We partner with WINERIES, DISTILLERIES, BREWERIES and CREAMERIES.
WBAL Channel 11 News, Baltimore
Going to the station was a longer than normal ride.
The babies rode in style!
Settling down for a nap.
Our first appearance with Dr. Hammond was with Bucky.
Dr. Hammond showing the TV audience what Goat Yoga is all about.
Our second appearance, we brought the whole crew!
Frederick Lifestyle Magazine
GOAT FOR THE SOUL ITS A THING
Article by Rhonda Stephens
Photography by Annette Senio
Originally published in Frederick Lifestyle
Of all the fads in fitness, goat yoga has got to be the cutest and best at de-stressing ever! Every weekend, Goat for the Soul offers yoga at the Yingling Farm in Union Bidge. And four to five times a month, the Yingling family loads up their lovable mommas and babies—goats, that is—and heads out to a location near you to lay some goat love on folks practicing yoga. Downward dog pose is no obstacle for these agile ruminants, and as the yogis breathe and stretch, they may find a curious face nudging their own—or four tiny hooves balanced upon their backs.
It's hard to keep concentrating, but they try. Some give in to the cuddles sought by the momma or to sheer delight as the tiny baby leaps and races across them and around the class. The Yingling family—Christy, Paul, Clay and Grace—raises goats on a small farm in UnionBridge. They also raise horses, pigs, chickens, cats and dogs.
"We had all the goats, we had the land, we had the inclination, so we started doing it!" Christy says. "It's a wonderful source of income for the farm."
Partnering with local businesses has brought attention to the farm and the fun of the experience.
"We partner with local businesses. Each weekend, we'll do an event at a local winery or brewery," Christy says.
They bring the gang to Links Bridge Vineyard, Linganore Winecellars, Catoctin Breeze Vineyard, Dragon Distillery, Milkhouse Brewery, Orchid Cellar Meadery & Winery.
"We have a lot of fun!"
But it's also a lot of work. The magnitude of the move is exhausting. The night before an event, Christy says they haul all the fencing and set up the yoga area. Then, the following morning, Christy arrives early at the location to begin check-in registration and gather the releases. While that is happening, Paul, Clay and Grace are catching the goats and loading them into their vehicles.
"We usually end up taking three vehicles! There are goats everywhere. Some are in the car, others are in the back of the truck with vented windows, but the babies need a little more care, so they ride in the kennels with air conditioning."
At Linganore Winery, the yogis wait in line for registration. They have arrived early, and there's a sense of anticipation. Christy is busy but is interrupted by the call of a participant.
"They're here! The goats are here!"
It's as if a rock star had arrived, and the crowd is wild with excitement. The group rushes over, and Paul and the kids can barely get the goats into the pen before hands are reaching out to touch and pet the little sweethearts. Yes, it's definitely goat love.
"It's a lot of work, but the enjoyment we bring to our class participants is well worth it," Christy says.
So goat on, and unwind with Goat for the Soul. You might just get hooked!
Frederick News Post
For the soul: Goat yoga comes to Rocky Point Creamery
By Colin McGuire cmcquire@newspost.com Sep 1, 2019
According to pretty much everything on the Internet (or at least the New World Encyclopedia), goats were some of the first animals to ever be domesticated by humans.
Also according to pretty much everything on the Internet (or, ahem, the New World Encyclopedia again), the practice of yoga dates back to sometime between 1500 and 1200 B.C.
Throw in some ice cream, which was probably the first slice of heaven that God created, and what you have is the most historical experience a Labor Day weekend in Frederick County could provide.
Or, well, something like that at least.
Either way, Goat For The Soul, an animal therapy organization, brought the timeless combination to Rocky Point Creamery in Tuscarora Sunday morning for a round of goat yoga that was as entertaining as it was peaceful.
Co-founded by Christy Yingling, who has a farm in Union Bridge where the goats often frolic throughout the land they call home, Goat For The Soul’s stop at the creamery was only one on a list of venues that host the practice every few weeks.
Much like Sunday morning, where if you participated, you received a ticket for ice cream, other places throw in a little extra to entice yogis as well. Take Milkhouse Brewery, which offers a flight of beer with the ticket, or Dragon Distillery, which provides a Bloody Marry or a Screwdriver for those participating in the festivities.
“They are just beautiful animals,” Yingling said, despite telling the group to leave whatever they “don’t want pooped or peed on” outside the designated yoga area once the event started. “Plus, this is a family affair.”
A family affair, indeed. Each time the Yinglings take their goats on the road, they find that more people than they anticipate show up for the class. Sunday’s gathering was no exception as more than 50 people paid the $30 to take part in the activity that lasted about an hour.
Beth Sheahin, the instructor for the morning, has been leading yoga classes for the better part of 10 years and admitted even she was a little nervous before Sunday’s session began. Still, she explained that there are always two things she believes goats bring to the yoga equation each time an event like Sunday’s takes place.
“Goats have no fear,” the Mount Airy resident said. “They also like to climb to high places. When people do things, they’re like, ‘Ahh, I don’t know,’ but goats just go and do it. We can learn from that. The other thing is that they have incredible balance and all of us need more balance in our lives to just be happy.”
And happiness seemed prevalent as children and adults alike struck yoga poses in between taking selfies with the goats, brushing grass off their yoga pants and, of course, taking time to pet the animals roaming the fenced-in area. No matter how many times Sheahin instructed her students to inhale, exhale and extend their hands on the mats below them, the stars of the show provided a distraction that had most everybody laughing as they stopped to snap a photo or two with their four-legged friends.
“We would have never believed this would be so successful,” said Chuck Fry, whose family has farmed the Rocky Point land since 1883. “Maybe next, we’ll try cow yoga.”
For information on where Goat For The Soul might be next, visit www.goatforthesoul.com
Hagerstown Magazine
