Finding Happiness through Time with Goats
Christy Doherty
50plus Magazine
If your self-care practice has gotten stale, “No Regrets Flower Farm and Animal Sanctuary” has soul-soothing offerings.
Yoga with Goats is the central theme, although other lucky rescued farm animals (chickens, pigs, fluffy kitties, and creamy canines who guard the livestock complete the sweet picture.
In addition to Original Goat Yoga and Goat Happy Hour Experiences are crafty offerings like Bouquet Bars (courtesy of their flower farm) and Stained Glass Workshops. Fans of cannabis might enjoy Puff and Peace events — BYO Cannabis — which include goat yoga and a strolling tour.
Farm founders Lainey Morse and husband Sean Scorvo began their journey in 2015 when they got their first goats, Ansel and Adams. Lainey discovered they helped her disconnect from the stress of her beloved but stressful corporate job. “I had no idea goats were so loving and social and wondered why people weren’t using them as therapy animals.”
Soon Lainey invited others to experience the goats for themselves. “We started calling it Goat Happy Hour because that’s how everyone left — HAPPY!”
Then a friend asked her to donate a Kids & Kids Birthday Party to charity; by then they had six goats. Yoga instructor Heather Davis, who was at that party, proposed hosting a yoga class at the farm. Lainey says, “I was in marketing, and jumped at the idea, even though I thought it sort of strange.”
And while not into yoga herself, Lainey was into goats, photography, and marketing. “We had Heather come to the farm and we did some promo shots and videos,” she says. Those videos have now been viewed millions of times all over the world.
When the first class was announced on Facebook, interest exploded. “I had to take the post down because I couldn’t have thousands of people coming to my farm.”
Lainey sent images from the sold-out class to Modern Farmer magazine, thinking readers would enjoy it. “They responded instantly, and that was my very first interview. From there, it was picked up by the Oregonian and then things snowballed. The New York Times came out to do goat yoga, and the Huffington Post. International journalists were sitting in my field filled with goat poop and thought it was the most amazing thing ever! I was on a rollercoaster going 100 miles per hour and I couldn’t get off for three years. The only thing that stopped it was the pandemic.”
The shutdown resulted in closing 18 national locations Lainey and Sean had opened since launching in 2017. Eight locations reopened in 2021 and are going strong.
Lainey says the happy hour experience is “about being in nature, connecting with loving animals, and disconnecting from this crazy world. It’s so simple, but highly effective.” No yoga experience is needed. In fact, guests don’t even have to do yoga. “Some just sit on their mat and snuggle a goat and watch the clouds drift by.”
No Regrets HQ and Farm is nestled in the Bellfountain Valley between Eugene and Corvallis. Depending on weather, events are held outdoors, or inside an amazing 130-year-old barn with 360-degree views of the Southern Willamette Valley.
Overnight accommodations within eight miles include RV or tent camping. Learn more at goatyoga.net or 888.992.4628.
At her home office “a few deer trails off the beaten path,” Christy Doherty writes about animals and extraordinarily kind people.