Wacky goat yoga put Lainey on the path to healing and hope
Six months after going through a heartbreaking divorce, Lainey Morse was diagnosed with a painful autoimmune disorder that pulled her into a dark depression. But just when she thought she’d never feel joy again, she found the most unusual— and adorable!— way to healing and hope: goat yoga
On a spring day in 2016, 43-year-old Lainey Morse stared through tears at the mountains surrounding her Albany, Oregon, farm. The view used to have the power to lift her spirits, but after receiving devastating news from her doctor that morning, all she felt was despair.
“Your joint pain, dry eye, dry mouth, is from Sjögren’s syndrome,” her doctor had told her. “It’s a progressive autoimmune disease…with no cure.”
Slowly, Lainey walked to the barn and crumpled onto a bale of hay, feeling utterly drained. Since her divorce six months earlier, she’d struggled to muster enough emotional and physical energy just to handle the daily farm chores on her own. In fact, on some days it had been difficult just to get out of bed.
And now, along with the heartache, she faced a disease that promised more fatigue and pain. What if I have to put my farm up for sale, she worried, tears streaming.
“I don’t see how I can handle all of this,” she softly sobbed. Suddenly, Annie, one of her baby goats, ran up and started to playfully prance and jump.
And to her surprise, Lainey burst out into gales of tear-filled laughter.
Gathering sweet Annie in her arms, Lainey sighed, “It’s impossible to feel sad around you.” And that realization soon became Lainey’s lifeline.
Spreading the joy Since she was a little girl, Lainey thought goats were the cutest animals on Earth. So when she bought her two-acre dream farm, the first thing she did was buy a couple of cuddly goats who nibbled on everything, refused to stay inside their fences and never failed to make Lainey laugh.
In her attempt to alleviate her depression and the symptoms from Sjögren’s, Lainey began taking prescribed medication and spent as much time with her goats as possible. After a few weeks, she felt up to being social and invited friends out to her farm.
“It’s so relaxing and peaceful out here,” one of her girlfriends said as they soaked in the beautiful view. “You know I teach yoga. What if I did a class out here?”
Lainey scanned the mountainside as the goats frolicked nearby. She was never into yoga, but the thought made her smile.
“Sure, but just warning you—the goats will jump all over people!” she laughed, imagining their wacky antics.
Deciding to take a chance, Lainey posted on Facebook that she’d be hosting a yoga class for 40 people—and a few resident goats— on August 13. To her surprise, it sold out in minutes.
“At my lowest point, being around my goats turned out to be my miracle therapy,” says Lainey, here with her rescue Nubian goat, Dempsey. “Now they help thousands of people find joy!”
During the first class, Lainey beamed as she took photos of baby goats romping around, lying on yoga mats, nuzzling, tickling and hopping on clients’ backs while they fought to hold poses without bursting into giggles.
I can’t remember the last time I felt so joyful and energized, Lainey realized. And everyone who attended had felt the same.
Hoping to uplift others, Lainey sent the images from the goat yoga class to a local media outlet, and the news of the adorable event went viral.
Suddenly, the goatfilled classes were in such high demand, Lainey was hosting multiple sessions a week, with 2,300 people on a waiting list!
With each class, Lainey watched in awe as her sweet goats brought the participants endless happiness. And remarkably, she felt her own sadness and despair begin to fade.
With a new sense of hope and a renewed energy, Lainey quit her marketing job and started her own company—aptly named Goat Yoga. She took care of the business end while trained yoga instructors taught the classes. Within just a few months, Lainey felt happier and healthier than ever. Laughter is medicine In the past two years, Lainey’s Goat Yoga has grown to satellite locations in seven states and people come from all over the world to enjoy the experience. “My husband was diagnosed with lymphoma, so after spending a month as a caregiver, this was a perfect getaway to do something fun,” says one participant. “I’ve had a rough couple of years, so this put a smile on my face and joy in my heart that I can’t remember feeling in a while,” another shared. And knowing she’s helping others added greatly to Lainey’s own joy. Today Lainey successfully manages Sjögren’s with medication and exercise, and her depression is 100% gone! “Being around my goats and helping others find joy has turned out to be my miracle therapy,” shares Lainey, who has written a book called The Little Book of Goat Yoga, out in November, which features adorable photos of Lainey’s goats to give everyone an “armchair goat yoga” experience. “There’s a lot of negativity in the world, and everyone needs a happy distraction. That’s why this works and changes lives. Goat Yoga turns suffering into smiles!”
“Exercise and animals are both study-proven to increase health and happiness, so combining the two guarantees lasting joy” — Sherrie Campbell, PH.D.