OJAI MAGAZINE | SPRING 2021
Yoga hayden bean was farming in mendocino – specializing in rich cannabis, regenerative agriculture and animal husbandry – when he discovered a deeply spiritual connection with goats. “Have you ever looked into a goat’s eyes? They see right through you,” said Bean, 28, who was raised in Ojai and has been working in farming for more than a decade. “The goats are the real shamans,” he continued. “When you get down on the ground with them, it triggers this kind of prenatal, mother-child, nurturing relationship.” Because Bean was already immersed in a Hatha yoga practice, he began brainstorming ways to integrate goats and yoga. “One day I woke up and said, ‘I want to do goat yoga,’,” recalled Bean. “This is something I want to share with people. I feel like I’m here to introduce people to the magic of goats.” Goat yoga, simply put, is the practice of doing yoga with goats present. As humans do their yoga poses, the goats mingle in various ways, including quietly nuzzling on people and occasionally gently standing upon a person’s back. While no official scientific studies or research have been specifically conducted on the benefits of humans doing yoga with goats, proponents claim the therapeutic benefits include automatic relaxation, a lifted spirit, diminished sadness or grief, and an improved overall sense of well-being. Additionally, “there’s something hum-
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bling about it,” Bean said. “If the goat comes over and takes a poop on your brand new yoga pants, you’ll have to take it in stride. That’s part of the joy and laughter and the dance with the goats and the lessons they can teach you about being humble and not taking yourself too seriously.” Bean, who is currently collaborating with a farm in Meiners Oaks that has baby goats and mild-mannered female goats. He describes his vision for goat yoga as a “balancing of beings” because “the goats are so good at reading people.” This is important, Bean emphasized, because “yoga isn’t always this glamorous thing that’s advertised.” Rather, “the deep parts of yoga are involving shadow work and connection with yourself and source, and sometimes that can be really dark and scary, and sometimes people go to these really intense places within themselves. And these goats are this really nice ally or partner, they help keep things light. They help laughter and joy come out of the experience.” Bean noted that he was first introduced to the magic of nature and the plant kingdom during his time as a gardener at the University of California, Santa Cruz Arboretum, where he worked for five years before graduating. He currently runs his own landscaping and gardening business, in which he integrates his experience from farming, yoga and horticulture to design, install and maintain regenerative and medicinal landscapes in Ojai and the greater Ventura County area. In the lives of his clients, Bean saw the need for cultivating a holistic mother-child nature connection.
“Traditional yoga didn’t go far enough in developing this relationship,” said Bean, adding that his desire to launch goat yoga grew out of this need, which he can complement with his unique skill set. “Through farming I discovered animal husbandry and the relationship between human and animal, and how that develops a sense of being able to trust yourself and set boundaries. Things that have real practical applications you can learn from animals.” While goat yoga might seem “arbitrary” and “almost gimmicky,” Bean maintains “there really is something kind of deeper to it that isn’t just a photo op, it’s a connection.”