A small, wellness-based practice on a local farm in metro Detroit offers two things that might not seem like they go together: goats, and yoga.
Goat yoga at Maybury Farm has been running since this May, with sessions offered every Saturday at 10:30 a.m.
The farm has been open to the public since 1975, and, after a major fire in 2003, reopened in 2005 under the Northville Community Foundation. The farm hosts numerous events throughout the year.
Anyone can join the sessions, as long as they are 9 or older and registered for the class.
A 2016 study by the Yoga Alliance and Yoga Journal found an estimated 36 million Americans had engaged in yoga at least once in the last six months. Yoga has stayed popular since then.
Practitioners of goat yoga say it offers a level of spontaneity and interactivity that is otherwise absent in a more conventional session.
There are several places in Michigan where people can practice yoga alongside goats.
They include Yoga on the Farm, a yoga studio in Holly; Bluebird Meadow Goat Yoga in Ada; Hilltop Views Farm in Williamston; and Leaman's Green Applebarn in Freeland, which is scheduled to host a kid-friendly goat yoga session — where kids and goats are both encouraged to wear costumes — on September 22.
At Maybury Farm, participants can opt for a green or red wristband. The green indicates to goat handlers, who supervise the session, that a participant is comfortable with goat interaction. The red tells goat handlers the participant is uncomfortable with goats touching them.
Positions like the “table pose” and “downward dog” seem to activate curiosity in the goats, who like to climb on human’s backs, and sometimes stay there for extended periods of time.
Some sessions, according to Jessica Yaser, one of the yoga instructors at Maybury Farm, have more wild activity from the goats than others.
“I deviate from plans sometimes depending on the goats’ behavior and their mood that day,” Yaser said. “Sometimes I start out with class in standing postures, if I think the goats are extra wild and I think we need time for everyone’s nervous systems to calm down.”
The goat yoga sessions run until the end of October.
They remain popular, with sold-out weekends and registration with 48 hours' notice required to get a proper headcount. Tickets are sold on PurplePass and the Maybury Farm website.
There's not exactly a designated spot for the goats to use the bathroom, so be prepared to be in a farm environment.
