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By Matt Tisdell |
Some adventurous Long Island yogis flocked to Tanger Deer Park Sunday morning to participate in yoga classes with a furry twist: free-roaming goats.
Held on the mall’s recently updated turf plaza, the event attracted a crowd of 60 who were eager to interact and exercise alongside eight goats.
Those able to snag a free reservation ahead of the event were led by Cheryl DelloRusso of Fox Dog Yoga Café in East Islip.
Meanwhile, the goats wandered freely throughout the fenced-in turf area.
Although the goats took some time to settle down upon arrival, with a few playfully headbutting each other, they soon began picking spots to relax and get pet from class members.
While one older goat laid square on the edge of a participant’s yoga mat, acting like a pillow, others, like the 3-month-old “Howie,” pranced around the space, much to the group’s amusement.
Along with a good workout, goat yoga is supposed to lower stress levels, but mostly adds some fun to yoga routines.
“It was pretty cool, sitting in the sunshine, communing with the animals, stretching a little bit, although I don’t think I’ll be able to walk tomorrow,” said one attendee who participated alongside his daughter, despite never previously practicing yoga.
The spectacle caught the eyes of shoppers, with dozens stopping by to snap photos while the sessions ran.
Midway through the second session, one goat broke through a pillar in the wooden fence before Karen Haleiko, owner of Steppin’ Out Ponies, the petting zoo in Central Islip that provided the event’s goats. She then corralled it with the help of a passerby.
The event, part of the outlets’ summer series program, aimed to promote the communal aspect of the mall and its surrounding athleisure brands, with marketing director Amaka Muir, 38, handing out $15 gift cards for women’s clothing brand Athleta to participants.
“We’re just really activating it to get different people here at the center,” Muir said. “We want to get people engaged and have a reason to come to the mall even if it’s not to shop,” she added, hoping the piazza will become a space for more community engagement.
Muir says they aim to hold a dog yoga class in October, planning to tie it in with the company’s TangerPink campaign in partnership with the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.
About the updates
What Tanger Outlets is calling Phase 1 of its recent update project is now complete.
Updates include, according to Tanger:
- A fresh look and new amenities
- More shopping, dining and leisure activities
- The redesigned Central Court Piazza, where guests can now gather beneath an accented pergola, surrounded by expansive green spaces.
- New al fresco dining areas in the Tanger Marketplace
- Charging stations
- Dog-watering stations
- A new children’s play area, and more
Top: Cheryl DelloRusso directs the goat yoga class at Tanger with Howie, a 3-month-old goat, next to the stage. (Credit: Matt Tisdell)
Matt Tisdell is a reporter with The SBU Media Group, part of Stony Brook University’s School of Communication and Journalism’s Working Newsroom program for students and local media.
