Goat yoga 2.0: Destination event enters second season

The kids are ready to report for duty.

The goat kids, that is.

This Saturday makes the return of goat yoga at the nonprofit Glean for Good, outside Garretson, which offered the popular event for the first time last year.

“It just is like a love fest,” said Dr. Beth Jensen, a physician who runs the nonprofit at her family farm. “Everybody seems to think it’s the funniest thing, and you just can’t take yourself too seriously. It was exactly how I hoped it would turn out.”

The goats didn’t exactly take the off-season off, either.

“We had a lot of goat kids born in the last month or two, so we’ve had some turnover in the ‘staff,'” Jensen said. “If they’re really young we let mom come in too, but as long as they’re more than a couple weeks old we’ll let them be away from mom for an hour.”

There are more than a dozen baby goats, plus many adult females who seem to be quite prolific, “so chances are this won’t be it,” Jensen said. “And that was great last year. We had so many we could choose based on who is the most interactive.”

While opening day is Saturday from 2 to 3 p.m. Typically the hour-long class is Thursdays at 7 p.m. Classes are conducted by Jensen’s neighbors, yoga instructors Nikki and Clark Highby. Registration isn’t required, but Jensen suggests arriving early to secure a preferred spot. It’s $12 and extra mats are available.

“You just find a spot, there’s quiet music, we’ve already put the goats in there and they’ll be jumping around,” Jensen said. “It’s a very basic yoga class, there’s nothing fancy. Anybody who can stretch a little will feel very comfortable in it, and generally the goats just wander around, and sometimes they get real energetic and like a certain pose and will jump from back to back.”

All ages came last year, she said.

“They’re social, but they really can’t hurt you. They might nibble on your hair or jump on a leg, but nobody ever gets injured.”

The Saturday event will include local vendors meant to raise awareness of their businesses and offer Mother’s Day gift ideas. They include:  Zyia Active Wear with Jenny Birath, Pure Haven Natural Products with Amy Dreke, Jacqui’s Creations (mala jewelry), Bee Loved Kitchen, Glean for Good soaps and Bee Fit SD Yoga and Wellness merch.

For more on the season opening, click here.

Glean for Good also continues to add to its animals, including several miniature cows,  baby lambs and piglets.

“They’re welcome to linger after the class and see the baby animals,” Jensen said.

To learn more about Glean for Good, click here.