Goat yoga can’t be bleat
A soft summer breeze wafted over acres of green pastures at Potential Farm, high atop a hill in Collier, as 164 people put down yoga mats to stretch, relax and de-stress. With 18 baby goats and 15 adults meandering among the mats, no one was mad, sad or grumpy. Who could be when they’re nuzzled by goats?
The event was NamastHay Goat Yoga of Pittsburgh, a 2-yearold partnership between Jen Stratakis of Jen’s Yoga Zen and Rainy Laux of Have U Herd Goatscaping. Their fliers tell people to “Breathe, bleat, relax, repeat.”
The “kids” — which is what baby goats are called — were born in February and March, and they are just a bit bigger than cocker spaniels.
“This is their first goat yoga, so be patient with them,”Ms. Laux told the yogis — which is what yoga practitioners are called. “We have a lot of moms, nanny goats, that willlet you pet them.”
While Ms. Stratakis led the budding yogis in fish pose, child pose and the complete relaxation of corpse pose, Ms. Laux acted as herdswoman.
Several kids, including a female named Velocity, broke away from the herd to visit with adults and their kids (children). When other goats drifted away from the yoga mats, Ms. Laux used a bowl of food to entice them back. She also kept up a running patter about goats.
Goats are infamous for using their heads, but Ms. Laux said, “My goats are fabulous. They will not do that to people. They might headbutt other goats.”
The event was very wellorganized — peaceful, pleasant and whimsical. All of the kids — two-legged and fourlegged — were well-supervised and well-behaved.
The silence was occasionally broken by the bleating of a kid looking for mom. The weaning process has started, and they’re not always at their nanny’s side. They don’t nurse as much as they used to.
“So if they nibble on you, just tell them ‘no’ and nudge them away,” Ms. Laux said. “Goats like to be petted on their neck, chest and back. They do not like to have their ears petted, and they do not like to be chased.”
All of the goats were available for photo shoots before and after the yoga class. “They’re very food-motivated,” Ms. Laux said with a chuckle, explaining how they werelured to the cameras.
Ms. Laux currently has 39 goats on the 33-acre farm. Some are all white, and the others are combinations of white, brown and beige. Their breeds are lamancha, boer, pygmy and mixes. Most of the time, their job is to eat brush, poison ivy, invasive vines and weeds in parks, yards and overgrown areas. But they also are available to visit birthday parties and other events.
“I call this Potential Farm because we hope it has potential for wonderful things to happen here,” she said.
Part of the proceeds of NamastHay outings go to local animal shelters. The one on June 2 benefited the Beaver County Humane Society. A session the next day had 192 people and benefited the Humane Animal Rescue Wildlife Center in Verona.
The first Urban NamastHay will be at noon July 21 at the Wigle Whiskey Garden on the North Side to benefit Fur Kid Rescue. The class will be limited to 25 people and six or seven goats. Goat Yoga in the fields will be held Sept. 22 and Oct. 20. Pre-registration is required. For more information, go to the Facebook pages of NamastHay Goat Yoga of Pittsburgh or www.haveuherd.com.