World of Difference #3: Lambs Farm & Goat Yoga

Any age kids will enjoy Lambs Farm and your purchases will help a good cause.  Located in Libertyville, IL, Lambs Farm provides vocational and residential services for over 250 adults with developmental disabilities.  Founded in 1961, it already became the third most frequented visitor site in Lake County by the 1980s.  That's probably because of the good cause combined with family fun.  The site includes a petting zoo, small rides, and mini golf course perfect for the little kids.  The farm does include many animals including lambs, but that's not the origin of the farm name.  The name has religious meaning from John 21:15 in which Jesus tells St. Peter, "Feed my Lambs".

As a big kid, I find other ways to support this worthy cause.  I buy ice cream topping at the Sugar Maple Country Store, dog accessories at the Dogwood Pet Shop, donate to the Cedar Crest Thrift Shop, and enjoy lunch at the Magnolia Cafe & Bakery restaurant.  Yes, that's a lot of sites in one place.  It also has a greenhouse and store.  It's a 72 acre campus which also includes their housing.  Those living onsite are also the employees.  They have purpose and pride in their work and it shows.  I enjoy that I can visit with the same people weekend after weekend and see their smiles.

Lambs Farm also raises funds through events such as a golf outing.  I wanted to share my experience at a new event - Goat Yoga.  The instructor utilizes the Lambs Farm petting zoo location and class funds go to a good cause.  As a first time Goat Yoga participant, I was a little concerned that I've mastered no yoga pose.  No problem!  Our instructor made us all at ease, letting us know to have fun, play with the animals, and go ahead and laugh, it's all part of total wellness.  We all laughed at some point, usually when a goat tried to eat our yoga mat or get close to our face.  The Lambs Farm employees added more animals to the mix.  It was so fun to watch the young kids giggle.  According to the new brochures, Lambs Farm also added Puppy Yoga.  There's always something new at Lambs Farm.  

Check the Lambs Farm website for event schedule.  Take your whole family for the fun and support a great cause.  Who wouldn't want to hug a goat and give to a good cause?

If you are looking for more information about yoga, click on my article "Gym Class Little Yogis and 3 Yoga Festivals".

Gym Class #6: Little Yogis & 3 Yoga Festivals

North Star Resort, Photo by Krenda

Vacation gives you an opportunity to unwind and explore new places, meet new people, and try new things.  My friend had a gorgeous wedding at North Star California resort in Truckee, CA (near Lake Tahoe), so I looked into kid friendly events on the resort and found the Patagonia store offering a free yoga class. 

Yoga, like vacation promotes relaxation.  Kids have stress too.  Schools feel pressure to reduce recess and gym class and add more tests.  Yoga helps teach focus, self-control, respect for others, and inner-strength.  Little Flower Yoga and Yoga Ed work to incorporate yoga into classrooms.

Physically yoga helps strength, balance, coordination, and body awareness.  Kids have natural flexibility, so my kids beamed as they found doing the postures called asanas easier for them.  Plus the instructor kept praising their skills, calling them future little yogis.

Yoga class emphasized mind and body working together.  We concentrated on breathing called pranayma to calm and refresh.  Breath deeply and fully, stretching on the inhale and relaxing on the exhale.

The poses also have names that help kids imagine.  You usually hear about downward dog, but yoga has so many more poses.  The kids especially like the animal pose names like cat, cobra, cow, lion, locust, fish, butterfly.

Yoga began in India.  It means "union" in Sanskrit, an Indian language.  It means coming together of mind and body.  Check out your local gyms for classes.  Many offer prenatal and baby yoga classes.

If you want to sample yoga at home, consider YouTube videos like Cosmic Kids which has kid specific yoga videos at no charge if you accept advertising.  Consider a yoga mat, but all you really need is comfortable clothes.

If you want to sample yoga with live trainers, consider a yoga festival with kid activities:

1.  Commongrounds (Loring Park, Minneapolis, MN) in July
All day pass $80, morning or afternoon only $45, single class $25
Bonus - "kids camp" free with event ticket and pre-registration for 4-12 year olds, a full day of fun (8:45AM-5:15) including activities such as hula hooping, circus yoga, peaceful ninja show, storytime, and yoga games like mat tag)

2.  Tuscon Yoga Festival (Gene C Reid Park, Tuscon, AZ) in October
free registration, free yoga
Many types of yoga including Yoga Nidra, Vinyasa, Acro, Yin, Yoga in Spanish, plus meditation

3.  Yoga Fest (San Jose/Bay Area, Christmas Hill Park, Gilroy, CA)
free for children under 12 and kids clases
Main stage includes a variety of yoga classes (gentle Hatha, Sri Sri, Sukshna), meditation for world peace, and multi-cultural performances (African drums, Mexican dance, and Chinese dance)