Goat Yoga
Caprine Vinyasa ~ Yoga With Goat-Kids!
Combining the benefits of vinyasa yoga with the playful antics of baby goats.
It’s back for March and April 2023!
What is Goat Yoga?
As its name suggests, goat yoga is a novelty practice where participants practice yoga alongside young goat companions. The idea was popularized in 2016 by Lainey Morse, who says her goats would always brighten her day during some of the most challenging times of her life. She was inspired to bring that same feeling to others, and goat yoga soon became widespread.
Goat yoga may sound silly in practice, but its goal is ultimately to make yoga participants laugh, smile and just have fun. As a result, they will find more peace and tranquility.
At Sage Meadow Farm, we practice Caprine Vinyasa. Put simply, Caprine Vinyasa is a beginners’ yoga class enhanced with playful goat-kids. Each class is taught by a certified yoga instructor. Class participants are encouraged to pet, cuddle and hold the kids, at the kids’ leisure. You may find yourself in a posture, when suddenly a goat-kid (or posse of kids) may start climbing on you. Like most youngsters, goat kids are easily distracted and have a short attention span, so their visits with you are likely to be in brief intervals. But they also are known to suddenly lay down on a random mat for a quick nap.
Why Yoga with Goats?
While it’s true that a meditative yoga practice is good for the mind and body, every now and then, we all need to step back from taking ourselves too seriously. Goat kids’ playful antics will often interact with practicing yogis, helping them to stay present in the moment. Do you stretch deeper into the pose, or do you relax and nuzzle with a curious kid that is demanding your attention? You get to decide!
How are the goat-kids with all of this?
Our goat-kids love the attention! From the moment they are born, our goats are socialized with lots of daily human interaction, as well as interaction with other animals on our farm. This allows them to grow into adulthood with little fear of their human handlers. The only thing kids love more than curling up in a human lap is probably jumping on the person’s shoulders. Our goat-kids are anything but shy! But like all little ones, they have accidents, and we will have pee/poo patrollers on duty to quickly clean up any messes.
When are the classes?
Please watch this page, join our mailing list, or follow our Facebook page for details!
Classes for 2023 have ended!
We are so grateful for our dedicated team of teachers, volunteers, Farmers, sponsors, … and baby goats!
This year, we set goals to raise funds for the Easthampton Community Center, Yoga with Angelica, Cloa’s Animal Sanctuary, and the Easthampton Farmer’s Market. This season we raised $8,285 for our causes, which brings our total community-donations to over $45,000 since we started this annual event.
Thank you!
We will still be having pop up events with the goat kids this season, so please join our mailing list and Facebook page to stay informed.
Where will the classes be held?
Our classes are held in the beautiful Boylston Room in the Keystone Building, on Pleasant Street in Easthampton, about a half-mile from Sage Meadow Farm.
The owners of Keystone have been very generous in partnering with us to create a safe and vibrant space for our event. They have even provided us with a discounted rate for the event space.
We can also arrange private sessions for your large group! In addition, we may be able to bring our class (and goat kids) to your location. Our classes usually run in the spring, March-May, with scheduling arranged well in advance, usually in late December. Please contact us if you’d like more information.
Why are we doing this?
It’s simple: We love helping others in our community, both humans and animals. In 7 goat-rearing seasons, with the help of many community partners and volunteers, we have raised over $45,000 for animal-related and human-related causes. Our 2020 season was canceled and our 2021 season was cut short due to the pandemic, but we were still able to raise funds in 2021 for Halfway Home Cat Rescue, Easthampton Farmers’ Market, City Space, and “Neighbors Helping Neighbors,” an Easthampton Savings bank fund-matching drive to support local food pantries – which turned our $2,500 donation into $5,000 for our neighbors who are food insecure. Our $2,285 donation in 2023 to the Easthampton Community Center “will purchase over 4,500 meals for our neighbors in need of food”.
Beneficial in so many ways - and fun, too!
Goat yoga is good for your mental and physical health, and it is sure to put a smile on your face, which may help you find more peace in your practice. See for yourself why goat yoga has become such a popular trend. Join us for Caprine Vinyasa in Easthampton today!
