Written by Rochelle Gabiola-Harris, Owner of Namaste in the Country
I remember seeing some pictures of Goat Yoga online and thought it looked amazing. Yoga has been something I've practiced for over 20 years. In 2020, when I would spend so much time at home with my kids, we'd put yoga videos on the TV and do it together in the living room. It quickly became something we did together regularly. When you're doing yoga with a 3 year old, you can't really take it too seriously. We had so much fun together and I loved that I was also teaching my kids something that is so good for their body, mind and spirit.
I remember looking out at my big backyard one day and I saw the whole thing in my mind. I kept it to myself for quite a while until I convinced myself I wasn't crazy for wanting to do this. One day, I said to my husband, "I want to have a goat yoga business." He did a little research and within a week we were on our way to getting started!
We now have ten goats! Our boys are named Clyde and Ferdidand. Our girls are Princess Buttercup, Tiny, Maggie, Roxy Jean, Honey Wormys, Rebel Ann, Prince Sammy Rose and Princess Penny Queenstone. They are Nigerian Dwarf and Maggie is a Fainting Goat - she get's startled easily and her legs get stiff and sometimes falls over. We have purchased all of them locally, most within 10 miles of our house. Some of our girls will be having babies next Spring!
Our goats are like our pets, we love them. They have so much personality and they are all so different. They love animal crackers, it's their favorite treat. Our goats are special because they LOVE and CRAVE human affection. We've bottle fed a lot of them so we have a strong bond. They have a pen and we love to go out and play with them. We let them out and they just follow us around our house. We would do yoga in the backyard and it was very interesting to see how natural it was for them to get involved. They love to hop, jump and are curious about all things around them. They want to eat everything, too! They come when we call their name. Goats are pretty special, they really can tell a happy person from an unhappy person. They're actually very smart and intuitive... ours are anyway!
So besides the many benefits that come from doing yoga, (increase flexibility, mental clarity, increase body awareness, improve your mental well-being and SO many more) being with goats adds a few more...You will laugh. Deep belly laughs are heard all throughout the class. Personally, my cheeks hurt after every class I get to be a part of, I smile the whole time. You will feel present in the moment. You won't take yourself so seriously.
We've been doing this for about a year now. We get to host a lot of private events and also offer public classes. We've had birthday and bachelorette parties, hosted many corporate events and we LOVE to hold fun events for children. We offer classes and workshops to the public and can even arrange time to just come cuddle with the goats.
Our kids' yoga class is pretty special. In this fun and engaging story based children's yoga class, children will utilize yoga poses to act out stories while learning a moral lesson in the process. They will have space for self expression, develop coordination, and increase strength and flexibility, as well as promote mindfulness and breathing techniques to help focus and center themselves. They will also learn self-respect and respect for other's with the practice of partner and group poses. Class is 45 minutes with 15 minutes of interaction with the goats after class. Class is appropriate for ages 4-11 years. (Our next kid's event is coming up on October 29th! We will have goody bags, paint pumpkins and time for goat cuddles. Stay tuned for details!)
We've also partnered with a couple of wineries around the area and offer classes there (which include a mimosa or wine!). We are less than 5 minutes away from the Sunnyslope Wine Trail and are surrounded by beautiful farmland along the Agventure Trail here in Caldwell.
You can reach out on our website or call to schedule a fun event or just ask questions! We'd love to connect and introduce you to our beloved goats!
Namaste In the Country Info:
Instagram: @namasteinthecountry
Location: 10769 Perch Road, Caldwell Idaho 83607
Email: namasteidahoyoga@gmail.com
Phone: 208.866.2329