Sometimes, being called the goat is good, like in Greatest of All Time or when you’re doing… goat yoga. Jessica Pekmezovic of Madison is part of a burgeoning trend in yoga that encompasses the use of goats that adherents tout as a method to help bring another level of harmony and peace to the discipline.

Jessica and her family currently split their time between New York and Madison, having moved here during the pandemic like many who were leery and weary of urban areas and seeking a more bucolic existence.

“During COVID, we had three kids, and we were feeling pretty cramped in our New York City apartment, so we began to look around for a bigger place to use on the weekends and school breaks,” says Jessica. “And through our search, we found the beautiful town of Madison. We just absolutely fell in love with it, so when we found a house there, it just felt 100 percent right, and that’s how we ended up here.”

Jessica says she began her passion for yoga after moving to NYC when she was 21 years old and working as a special education teacher.

“That can be a very stressful job at times so I was looking for something to relieve that stress and bring me to a more grounded state. And I just said, ‘Let me give yoga a try.’ And much like the feeling when we came to Madison, doing yoga just felt right. And I really did feel great when I did it. So, I practiced for a long time, and then I began bringing yoga into my classroom as a special ed teacher, as well. We would do breathing exercises between our reading and math lessons, we would do stretching, and it was so beneficial to the students,” says Jessica. “And then, when I had my son and transitioned to staying at home to care for him, I thought that it would be a good time to go ahead and get certified as an actual yoga teacher. I went in 2018 and got yoga teacher training in New York and then began teaching here in the city.”

According to Jessica, she specialized in outdoor yoga, which was a great foray into alternative methods of participating in the discipline, which eventually led to incorporating goat yoga into her instruction.

“I actually was doing outdoor classes in Central Park, and that kind of came full circle when I met Linda [Nedell, owner and operator of Madison Goat Yoga] and the goat yoga. When I moved here, I came across a posting on a parents' Facebook group looking for yoga teachers, particularly any who liked to teach outdoors. And I said that is my specialty, so I reached out to Linda and saw her beautiful farm, and met her goats, and met Linda, and again, it was just one of those things that clicked immediately and felt really right. So, we agreed to give it a try this past summer and see how it goes. And it was such a fun time. There were beautiful classes all summer long, filled with such great people. We had lots of people from the community come, and a lot of repeat clients come, which is always great to see.”

Many people have questions about goat yoga, including what it is, whether their hooves hurt when they climb onto you, and simply why.

Jessica says that the presence of goats in a yoga session is about incorporating another aspect of tranquility and well-being into the class.

“I think sometimes people think of yoga as maybe a slow exercise, and I think that even I probably thought that too before I began doing it. But after doing it, I found it so special because it is a thing that connects your body, your mind, and your heart. It connects all three of them. So, while you’re on the mat, you might be doing yoga for an hour, but what’s the beautiful thing about yoga is that hour can help carry you through the other 23 hours of your day. It can really help you to remain calm and grounded and to not be reactive to situations. It has so many great benefits for life, as well as keeping you physically healthy.”

There are several creation stories about where and why this form of yoga was created. Most aficionados claim that its origins are in the Pacific Northwest in 2016 or so when a yoga studio accidentally found that goats and yoga make an interesting combo. Still, no matter its origins, Jessica says goats are inquisitive and lovable, more like kittens than horned gruff billygoats.

“When Linda posted on Facebook about this. She loves her goats. It is very clear that she is so passionate about her goats, and she really wanted to do something to introduce them to her community because they are so playful, and we both said let’s just give it a try,” says Jessica. “It was so much fun because the element of being outdoors with yoga really connects you to the Earth, with nature, which is so great. Having these goats there is really fun because they interact with you while you’re on your mat if you want them to. It is very playful and very fun, and I also think it also helps bring people to yoga that maybe otherwise might not consider it because it is such a fun experience rather than just a yoga class in a studio. I would say that some of the people that come to the farm for goat yoga are really coming just for the goats and to experience just a really fun morning together.”

Jessica says participants aren’t required to have goats climb them to do goat yoga; the animals' mere presence can be a fulfilling way to make a deeper personal connection.

“It’s funny; it really feels like a deep tissue massage when they climb on your back, and you don’t need to allow that to enjoy the class and feel that peace. We have children who participate in classes, and we don’t allow the goats to climb on them, but if you’re a sturdy, healthy adult, you can let them jump right up, and you feel up to it, they can jump right up, and it is kind of lovely,” says Jessica. “Most of the time, honestly, the goats are simply roaming around while we are doing a class. They might come up and snuggle somebody; they might lick your face a little, so it is a really such playful interactive type of yoga.”

Jessica says that she is thrilled to find such a connection to Madison through something that brings so much joy to her life.

“It is really special for me. One of the reasons I personally love yoga is I think it encourages community and the importance of having a positive community around you. To bring something that I’m really passionate about and that I really love to people in my new hometown feels really special and very rewarding,” says Jessica.

For more information, visit www.hygge.yoga.