By Erica Hoffman
So, this weekend I tried something new. Honestly, I was just excited to do anything at all.
Goat Yoga: it’s one of those things that sounds like a joke, but I assure you it’s very real and quite fun. The idea is pretty simple. A yoga teacher, in this case, Naida Burgess, leads a very light yoga class while kids (baby goats) and chickens play and interact with you.
I am not very good at yoga, but like Naida said, “if you can breathe, you can do this” and she was right. It was more goat than yoga for sure. And it did some amazing things for my soul. It put me in the moment and put things in perspective.
I feel I’ve become quite close to my readers as I share the embarrassing tales of my life with you all, so I can be honest in saying I wasn’t having a very good day at all. To be honest, the last thing I wanted to do was anything. I heard that that’s when you’re supposed to do something the most though, so I reluctantly got out of the car and walked through the Namaste gate. Then everything changed. I was thrust into the moment. It was special, serene, quiet, and necessary.
We went to the Angels in the Pines Goat Farm, LLC in Egg Harbor City. They usually have cooking classes, farm parties, art with goats, and more, but (and I can’t stress enough how tired I am of saying and writing this) due to COVID they’ve had to drastically cut their activities this year for the safety of people and goats alike.
With about a dozen other socially distanced souls and what seemed to be at least 20 goats, we began with a sun salutation and saying hello to our goat friends who were guided in this case by two trainers to help the goats interact with students in specific poses. In this case, that means the trainers are there, throwing goat food on and around you and your mat while you’re trying to do yoga. I was already admittedly not good at yoga, so this made it even more fun for me, especially being a person who doesn’t love doing things I’m not good at.
There were a couple of times when 2 goats were on my back, and another 10 were just hovering around me. I can say I didn’t do most of the poses. I tried, but the darn kids were far more entertaining than seeing if I could balance on one foot (which I couldn’t). My boyfriend on the other hand almost kept his balance on one foot even with the addition of 10 kids in his way. Again, one day I aspire to have the balance he has, but I digress.
Unfortunately, I found out about goat yoga late in the game, but there are still two weeks left so it’s not too late for you! If you are feeling anxious about the world, uneasy about work, or just need something new, I urge you to not let this opportunity fly by. The classes are $35 per person, and the next (and last) classes of this season are Saturday, October 31st and November 7th at 10 am, respectively. You can message them on Facebook or call them at 609-334-1719. Do it, just trust me. I’m still smiling about it.
Erica Hoffman was born in Atlantic City and is proud to be writing for Shore Local. She lives in South Jersey and enjoys finding and sharing the lighter side of life.
