise and it has health benefits of increasing serotonin and dopamine levels and decreasing your stress hormones, your cortisol levels. It has so many health benefits to it."

Unconventional, sure, but as Sildnik asks: "What is a traditional yoga class these days anyway?"

Yoga gets weird and wonderful

Beer yoga: Post-yoga beer appreciation or using your beer bottle during class as a prop and for "hydration"

Doga: Using your puppy as a prop to deepen your pose.

Ganja yoga: "Bringing together two great spiritual practices and using marijuana as a way of enhancing the experience." Uh-huh.

Nude yoga: You guessed it, the class for those who find beauty in the buff.

Acro-yoga: Blending the dynamic power of acrobatics with the soothing sensations of yoga.