I went to yoga Sunday morning expecting calm breaths, gentle stretches, and a moment of zen.
Instead, I got a front-row seat to an alpaca-powered wellness experience involving yoga, Twister, airborne livestock, and the attempted kidnapping of one of my Skechers.
So much for inner peace.
We had barely settled onto our mats before the alpacas began establishing the morning’s ground rules.
Mostly, there weren’t any.
One rolled across the yoga mats like a fuzzy bowling ball claiming territory. Others simply plopped down in the middle of everything, completely unconcerned about the humans attempting to stretch around them.
Apparently, yoga mats are considered communal property in the alpaca nursery.
Personal boundaries were also optional.
Things became even more interesting once treats entered the equation.
Or, more accurately, once an alpaca suspected treats had become available.
While I was holding a stretching pose, an alpaca decided someone on the other side of me might have food.
There was no investigation.
No alternate route.
No warning.
An alpaca simply jumped over me.
One second, I was concentrating on my pose.
The next, an alpaca is airborne above me, propelled entirely by optimism and snack-driven instinct.
The Great Skechers Incident
Then one of them discovered my sneaker sitting behind my mat.
He picked it up and started shaking it around like a dog with a chew toy.
I didn’t immediately realize what was happening behind me.
Until my own sneaker smacked me in the back.
I turned around.
The alpaca froze.
There we were, staring at each other—me sitting on my yoga mat, the alpaca standing there with my shoe dangling from his mouth.
Zero remorse. Just a blank stare that seemed to say, What up?
After relinquishing the sneaker, he moved closer and stuck his nose directly in my face.
I could feel his warm breath against my skin as we stared at each other from inches away.
Apparently, personal space was no longer even a suggestion.
Without warning, he dropped to the ground and lay down right on top of my Skechers.
If he couldn’t steal them, he was going to claim squatter’s rights.
There is something especially humbling about negotiating ownership of your footwear with an alpaca.
Alpaca Twister
Midway, yoga turned into a full-contact game of alpaca Twister.
We had legs stretched in every direction while alpacas wandered between us, stepped around us, plopped beside us, and occasionally decided the most direct route to wherever they wanted to go was straight through the humans.
Left leg out.
Right arm over.
Alpaca coming through.
Hold that pose.
Maybe.
While I was trying to hold one pose, an alpaca wandered over, inspected my brown leggings, and gave them a little tug with his mouth.
Not a bite, more of an alpaca love nibble.
Then Came the Cuddles
Along with all the mischief, the alpacas had an incredibly sweet side.
Without warning, one plopped down beside me on the mat.
One minute, I was protecting my Skechers from an attempted takeover.
The next, an Alpaca is stretched beside me, resting comfortably across my legs as though we’d been friends for years.
The Real Yoga Lesson
Yoga with alpacas isn’t quiet.
It isn’t predictable.
And personal space is definitely not included.
But it is joyful, surprisingly grounding, and a pretty wonderful way to spend a Sunday morning.
Maybe that was the real yoga lesson.
The morning didn’t unfold exactly as expected.
Neither did most of the poses.
But sometimes the best experiences are the ones where you breathe, stay flexible, laugh at the unexpected, and just make room for an alpaca who decides to share your mat.
With Thanks
A special thank-you to Donna’s Fit for Life for leading the morning with remarkable patience and composure while the alpacas repeatedly ignored the lesson plan, invaded the mats, interrupted poses, and generally did whatever they pleased.
And thank you to LunaSea Alpacas for providing the setting, the cuddles, the chaos, and more comic relief than any yoga class could reasonably expect.
Llama-ste. 🦙
Part of the Horse Girls in the Wild Series
