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Fans Of ‘Goat Yoga’ Move To A Different ‘Bleat’

Yoga enthusiasts from across Washington D.C. bend, twist and hold a pose under the curious gaze of farm animals as a local farm on the … Continue reading Fans Of ‘Goat Yoga’ Move To A Different ‘Bleat’


Yoga enthusiasts from across Washington D.C. bend, twist and hold a pose under the curious gaze of farm animals as a local farm on the outskirts of the U.S. capital joins a growing trend in the United States— yoga with goats.

At ‘The Little Goat Farm at the Lake’, a dairy farm in Nokesville, Virginia, goats of different sizes and colors nuzzled with the guests, often jumping on their backs and nibbling on their hair as the students struggled to maintain their yoga poses. Many guests bought bags of corn to feed the goats.

The classes, that can now be found from Oregon to Arizona to Massachusetts, encourage yoga practitioners to interact with goats, in an environment very different from a traditional yoga studio.

“The yoga was great but I can’t say I had any focus on it, so we really just wanted to come together. How many opportunities do you have to play with a bunch of little, teeny goats?” said yoga practitioner Jeri Gelb, who brought her daughter along for a birthday celebration.

Goat yoga may be an unorthodox spin on the ancient discipline hailed for both its physical and mental benefits, but yoga instructor Beth Wolfe hopes the event will draw more people into exploring the practice.

“There is this synergy between people who love animals and who practice yoga. It’s about having a connection and I think the peace of being out in nature is really appealing to people so I knew it would be successful,” said Yoga instructor Beth Wolfe said.

While the guest list included regular practitioners, many were yoga novices drawn by the promise of playing with baby goats.

“I thought it was a real fun experience. I was hoping one of them wouldn’t relieve themselves on me,” said Joanna Douti.

About 200 people attended the event, only the second such class held on the farm.

Owner Susanne Marsh opened up the farm to visitors after learning of the benefits of animal therapy. Goats are also used to calm race horses and she hopes their calming influence can extend to human beings as well.

“The goats are having a lot more fun, between you and I, than the people are here. They love it. They can’t get enough of attention,” Marsh said.