~The Yoga With Goats Craze~
by Janine Bibeau
The reactions that I get when I tell people that I teach a yoga class with goats range from, "Sign me up!" to "Why on Earth would anyone want to do that?" Well, in this post, I will answer some questions from the skeptics and tell you about what makes Yoga With Goats at Jenness Farm such a unique positive experience.
What IS Yoga With Goats?
An all levels yoga class with a small herd of sweet little baby goats galloping around. We flow through poses and attempt to be mindful of our breath, but what is really different is the fact that we smile a whole lot. Goats are playful and enjoy your company. Certain yoga poses are an invitation for the goats to jump up on your back. Students equate this to a little massage. The poses that rank high on the goats' list would be table top, plank, and downward dog. Students are also free to reach down to pet the babies in standing poses too. It's a relaxed atmosphere with some giggles and a ton of sweetness.
Are You Able To Relax?
Yes! You are definitely going to get a different experience in this class. It's not the quiet and zen class you might find at your usual studio. We use our breath to center and guide our movements, but as you can imagine, the class is somewhat unpredictable. This helps to keep the delivery of the class relaxed and informal.
I have had students tell me that they are usually self conscious in a yoga class, but they were not in Yoga With Goats. The goats help you to get out of your head in a good way, to let loose, and have a little fun. Being around animals has shown to lower anxiety and stress levels. This is so clear in Yoga With Goats. They bring qualities to the class that most of us would like to invite more into our own lives...energy, joy, and innocence.
The babies also help to develop a strong sense of community among students. You may find yourself warning a neighbor that a goat is nibbling at her hair, laughing along side them, or commenting about the pure cuteness of it all. Conversations naturally flow between students after class as they reflect on their experience.
So, you may not go into a deep meditative state in this class, however you will certainly be releasing tension in a different way and having a whole lot of fun.
What About The Poop!
Well, as you can imagine, accidents do happen. These babies are not potty trained, however, there is a clean up crew on standby to swoop in to clean up any mess that might occur. Bottom line, you may not want to wear your most expensive yoga tights to a yoga class on the farm.
Don't They Chew On Everything?
We ask students with long hair to wear it fastened into a bun. We also ask that you do not wear draw strings or loose clothing. They do like to chew on things because they are curious and much like a baby human, they learn a whole lot about an object by putting in their mouth. However, a hood does come in handy to cover your bun!
How Do You Focus?
I like to think of Yoga With Goats as a life lesson. In traditional Yoga classes we say that what you practice on the mat is preparing you for the world off the mat. We put ourselves into challenging positions and practice using our breath as a tool of relaxation so that when something challenging happens in our real life, our breath, flexibility, strength, and ability to focus kicks in.
In a Yoga With Goats class, you may be balancing in tree pose while the goats gallop around the room. The practice of maintaining focus on your breath and being mindful of your body is certainly building resilience. In life we cannot control everything that happens around us, but we can control how we react to it....with practice. So, yes, at times we are trying to find some calm amidst the chaos and I think that is a good thing!
An all levels yoga class with a small herd of sweet little baby goats galloping around. We flow through poses and attempt to be mindful of our breath, but what is really different is the fact that we smile a whole lot. Goats are playful and enjoy your company. Certain yoga poses are an invitation for the goats to jump up on your back. Students equate this to a little massage. The poses that rank high on the goats' list would be table top, plank, and downward dog. Students are also free to reach down to pet the babies in standing poses too. It's a relaxed atmosphere with some giggles and a ton of sweetness.
Are You Able To Relax?
Yes! You are definitely going to get a different experience in this class. It's not the quiet and zen class you might find at your usual studio. We use our breath to center and guide our movements, but as you can imagine, the class is somewhat unpredictable. This helps to keep the delivery of the class relaxed and informal.
I have had students tell me that they are usually self conscious in a yoga class, but they were not in Yoga With Goats. The goats help you to get out of your head in a good way, to let loose, and have a little fun. Being around animals has shown to lower anxiety and stress levels. This is so clear in Yoga With Goats. They bring qualities to the class that most of us would like to invite more into our own lives...energy, joy, and innocence.
The babies also help to develop a strong sense of community among students. You may find yourself warning a neighbor that a goat is nibbling at her hair, laughing along side them, or commenting about the pure cuteness of it all. Conversations naturally flow between students after class as they reflect on their experience.
So, you may not go into a deep meditative state in this class, however you will certainly be releasing tension in a different way and having a whole lot of fun.
What About The Poop!
Well, as you can imagine, accidents do happen. These babies are not potty trained, however, there is a clean up crew on standby to swoop in to clean up any mess that might occur. Bottom line, you may not want to wear your most expensive yoga tights to a yoga class on the farm.
Don't They Chew On Everything?
We ask students with long hair to wear it fastened into a bun. We also ask that you do not wear draw strings or loose clothing. They do like to chew on things because they are curious and much like a baby human, they learn a whole lot about an object by putting in their mouth. However, a hood does come in handy to cover your bun!
How Do You Focus?
I like to think of Yoga With Goats as a life lesson. In traditional Yoga classes we say that what you practice on the mat is preparing you for the world off the mat. We put ourselves into challenging positions and practice using our breath as a tool of relaxation so that when something challenging happens in our real life, our breath, flexibility, strength, and ability to focus kicks in.
In a Yoga With Goats class, you may be balancing in tree pose while the goats gallop around the room. The practice of maintaining focus on your breath and being mindful of your body is certainly building resilience. In life we cannot control everything that happens around us, but we can control how we react to it....with practice. So, yes, at times we are trying to find some calm amidst the chaos and I think that is a good thing!
Classes are offered Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. For more information and to sign up for Yoga With Goats classes as Jenness Farm, please visit www.jennessfarm.com .
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