Goat Yoga LV
Pairing goats with yoga, Goat Yoga LV provides a unique, fun, and relaxing experience to those looking for something new in their self-care routine.
Brandon Nobles, the owner of Goat Yoga Las Vegas, discussed how the idea came about. Running a local animal rescue, Jeffry’s Farm, they started receiving an overwhelming number of animals. They needed a way to fund the rescue and keep them housed and fed.
“I worked in entertainment at the time, but it wasn’t enough to support the animals,” Nobles said. “I saw a video of a lady with a goat jumping on her in a pasture that went viral. So, I thought, let’s try this as a fundraiser for the farm!”
They partnered with Petting Zoo 2 U, a local mobile petting zoo originally called Wildlife on Wheels founded in 1997 by America’s Teaching Zoo graduate Nancy Rouas.
“We got incredible feedback from the event, so we put together another and another,” he said. “Shortly after, we got a business license for it because so many people wanted to do it! They don’t get a lot of opportunities to get outside in the grass with animals, and we were able to offer that to them.”
Four years ago, when the big trend for goat yoga began, Jeffry’s Farm and PZ2U officially partnered to create Goat Yoga LV. Now, Goat Yoga LV is the only program in Las Vegas that offers this experience.
The Goats
Calling it a symbiotic relationship between the two organizations, Nobles explained that the program helps them manage the farm while socializing the goats at the events. Over time some of them might be “promoted” to the petting zoo. This depends on how their personalities and demeanors change as the goats get older.
“Some of the goats are from the rescue and Petting Zoo 2 U,” he said, calling the herd a “comingle” of goats. In addition, he said that they don’t force the goats to go to the yoga classes.
“If a goat chooses not to come to work, they don’t have to go; they can stay home,” he said. “We’re sensitive to how the goats feel; we don’t want to put them in a situation where they’re not comfortable and or not enjoying themselves.”
Trying to keep things as natural as possible, Nobles explained the size of the herd depends on the goats themselves. They don’t separate the male and female goats; they’re one big herd, and depending on how many end up breeding together, the size of the herd varies.
“Usually, we have anywhere between 10-15 goats in the herd at a time. But, at the events, there’s an average of 12 that normally come out,” he said. “This year, though, we have 10, and generally, all 10 of them like to come to work.”
The Goat Yoga LV Experience
Many people picture Vegas as a hot, smoggy place with only strip clubs, gambling, or shows on the Strip as forms of available entertainment here. Locals generally have a broader view of what’s here in the community. Still, they often don’t get to experience the available enrichment. Especially when it’s an outside activity in the summer that doesn’t involve a water park.
Depending on the location of the class, people can either partake in the experience outside in the morning every Saturday or around sunset every other Wednesday. They also have the option of a mid-day indoor class every other Saturday. People get to be in the grass, playing with baby goats, and connecting with other people. And, they ultimately show up for themselves to practice self-care in the process.
Speaking about the baby goats, Nobles said that they’re herd animals and love being in large groups, including people.
“They see you, and they get excited; you see them, and you get excited,” he said. “Combining the meditative factor of yoga with the experience of the goats, it’s magical. We see people giggling for an hour at the goats’ antics, having fun as the goats jump on their back, sniff their faces, and play while you go through the session.”
The Instructors
For an hour, you’ll be guided by one of the instructors who Goat Yoga LV works with. No two sessions are the same as they work with multiple different yoga instructors for their events.
“We don’t like to racket our instructors,” Nobles said. “Each one is different based on the session, the venue, and if we need to bring a substitute instructor in when others can’t make it.”
All instructors guiding the sessions are certified and bring their own style to the session, tailoring it to the participants and their abilities.
“This isn’t just for people who do yoga frequently; it’s for anyone at any level,” he added, explaining that the instructors give participants options of different difficulty levels for each pose. “We’re all here for our own reasons. That’s what really makes it different.”
In addition, the goats themselves are never predictable. So each time people attend the sessions, it’s a different experience all around.
Class Options
Spread out over the month across multiple different locations, Goat Yoga LV offers various options to people wanting to try the experience. These sessions are available every Saturday and every other Wednesday, depending on the class and location.
All classes are $30, except for the wine + yoga class, which is $45. All classes are paid for in cash at the time of the session. However, they keep a credit card on file when you register in case of a cancellation.
