The ex-monk letting people cuddle his cows

Visitors can "cuddle" any of the sanctuary's 12 cows

Grahame Barritt has been involved in the protection of cows for over 25 years.

His love for their "mothering instinct and gentle nature" led the 59-year-old to set up his own sanctuary, called Sri Lakshmi Gaushala, in Ceredigion, 15 years ago.

But after a long time working with the cows alone, the ex-monk decided he wanted to share his passion for the farm animals with others.

And so his cow cuddling service was born.

Cow cuddling, or "koe knuffelen" in Dutch, emerged in the Netherlands more than decade ago.

Since then, it has gained traction in the US and across Europe.

It is believed to promote positivity and reduce stress, and is described by many of the places offering it as "therapy".

Like Grahame's, most farms offer visitors the opportunity to sit with one or more of their cows for up to two or three hours.

Their warmer body temperature, great size and calm nature makes giving them a squeeze a "meditative" experience, Grahame said.

"People generally say how relaxed they feel afterward," Grahame said.

"Quite often after a session, a lot will even say they want to take a little nap."

Grahame has observed over the years that just like humans, cows have their own unique personalities and quirks.

This means many visitors will find they connect with one in particular of the 12 cows at his sanctuary.

"Every session begins with an introduction to each cow, and I explain a little about their backgrounds and their life," he said.

"It's about the person making a bond or moving on and finding a cow that they want to spend some time with."

Grahame says some cows are bold and upfront, while others are shy and reserved

One of the people that says they have built a deep connection with a cow at the sanctuary is Natasha Williams.

The 42-year-old chose to sponsor Jaganath - or Mr Bear as he is fondly nicknamed - after visiting the west Wales site last year to meet cows "on a more personal level".

"It was felt so grounding and just really, really relaxing," Natasha said of the first session she spent at the sanctuary.

Natasha Williams and her son, Nico, now visit the sanctuary regularly

"I used to be quite scared of [the cows] because of the sheer size of them," she said.

"But once you get up close and personal with them, you just realise how beautiful they are."

Natasha currently runs her own beauty business, but is training to work as a sound healer, using vibrations to promote healing and relaxation.

She therefore decided to ask Grahame whether he thought the cows would benefit from her practice, and now visits monthly to work with them.

"They find it really relaxing. You get signals from them." Natasha said.

"You see them having a release of some sort, they may yawn, or they may shake and cry."

Grahame and Natasha are working towards offering sound baths - a form of meditation where those in attendance are "bathed" in sound waves - at the sanctuary alongside the cows.

Jessie, 27, says you can tell the cows enjoy the cow cuddling sessions

Jessie, 27, said she has been "obsessed" with cows her whole life.

The librarian is originally from Massachusetts, US, but now lives in Edinburgh with her partner, where she often visits a local farm to spend time observing the highland cows there.

The pair saw a trip down south from Scotland to celebrate a friend's graduation as the perfect opportunity to fit in a session at Grahame's sanctuary.

"Since moving here, we've been really looking for an experience where we could get up close and personal with the cows and so this one seemed really perfect," Jessie said.

She found her time at Grahame's sanctuary "incredibly centering" and "peaceful".

"Even in being here just for a short time, you just forget everything else and you get to just look into their eyes and pet them.

"It's a really nice relaxing feel."

Grahame hopes to continue growing his service

Grahame said that over the last year, the sanctuary had been "very busy" as cow cuddling seems to be gaining popularity.

"Throughout the country and the world, cows seem to be becoming a lot more recognised for the gentle beings that they are," he said.

He is currently at the limit for how many cows can fit on the land he rents, but hopes that offering the cow cuddling sessions will eventually allow him to expand the sanctuary.

For now, however, he said he was thankful the sessions mean he also gets to spend more time with the animals.

"I used to feel like I never had enough time for the cows," he said.

"So doing the cuddling has been absolutely fantastic as they get loads of attention and affection."