At 89, I’ve pretty much gotten out of life as much as I could hope for — it’s been grand! However, I recently experienced a “happening” that was not even a glimmer in my consciousness.
As a volunteer for Eugene Weekly, one of my jobs is to proofread the upcoming calendar listings. One of them — goat yoga (huh?) — stopped me cold. I finally decided I had to check this out. So I called a friend and we recently made the pleasant 45-minute drive from Eugene to the No Regrets Flower Farm and Goat Sanctuary in Monroe.
It’s set against grassy farm fields with the historic Bellfountain Community Church on the periphery. Lainey Morse, the founder, met us in the parking area and led us to the barn where the yoga took place (in more clement weather it is held outdoors).
Morse told me to keep my notebook under cover as the goats might deem it a “snack.” Duly noted.
About a dozen of us entered this dimly lit structure with mats strewn about and a few chairs for those of us with mobility issues. Almost immediately the goats began to check us out — a sniff here, a nuzzle there — lovely!
My friend’s yoga routine had to be slightly modified when one of the goats made him/herself comfortable by pressing up against one of her legs which was stretched out during a pose — no problem. She and the goat adapted. As for myself, I had never even done human yoga before, so however my personal goat wanted to alter the routine was fine with me. I was just happy to have such a warm and willing yoga partner!
All in all, it was a cuddly, therapeutic experience.
In 2015, Morse had a corporate job (with all the attendant pressures). At one point she got really sick and decided to make a change in her life. She consequently rented the farm property, which came with two goats (she now has six).
What a joy it was to her to relax and lay around with them at the end of the day. She soon invited people over for “Goat Happy Hour” to unwind from whatever stresses they might have. She also began “Kids for Kids” — children’s birthday parties. One of the human kid’s mothers was a yoga instructor, and the rest is viral yoga history.
Word got around. Morse sent an article to Modern Farmer about her “goatly” experiences. They loved it and published it in the magazine.
Its popularity was unparalleled with articles in The New York Times, Wall Street Journal and, more locally, The Oregonian and, of course, Eugene Weekly. It’s a $10 million industry. Today there are some 500 goat yoga businesses in the world. And best of all, Morse has rescued goats from meat and dairy farms.