Lindsay Hale holds one of the baby goats that participates in yoga classes on her farm.
Reminder Publishing photo by Sarah Heinonen
SOUTHWICK — Heading down a long driveway in Southwick, the first thing people notice is the sound of soft bleating emanating from behind a barn. Walking around a path, you see them — animals no larger than a small dog hopping and trotting around in a fenced-in pasture. It is time for baby goat yoga.
FireFly Fields Farm has been offering baby goat yoga classes almost since she began her farm seven years ago. Owner Lindsay Hale said a friend in eastern Massachusetts was hosting similar classes and she thought, “I could do that.”
The arrival of the warm weather that allows for outdoor yoga happens to line up with kidding season. So far this year, 14 kids have been born, with another one due soon.
“Babies love to climb on things,” Hale said, and sometimes that includes people in yoga poses. “They’re not trained animals,” she said. “They’ll just do what they’ll do.” The goats will often sleep on the yoga mats next to people as they participate in the class.
Certified yoga instructor Gina McCray of Inner Light and Soul Yoga teaches two classes on Sunday evenings beginning in the spring and running through fall. The hour-long classes take place in a shaded, enclosed area, with 40 minutes for yoga, followed by time to hold and take photos with the goats. The classes are capped at 25 people, but there are also private classes available for company retreats, friend groups and even bachelorette parties.
Hale said the classes are oriented to beginners and are the yoga is mainly a medium for goat interactions. “It’s more the experience,” she said. “If people want a yoga class, they’ll find one. This is about being in nature and having fun.”
Hale, who raises Nigerian dwarf, Mini Nubian and Mini LaMancha goats at FireFly Fields Farm, purchased the 2-acre property in 2018. Having grown up participating in 4-H, she knew about animal husbandry and wanted to raise her son on a farm. Still, Hale worked a full-time job and was a realtor until the coronavirus pandemic in 2020. “I was like, ‘OK, I have to make a living at this now,’” she said.
The first experience Hale offered to the public was one-on-one encounters with the animals, which also include horses, chickens, ducks, pigs, sheep and calves. Once the pandemic restrictions eased, she began expanding her offerings. The farm now offers baby goat yoga, goat milk soaps and lotions, a mobile petting zoo, birthday parties and open farm hours for unstructured time with the animals.
FireFly Fields Farm is at 9 Babbs Rd. in Southwick. To sign up for a class or learn more about the farm, visit fireflyfieldsfarm.net.
