Who says you can’t combine the things that you love the most? Originally from Michigan, Lainey Morse, photographer and owner of No Regrets Farm in Oregon’s Willamette Valley, is combining her love of health and goats in a unique experience called ‘Goat Yoga.’ This past August, she released a video of yoga instructor Heather Davis sitting on her mat in the middle of a field. As she begins to relax, a tribe of goats runs to greet her, but keep at a respectful distance. Since releasing the video and photos from her first few classes on Facebook, folks from across the nation have contacted Morse to sign up. This year’s classes are now officially sold out, but you can get on the waiting list for Summer 2017. Some might be wondering what the point is, especially if yoga is supposed to be free of distractions. Morse wrote to Reuters explaining, ‘It’s really just about getting outside in nature with beautiful scenery and having animals around you.’ We think that this is an excellent way to get your mind off of whatever worries you have at hand.Remember when news of international yoga sensation Rachel Brathen and her pet goat Penny Lane went viral? Well, now you can experience ‘Goat Yoga’ for yourself!
Thought we were kidding? Here’s a yoga class held in summer 2016. It may seem like a bizarre dream but people are loving it! Continue reading to learn more about the woman behind it.
Lainey Morse worked for many years as a portrait and editorial photographer. According to her official website, she moved her focus from portraiture to ‘health, body, and soul’ in 2015 in an effort to live a life with no regrets. At the time, she was undergoing some of her own health issues.
In early 2016, she began to develop her business. Around this time, she planned to include goat milk products and even yoga. No, the goats themselves do not enter into Utkatasana. The class is designed after a normal yoga class, except with a beautiful scenery (classes include a view of the sunset) and goats as special guests that simply hang around.
Morse informed Modern Farmer that her goats were ‘a mixture of Nigerian dwarf and pygmy goats, with one full-sized Boer,’ and also that they seem to act as therapy animals.
Many of us already know that animals can bring us joy but this is one creative twist, and of course Oregon would be the state to have it!
Morse recently announced on Facebook that after receiving so many requests to do a couples edition of Goat Yoga, the idea is in the works. The same goes for a family edition.
Morse’s ultimate goal is to specialize in animal-assisted therapy so that she can help those suffering abuse or grief, and also those who are living with any disabilities or special needs.
**Check out the original promo video below.**