I tried barn yoga in Tofino with goats and chickens right next to the barn. In the rain. In a botanical garden. This is what I learned:
Over the summer I and a friend spent a long weekend in Tofino, a coastal town here in BC known for surfing, incredible tacos and long, gorgeous beaches (among many other things). During this weekend I made a point to do a lot of outdoor activities - we kayaked, hiked, read books by the water, and I did a lot of yoga. One of the yoga classes I did was barn yoga in the Tofino Botanical Gardens with Tofino Yoga (not sponsored) surrounded by beautiful gardens, chickens, a goat and light rain sounds. It was meant to be a beach yoga class, but it was very rainy so the class was moved to a barn in the gardens, and I’m glad it did. What a fun experience! It will probably be a long time before I do anything like this again, so I’m stoked that I got to have that experience. And so, in case you’re interested in trying barn yoga or yoga or yoga in a setting that involves farm animals or a garden, I’ve reviewed my experience so you can decide if you also want to try out something like this!
People doing barn yoga with Tofino Yoga at the Tofino Botanical Gardens. Courtesy of Tofino Yoga on Instagram.
I’ll include photos from their website and Instagram here because we weren’t able to take our own for the privacy of other participants. Please note these images depict people without masks, but I’m not sure when the photos were taken or what their current mask-wearing procedure is, so please reach out to them if you have questions about that. Also, please note that this post contains affiliate links, so if you buy something through these links I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Nothing in this review is sponsored.
The setting - yoga in the Tofino Botanical Gardens
As I mentioned, this class took place in a barn (see images) in the Tofino Botanical Gardens, which is situated in (wouldn’t ya know it) a garden! But what made this class extra fun and interesting is the fact that the barn was right next to a chicken coop and a goat pen (which just had one goat, I think). The chickens were a hilarious additon to the class - they would occasionally start clucking randomly which would probably annoy some people but I enjoyed the ambient sounds, and the fact that we were trying to center ourselves with the occasional chicken sound in the background was really funny to me. The goat, on the other hand, was very quiet. He didn’t make any noise, though he did frequently peek into the barn to see what we were up to.
People doing barn yoga with Tofino Yoga at the Tofino Botanical Gardens. Courtesy of Tofino Yoga on Instagram.
Since it was slightly rainy out, we could hear a low, quiet pattering as the drops fell on the roof and on the lush garden around us. This was one of my favourite things about the class. It was such a soothing noise and the misty morning made for a very calming environment.
The yoga class and instructor
I really enjoyed the class, which was suitable for all levels and, if I remember correctly, took us through a type of flow that was similar to Hatha. I felt refreshed, energized and strengthened after. The class was challenging but not too difficult, so I had a lot of energy left over afterwards, which is exactly what I like. The instructor was knowledgeable, friendly, and made sure everyone was safe and following COVID safety guidelines for social distancing, mask-wearing and sanitizing hands. She also did a great job of guiding us through the class with instructions that made sense and I beleive she provided suggestions for pose modifications as well.
What I wore to have a sustainable yoga class
Mats were provided by the studio, cleaned and sanitized after each use. But, had they not been provided, I would have used my eco-friendly cork yoga mat (get a similar eco-friendly yoga mat from Scoria World). I had a sustainable Paloma bra from Girlfriend Collective, many years-old yoga leggings from Lululemon which I received as a gift when I was 17 (yeah… I generally wear my clothes until they’re 100% dead haha!) and an organic cotton cami from PACT.
