The next class will be 10 a.m. to noon Saturday. The cost is $25 a person.
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Sisters Jeri LaVielle and Linda Leonhard heard of goat yoga last year when it started in Oregon. It eventually took off around the country.
“We saw it again over the winter and kept saying, ‘We can do this,’” said LaVielle, who works part-time on the farm, which is owned by Leonhard.
They waited until the baby Nigerian Dwarf goats were born in early spring to experiment. The first go was trial and error and taught the sisters how it could be improved.
The first official class on June 8 drew 28 people, and LaVielle said they loved every minute.
Goat yoga combines traditional yoga flow classes led by certified instructors in a contained outdoor area of the farm with the babies and a few small adult goats. It’s a mood-enhancing different take on an ages-old fitness form.
“The babies mingle and may climb on your backs and interact with you. People eat it up and giggle the whole time,” she said.
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Saturday’s class will begin with an organizational period followed by an hour of yoga and conclude with a continental breakfast featuring the goat cheese and a bar of goat milk soap that comes from the farm’s animals. Blue Jacket Dairy in Bellefontaine uses Smiling Prairie’s milk in its products.
Music, including a live flute player, will be part of the atmosphere.
LaVielle said the classes will be ongoing, and she plans on doing special themes as part of future classes, which will go roughly into October. Don’t be surprised to see the goats dressed in tutus, Hawaiian leis or fairy wings.
“We are trying to make these events people look forward to. Everyone has so much fun. It was better than I could’ve imagined,” she said.
Participants should take their own yoga mat and a beach towel to put beneath it, and attendants will help with any accidents. A rain date will be set in case of inclement weather.
LaVielle requests interested participants make reservations and pay by check or PayPal prior to classes to get a count of how many to expect. She can be contacted at 937-470-6096 or go to the Facebook page at www.facebook.com/pg/SmilingPrarieGoatYoga/about/.
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