At this time, space is limited to 30 people per session due to the pandemic. But Nobles said he expects it to open up to 50 people soon.
Under normal circumstances, Goat Yoga LV offers mat rentals for $5. At this time, however, you must bring your own mat or towel to the class.
Southwest Las Vegas Morning Classes
For those wanting to start their day with some fun in the sun, Goat Yoga LV hosts a morning class every Saturday at 9 a.m. The location of this class varies within the Southwest Las Vegas area, usually off of Blue Diamond and Decatur near the Silverton Casino. You receive the location information when you sign up for this class.
Henderson Mid-morning Classes
Every other Saturday at 11:30 a.m., Goat Yoga LV hosts an indoor yoga class at the Henderson Multigenerational Center. Offering this class indoors provides the opportunity to people who otherwise might be unable to attend an outdoor class outside, especially in the summer heat.
“At this class, the people and the goats are inside in the air conditioning as opposed to being outside on the grass,” Nobles said. “The experience is a little different, but it’s more comfortable temperature-wise.”
For this class, you must register through the Henderson Multigenerational Center website. To register, click on the link, enter Activity Number 253533, and select the date you want. Classes at this location are scheduled for 6/26, 7/10, 7/24, 8/07, 8/21.
Sunset Wine & Goat Yoga Class
Offering an extra unique experience, Goat Yoga LV also hosts a Wine + Goat Yoga evening class. These classes run from 7 to 8 p.m. at Desert Pines Golf Course near Downtown Las Vegas.
“At our wine class, people get a 180-degree view of the Strip with the sun setting behind it. And they get to lay out in the green grass while the baby goats play around them and jump on them,” Nobles said. “After the class, we have a full bar available and provide bottles of wine for two hours after the class.”
Book your wine and yoga class for any of the following dates: 9/24, 10/8, 10/22, 11/05, 11/19.
Private Classes
Goat Yoga also offers private events for people and organizations. Classes are one hour long, with time afterward to play and take pictures with the goats. These vary as follows:
- Goat Yoga LV Venue: $550 flat for 1-20 guests. Additional $20/guest for each guest after 20 (Max of 40 total);
- Travel to You: $600 flat for 1-20 guests. Additional $20/guest for each guest after 20 (Max of 40 total);
- Meet & Greet: $400 for two hours. Additional $100/hr afterward. Goats are brought to your event, and guests can meet the goats and take pictures with them. This option does not include a yoga class;
- Corporate Events: For events larger than 40 guests, please email for prices.
Per Goat Yoga LV’s website, book your private class by emailing them at goatyogalasvegas@yahoo.com. Include the date and time of class, the number of guests attending, and your location or theirs.
Impacts of the Pandemic on Goat Yoga LV
Over the past year, the pandemic caused Goat Yoga LV to shut down its events for nine months.
“It impacted us for sure, especially the rescue which relies on the funds from Goat Yoga to operate,” Nobles said. “It took a lot of work and effort to make it through, but we found some great donors, including Three Square, who donated leftover food from food banks.”
In addition, he added that they’ve paused adoptions and haven’t taken in animals due to the pandemic. The animals they already care for, including cows, horses, chickens, emus, parrots, and more, require a lot of attention and resources. With the lost funding, this became more difficult over the past year.
To help out Jeffy’s Farm and the animals they rescue, donate to them through Venmo at @jeffrysfarm.
Nobles also reported that the pandemic impacted their guests that have come out to the events since they’ve started up again. He’s observed a noticeable effect of the lockdown on people’s mental and emotional health.
“The people are a lot more emotional now; I see more people crying out of happiness at the events,” he said. “It’s nice to be back and help people get through what they’re going through and give them a chance to smile again.”
Goat Yoga LV’s Challenges and Goals
At the moment, Nobles reported that due to essentially losing a year of growth to the pandemic, their biggest goal is to resume working on the project they started last year that was put on hold – building a new barn for the farm with more space and shade.
“We want to ramp up classes to fund that for the animals,” he said. “Our goals are very much project-oriented and involve taking care of the animals we have, as well as rescuing, rehabilitating, and facilitating adoptions throughout the year.”
Nobles added that they haven’t been able to fill the need they normally do in the community over the past year and “want to get back to that.”
“We continue to evolve and grow so our farm can facilitate that,” he said.
