Beth, our instructor, wasn’t always holding a goat.
Yes, it is real yoga. My aching body will attest to that.
Yes, they are real goats. One pooped and peed so close that when I reached to catch my balance–well-you get the picture.
Look at them, you cannot get upset because they are so cute!
Goat Yoga started in Oregon in 2016 so it hasn’t been around for long. And lucky for me, Sweet Sugar Farm in Encinitas, California has goat yoga.
No, I am not so tired of doing yoga in my regular gym that I just needed a new venue. For those of you who know me, I am the least limber of anyone around. I think this may be the third time in my life I’ve done yoga and I am sure I was the oldest one there. The reason I attended is because I need to do research for one of the books I’m writing. Who said research isn’t fun? 
We reached and stretched, warrior posed, chair and child posed, cow and cat posed, and I tried the downward dog, but I was best at the corpse pose–meaning lying flat and not moving. Also, I was pretty good at sitting and holding the baby goats.
This goat yoga venture supports a young 4-H girl who is raising an endangered species of dairy goats. They are called Oberhasli goats. Yes, all you Wisconsinites, there are 4-H’ers in California. I’d go again just to help her help an endangered specie.
I will go again–once I can move my hips.
The farm is located in the rolling hills and ranches of Encinitas. It is a beautiful drive just getting there. My daughter and I came early because I didn’t want to miss anything. That means, we had a chance to meet some of the other farm animals. There is a pony, donkey, turkeys, rabbits, chickens, roosters, geese, and a pot belly pig. I am sure there is more, but that is all I saw. Oh, and of course, the goats. There are pygmy goats in the corral, they are short and squat, but they don’t yoga well, so they stay home.
The goats that ride on our backs are African goats called Nigerian Dwarfs. They are so cute!
The goats that are raised as diary goats are the larger brown ones.
No, they do not ride on your back. They are cute, but not meant for yoga.
Then we have some other visitors.
These are a little larger. The llamas love to munch the hay that is placed all around, while you yoga. And, they also aren’t much into exercise. The female likes to consider herself invisible, but Bandit, the one with the black halter, loves selfies.
It also looks like he loves the love more than the selfies!
Check out Goat Yoga at Sugar Sweet Farm. You will have fun!