It's been a busy late winter for farmer and goat whisperer Karla Simmons, who has found herself attending goat births on a regular basis on her Middletown farm.

For the most part, it's a hands-off role. Karla, and friend Christine Reed, fellow goat-lover who leads the goat yoga classes on the farm, are on hand to cluck encouragement, admire the other baby goats (including a born-yesterday set of triplets who are still a little unsteady on their feet) and shoo other animals away from annoying the laboring mom.

Before long, newborns CeeCee and Marilyn are here and, within the hour, they take to their unsteady feet.
Baby goats grow fast — very fast. CeeCee and Marilyn join a host of other new-this-season goats who are quite literally bouncing off the walls, playing, and snuggling together at naptime.

People love baby goats, and so Simmons Farm is building on their very popular goat yoga classes with pop-up baby goat yoga classes at Seaside Yoga Studio in Portsmouth. The classes will resume back outside at Simmons Farm in May.

These classes focus on breathing, stretching and the experience of being in the moment. As anyone who has tried it will tell you, the addition of goats demands a different approach to a yoga practice….and baby goats, even more so. The baby goats have all been given a clean bill of health, and they turn out at Seaside in fresh diapers (though, truth be told, they spend much of their time trying to tug the diapers off their brothers and sisters.)
 Goat yoga class is accessible to everyone, no yoga experience is required. You do not need anything special to practice, it is not a sport. There is nothing to master, it’s just something to enjoy. Bring a mat or towel and wear clothing you're comfortable in. The goats are super curious and will try to nibble on just about anything so less is more. It’s also best if you have long hair to tie it up, because they will nibble on that too. You can sign up for classes on Eventbrite.com.

If you are not interested in yoga and just want to meet the goats, Simmons Farm also offers “Pet, Play and Cuddle" with the baby goats. Visit simmonsorganicfarmri.com for more information.