By Todd C. Elliott
The term “goat” has become an acronym for “the greatest of all time.” But the greatest of aerobic time is waiting to be had at one of the newest and most unique businesses in Lake Charles. And yes, goats are involved.
Enter Goat Yoga, a way of life and livestock that has been trending in the United States since 2015. While it does seem very Pacific Northwest and might even sound like something that could have been lampooned on an episode of Portlandia, the latest craze in Yoga has desert roots.
According to arizonagoatyoga.com, the origins of goat yoga came about because of two women from Arizona, April Gould and Sarah Williams, inspired a business model that has now made its impact felt in Lake Charles. Gould was a goat farmer and Williams the Yoga instructor in the town of Gilbert, Ariz.
Baa Yoga, which promises to unify “yoga and goat cuddles in an indoor, barnyard-style space” is the brainchild of Regina Dixon, 23, of Lake Charles. It can be said that she brings her kids to work now. Of course, her kids are the cutest, complete with budding horns and hooves. She said “baa” to her old job and started her own, one-of-a-kind business.
“Honestly, I was working at Walk-Ons, lost my job, got a new one, and was pretty much living paycheck to paycheck, struggling. My boyfriend at the time encouraged me to start my own business based on my hobbies,” said Dixon. “I had heard about goat yoga a few years back, and after I listed my hobbies, which includes yoga, I started my own business. And here I am.”
Two months into her entrepreneurial career, Dixon said that passersby to 2017 W. Prien Lake Road, at the corner of Heard Road. in South Lake Charles, may have noticed that the old mechanic shop on the corner has a new sign out front. And it’s a sign of the times. There is business in popular activities that promote a unique approach to physical and mental health.
“It’s a version of animal therapy doing this kind of yoga,” said Dixon. “You’re getting this nice feel that comes with yoga and then the goats add a humorous effect.”
She said that the goats, while they do not do yoga themselves, add to the workout routine as a beneficial distraction. To sum it up, goats help to focus attention elsewhere and take one’s mind off the fact that yoga is not easy but a core strength exercise. And there’s a market for something like that. It’s very similar to a farmers market but with more hay and music to fuel the workout vibes.
Goat yoga appears to be less of a workout and more of a “playout,” complete with strength training, stretching and strengthening, along with a burning of calories and plenty of sweat. But at the end of the day, it’s a less-stress Yoga.
“You’ll get that workout in, but you’ll be laughing, because you’ll be interacting with animals,” said Dixon. “It just makes you feel good mentally and physically. You’ll forget about whatever is going on in the outside world.”
A first-timer’s initial experience with goat yoga is critical. Some might imagine the smell of goat droppings and that of the goats themselves. Surprisingly, the workout floor of Baa Yoga has no aroma except for that of fresh cut hay.
“Goat poop doesn’t have a smell,” said Dixon.
Dixon got her goats exclusively for this business, she says, and she’s still learning about them.
“I love them. They’re the best animals. Everyone says that they’re better than dogs. They are so sweet,” she says.
Kaiya Scott of Lake Charles had her first session of goat yoga at the 11 am Sunday class. She said that the experience was awesome.
“It’s such a different experience,” she says. “I love Pilates, and I love yoga, but this was a completely different atmosphere. I’m not even a huge fan of animals, but the goats were so cuddly and fun and sweet. I think goats add to the yoga experience. They add endorphins; everyone was so happy. Even if you weren’t doing the yoga correctly, you had a fun little goat under you or beside you.”
If you don’t know goats, you may not know that they like to play a little game of “king of the hill.” They’ll climb atop almost any structure, hill or bale of hay in an apparent move to assert dominance or just to get a better view of their surroundings. And if one is in a downward dog yoga position, the goats will climb right up on you.
Kaiya Scott found herself with a literal goat on her back during the session, and also did her yoga stretching with a baby goat while she nursed the kid with a baby bottle.
While goat yoga may have originated in the dry heat of Arizona, the heat and humidity of Southwest Louisiana is altogether a different animal. Like goat yoga, “hot yoga” is a thing. Some say that there was always hot yoga and that it originated in India some 5,000 years ago. More heat during yoga induces more sweat. Dixon said that her goat yoga location combines a perfect mix of hot yoga and goat yoga.
“If people are on the fence about goat yoga, I always tell folks that if they don’t want to do the yoga part, they don’t have to,” said Dixon. “A lot of people just want to come and play with the goats. I have baby bottles for the goats, and everyone who wants to can just stop and feed the goats. You can feed them while you do the yoga, but most people come for the goats.”
And who might be coming for both yoga and goats? Dixon says there’s no set age limit for Baa Yoga classes.
“I’ve had a student as young as two years old in the class,” she says. “He played with the baby goats the whole time. He even did a few poses and still got to experience the fun of goat yoga. I also expect to have a class soon for a nursing home. So, there really is no age limit. It’s not every day that you can stretch and play with goats.”
Dixon said that a new herd of baby goats is expected soon to entice a new herd of customers. Dixon encourages parents looking to experience something family-friendly and fun with their kids this summer to bring their kids out to meet her kids. Soon the classes will only feature baby goats.
Emblazoned on the Baa Yoga sign out front is a silhouetted figure in the Lotus sitting position, which could be the universal sign for yoga. Upon closer inspection, a small cross is drawn over the heart of the silhouette, which denotes that Dixon is a proud Christian business owner.
“When I first had the idea for Baa Yoga, I sought advice from my pastor,” she said. “He told me that there was nowhere in the Bible that says yoga is a sin. Now there’s things tied to yoga that can be sinful, like speaking or meditating to the universe. Which is what a lot of yogis do. But yoga is a form of exercise, and there are so many ways to practice it. So, we stray away from the typical yoga you see on social media and keep it as fun and clean as possible, which means no meditation and no breath work. We simply come together for a fun workout and play with baby goats.”
Dixon said that Baa Yoga is not a place for preaching or imposing a religious view on students. While there are uplifting biblical quotes noticeably in view in the Baa Yoga barn, they are merely used to motivate students without biblical teachings in the classes.
She hopes that parents who want to balance a workout and do something with their school children now unleashed for the Summer can make it out to Baa Yoga for the experience. The classes are now just $20 per class all summer long. Dixon said that any parent who can get their kid outside this summer, to engage in a physical activity that’s fun for boys and girls, just might be considered “the GOAT” by their children.
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