It’s hard not to smile at the antics of goats. Try not doing it while one inspects your yoga pose—impossible.
There was plenty of laughter at the Huntsville Fairgrounds this afternoon when a group of yoga enthusiasts gathered for a session set amidst a herd of curious goats.
The goats came courtesy of Cassell Farms, a new addition to the Huntsville area this summer. Owner Caitlyn Russell just moved here a few months ago from Belwood. She’d been offering goat yoga there for three years.
For her new Huntsville sessions, she enlisted the help of local yoga instructor Wendy Martin.
“I have never [done this]. before and thought it would be fun,” said Martin.
Goats seem to have the perfect temperament for yoga. “Caitlyn was explaining and I was experiencing that they are sensitive to people’s energy and frequency, kind of high energy and low energy and tone,” said Martin prior to the class. “It’s a neat experience for people to have if they’ve never been around animals before. I think we’ll just have a light heart and a little sense of humour and some curiosity.”
First there was a meet-and-greet and snacks for the goats—ice cream cones filled with seeds.
Then, the yoga. People posed and goats roamed. Sometimes nature called (for the goats, not the people), eliciting giggles from those nearby.
Sometimes the goats inspected form. Sometimes they tried a bit of yoga of their own.
And everywhere there were grins. It’s a typical reaction, said Russell.
“The response has been fantastic. Mostly laughs. There’s been tears—some people come with a lot of stress and it’s a great release for them,” said Russell. “The animals have been very therapeutic for a lot of people, including myself. It’s my therapy every day.”
Russell said she wanted goats and needed an excuse to have them. Goat yoga was the answer. In addition to keeping goats, Cassell Farms grows and sells natural, spray-free produce and pasture-raised meats, and is just starting into dairy. For this year, they have farm gate sales, but will be opening a market just off Hwy 11 at Stephenson Road 12 next year.
And the goat yoga will continue. The goats seem to enjoy it—”they love people,” said Russell—and there’s no question the people love it. You only have to look at their faces.
“Everyone always leaves with a smile,” said Russell.
The next goat yoga session will be held on Sunday, August 18 at 1 p.m. at the Huntsville Fairgrounds. Tickets must be pre-ordered from Cassell Farms ($35 per person or $20 for kids aged 8-15) at 647-705-4579 or [email protected].
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