Downward dog was quickly replaced by prancing goat as the yoga pose of choice Saturday at the Westbrook Farms event barn in Alvaton.

Showing the kind of limberness and flexibility that experienced yogis seek, baby goats bounced and climbed over, around and through the 18 students being led through a yoga session by DeAnn Stanley of Bowling Green’s Be Happy Yoga and Salt Cave.

Goat yoga, sidelined locally for more than a year by the coronavirus pandemic, returned Saturday as the bleats and baahs of the four-legged kids were matched only by the startled giggles and belly laughs of their bipedal friends.

Any aspirations of a peaceful nirvana evaporated as soon as Millie Westbrook turned the 10 baby goats loose in a barnful of people clad in workout clothes.

“They like to jump and run, so this is right up their alley,” Westbrook said of the animals who were all around two months old. “Anything they can jump or climb on, they’re going to do it.”

And they did, which made Stanley’s job a bit more challenging.

“We don’t normally laugh and giggle in yoga class, but feel free to do that today,” Stanley told her students as they went through some stretching exercises.

The class itself was a bit of a stretch beyond the normally peaceful yoga class that can combine physical and spiritual dimensions, but Stanley said having young billies and nannies in the room only enhances the experience.

“Yoga helps improve physical and mental well-being,” Stanley said. “You usually focus inward and put aside any focus on outside distractions. The goats add a bit of distraction, but it’s a fun distraction. It adds more of a connection with nature.”

Stanley herself was seen to giggle a bit Saturday, even as she led her students through challenging exercises made only more difficult as the goats imposed on the poses.

“I’ve practiced yoga for years,” Stanley said, “and goat yoga is the most lively class you’ll ever see. Every class is different, depending on how active the goats are.

“Sometimes they’re calm, and other times they’re wildly active. What’s common is a lot of laughter and smiling. That’s refreshing, considering the year we’ve had.”

Chelsey Davis, manager of Be Happy Yoga and Salt Cave, said adding goats makes the yoga classes fit her company’s name.

“Yoga helps you de-stress,” Davis said. “Adding the goats just makes you happy. How could you not be happy around little animals?”

The goat yoga class was a first for many of the students and for Westbrook Farms. Davis said goat yoga classes had been held at Buck Creek Stables in Smiths Grove before being put on hold by the pandemic.

“They (Buck Creek Stables) referred us to Millie,” Davis said. “This is a bigger area, and that’s good because we still need to do social distancing.”

The barn did get a little crowded as the goats refused to abide by those social distancing protocols.

Chelsea Gouine, a self-described “animal lover” who moved to Bowling Green from Michigan six months ago, found herself surrounded by the goats for much of the class. They climbed on her back as she did prone poses and stretched their front paws up to her chest as she stood.

“I didn’t expect the goats to be that friendly,” Gouine said after the class, laughing about the experience. “I like it. I think it’s really fun.”

Gouine, 28, said she will be back for more yoga, either in traditional classes or in the kind that involves frolicking with four-legged friends.

“I like to do yoga because it makes my body feel good,” she said. “It’s very calming and relaxing. I like animals, too. They’re sweet and they’re soft. Plus it’s nice to be outside on the farm.”

This won’t be the last goat yoga class, Westbrook said.

Her barn is normally used for weddings, birthday parties and petting zoo events, but Westbrook said she has already scheduled goat yoga events with Be Happy Yoga on April 29 and May 8.

– Follow business reporter Don Sergent on Twitter @BGDNbusiness or visit bgdailynews.com.