Goat & Lamb Yoga

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Sat 28 Apr 2018

For some time now, the Possum Valley Animal Shelter has been giving Goat Yoga classes. If you love animals and like to interact with them, then these yoga classes are for you!



Goat yoga is the latest "craze" to hit the world, and here in Perth, it's popularity has astounded organisers, with the first few Yoga with Goats classes in Mt Helena, selling out within hours of being posted on the Possum Valley Animal Sanctuary's social media pages!



Goat Yoga has been described as an animal-assisted therapy in a natural setting, with a clever, social, and profoundly cuddly animal. It's not a cure for many things, however it is an amazing distraction from work, stress, sickness or depression.

Mark Hayman, who runs Possum Valley Animal Sanctuary with partner Chris Rafferty, said the popularity of the fundraising event exceeded all their expectations, and they are therefore holding these classes regularly.

They commenced late last year (2017) and they then added more dates in November and they also sold out!

At the Sanctuary, the instructor, Dimity Wehr, practices many forms of yoga including Hatha, Vinyasa and Bikram yoga. The Goat Yoga sequence will incorporate a variety of yoga styles and finish with a Savasana and meditation.

Most of the goats and lambs used for this are hand raised, or at least well handled, gentle and affectionate, making them ideal for this type of class!



If any of the animals do get a bit too exuberant, sanctuary volunteers will be available to divert their attention and take them to the "naughty corner" for time out on their own!

It is believed that goat yoga and meditation combine physical and mental health benefits with the playfulness of goats.

You can now book for this fun-filled session of Yoga and "meditative bliss".... with both goats as well as lambs!

They will be held at the Sanctuary on Sunday 8th April 2018 from 3.00 pm, as well as on Saturday 28th April 2018 at 2.00 pm, but hurry and book now to avoid disappointment as classes are still filling up fast. It will be held in one of their paddocks and as such, will be dependant on weather. Should it be bad weather, you will be offered alternative dates, or refunds will be available to those unable to attend a rescheduled time.



While in these classes, the Possum Valley's adorable goat and lamb family wander around, adjust your pose, snuggle up and join in. Bring your yoga mat, sunglasses, insect repellent, appropriate non-restrictive clothing and be prepared for some great fun. Cost is just $30 and know that this money will go to a really worthwhile and much-needed cause.

You can find out more about these fabulous classes and see the other things this worthwhile charity do to help animals, at this Facebook page.

[b]About the Sanctuary[/b]
The Sanctuary is a not for profit association and they aim to prevent and/or relieve the suffering of native and "farm" animals. They do a wonderful job of rescuing these animals and of course, being a non profit association, they are always needing funds, and therefore hold a variety of events to help fund the daily care of their animals.



Last winter, hoof prints were seen in a regional park. Each day, there were new prints and they appeared to be made by a sheep or a goat. Because these areas have so many foxes and other threats to this kind of animal, the Sanctuary were concerned about which animal it was and if they were okay.

They then made a plan to capture the animal from the bushland, and this had to be done before summer started, when conditions would be difficult for the [i]"hooved hobo"[/i].

They then put a motion camera in place to give an idea of what they were actually looking to catch. With hay and chaff as the bait, it was not long until the "offender" came into view - a beautiful, little woolly ewe!

Over the days, the little ewe got used to coming by for breakfast at the yard! It was often seen with kangaroos, and eventually her visits became like clockwork. A helper than managed to observe and catch her and she was put into a trailer and as she had no identification, was taken to the Valley.

Once she arrived there, the ewe was delighted to find other ovine friends. The flock was welcoming, so once vaccinated, wormed and health checked, Carmen, as she was then named, joined some very enthusiastic sheep companions.

Just a week later, while bringing out the evening hay feed to the paddock, staff noticed a set of small eyes reflecting in the torchlight next to Carmen.

They were delighted to find a very wobbly new born ewe which stood behind a very proud Mum! Little "Mary Lamb" was just a few hours old, and staff had not realised that Carmen was in lamb due to her over full fleece, so it was a great surprise!

The sanctuary were so happy that Mary was born in the safety of the Valley, and the alpacas guarded her carefully.

#health_fitness
#mount_helena
#pets
#seniors
#unusual_events
#yoga
#april
!date 28/04/2018 -- 28/04/2018
%wnperth