Looking to Reconnect with Nature? They’ve Goat You Covered
Hidden Timber Soul Sanctuary to offer intentional yoga with furry friends and laughter
Arriving at Hidden Timber Soul Sanctuary just east of Fall Creek, you are quickly immersed in a soft, serene landscape with chittering birds in trees, a beautiful speckling of gold and purple in the grass, and ... alpacas in the distance? Goats excitedly approaching you? Not just your average spot, this sanctuary aims to connect folks with nature in a more playful way.
“During the pandemic, I personally had kind of a breakdown and [was] just trying to find out what I wanted to do (with my life),” Kristina Brett-Buckman, co-owner, said. After discovering hobby farming with the help of a life coach, Kristina, with her wife and co-owner Tiffany, started researching ways to incorporate the hobby into everyday life. “We’ve done goat yoga before … and just watching the other participants, I felt that this was where we wanted to take the business.”
"We want (visitors) to have a fun time, reconnect with their friends and family, themselves, with nature, and let them know we have long-term mental health healing (too)."
KRISTINA BRETT-BUCKMAN
CO-OWNER OF HIDDEN TIMBER SOUL SANCTUARY
Offering calming experiences with alpacas or joyful time spent with goats, both will be part of yoga sessions at the sanctuary. In practice, “(the alpacas) are very curious and nosy, so they will approach folks, timidly at first … (but) just to have them in your presence is very calming,” Kristina started. “The goats are more playful and just seek that attention,” she laughed.
Starting with five female Nigerian Dwarf Goats from a small farm in Wisconsin Dells and five female Alpacas from Osseo, Hidden Timber Soul Sanctuary is eagerly building the barns and fences necessary to bring the animals home. Once adjusted, they hope to open doors to goat and alpaca yoga in late summer while continuing into fall. With 10 per class to start, dates and times remain only on the weekends in a seasonal rotation.
Hoping to use the animals for Tiffany’s life-coaching business, Tiffany Buckman Life Coaching, as well, the sanctuary expects to combine services across the pair. “We want to use both services when folks come,” Kristina said. “We want them to have a fun time, reconnect with their friends and family, themselves, with nature, and let them know we have long-term mental health healing (too).”
“We want folks to say, ‘This is a place I want to come back to and bring my friends and family too, next time,’” she said. Looking to collaborate with other local farms and small businesses in the area, Kristina and Tiffany have endless ideas on how to create a unique and inviting experience for all. But first, building the barns!
Learn more about Hidden Timber Soul Sanctuary and stay up to date on their announcements at https://hiddentimbersoulsanctuary.com.