Presently, Goat Yoga LV and Jeffry’s Farm’s biggest goals involve ensuring they provide consistent care for their current animals, taking in more animals, and maintaining a homegrown, free-flowing feel while staying organic when seeking funding without becoming too commercial.
Looking forward, Nobles said that the organization hopes to continue growing and seeing their classes sold out every day again.
“We’re a seasonal business, so it affects us on the other side with funding of the rescue,” he said. “We want to continue to see people coming back, and we like to meet our new people who come out for the first time and hope to see them again.”
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Community
Goat Yoga LV, in partnership with PZ2U provides a lot of enrichment to the community outside of the yoga classes they offer.
“We take part of the petting zoo to schools, conducting educational opportunities. This allows students and teachers to see and interact with the animals,” Nobles said. “We provide discounts for the school district for morale-building events at the schools.”
As big supporters of mental health awareness, the petting zoo also offers therapeutic experiences to people in nursing homes by bringing some animals there.
“People in the nursing homes rarely get to see animals, let alone interact with them,” he said, mentioning how they’ll bring animals like their camels and horses out to the homes. “Seeing the reaction is touching.”
In addition to bringing the animals to schools and nursing homes, Nobles said they also donate their time to many events around town throughout the year.
“One of the big things we did was Relay For Life, where we donated an event to fundraise, and all the money went to Relay For Life,” he said. They’re getting ready to set up another event with RFL soon.
“We also did a big fully donated morale-building event at the Nellis Airforce Base, and we do events with the Girl Scouts as well,” he said.
Nobles also shared that they work a lot with Barn Buddies Rescue, the McKee Ranch Foundation, and Hold Your Horses/Horse Mediation Las Vegas.
Nobles’ Experience Running Goat Yoga LV
From managing both the rescue and Goat Yoga LV, Nobles shared that he enjoys both the people and the animals.
“There’s something about listening to 30 adults giggle for an hour,” he said.
“We get all kinds of people: kids, grandmas, yogis, pregnant mothers, you name it,” he went on to say. “We see different energies, attitudes, and personalities all coexisting in a space like that; everyones feeling the same way, talking to people around them they never met, and making new friends. So, that experience is really cool!”
Through everything he’s experienced, Nobles also shared that he’s gained an enhanced sense of resilience.
“I’ve learned never to give up,” he said. “There’s no option to give up when it comes to caring for animals; they need food, water, shade, and everything else. So you work for what you need.”
He added that he admires the ability of the rescue and Goat Yoga LV to share the animals with people and share that experience with them.
“Coming from entertainment, you’re used to everyone looking at you, and there’s less interaction in that exchange,” he said. “Having the experience reversed, where I’m watching people interact with and experience the animals and immerse themselves in the event instead of just being observers, it’s opened my mind to there being more than just one side of things.”
#GetinMotion with Goat Yoga LV
There are many ways to support Goat Yoga LV, and in turn, the animal rescue at Jeffry’s Farm and Petting Zoo 2 U.
Book a class by visiting their website and checking out their upcoming sessions. Follow Goat Yoga LV on Facebook and Instagram to hear about upcoming classes, volunteer opportunities, and other news posted to their social media pages.
Adopt; Don’t Shop
In addition, Nobles said that one of the main messages he always pushes is “Adopt; don’t shop.”
Not limited to the traditional idea of adopting dogs and cats, he talked about how the rescue receives many other animals that need homes.
In particular, chickens and rabbits are especially important to find homes for after April every year. By the end of May, Nobles said that they went from about 30 chickens to 85 now, many of them dumped by people who buy the chicks (and bunnies) for Easter for their kids.
After Easter, though, people who buy these animals quickly realize that they grow into an adult animal that needs a lot of care and attention. Sometimes these animals are abandoned, he said, often at places like Floyd Lamb Park, where people set them loose when they no longer want them.
To help address this issue, don’t buy animals on a whim, whether it be for Easter, Christmas, or someone’s birthday. When you decide you want an animal, research the care requirements of that animal and the breed to make sure you can actually care for them. Check out local shelters and rescues before buying from a pet store or breeder. Shelters and rescues often have many types of animals waiting for their forever homes, not just cats and dogs.
When you adopt, you’re saving a life. Just remember that it’s a long-term commitment that you need to prepare for adequately when you get an animal.
So, adopt, don’t shop! And be responsible when bringing home a new member of your family!
