Ohio Farm Debuts ‘World’s Only’ Otter Yoga Classes

Ohio is now home to an otter lover’s dream. 

At Westmeister Farm in Shelby, two small-clawed Asian otters named Harbor and Cove have taken up a new hobby: practicing yoga poses with their human friends. 

Indeed, the farm partnered with yoga instructor Trish Sexstella of Meta Soul Yoga to become “the only place in the world” to offer an “otterly amazing” experience to the community, calling the gentle, low, slow-flow yoga class “Go with the Flow Otter Yoga.”

While the idea started with one themed event, during which otters were free to socialize with and climb all over participants and their mats, Sextella told NBC affiliate WKYC that it soon blossomed into something bigger. 

“It opens up a door for people who may not otherwise try yoga,” she explained. “Some people show up just for the event, and then they email me later and start doing regular classes. It’s a good way to segue that into their lives — plus the bonus of a little animal therapy.”

She also emphasized that the otters, who also enjoy taking swim lessons with the farm’s guests, are highly socialized and enjoy the experience. And because Harbor and Cove tend to let their curiosity get the better of them, the farm enforces a strict no-jewelry rule for everyone participating in otter yoga. 

“They are little treasure goblins,” Sextella quipped. “They’ll unscrew things, unzip things. They go in pockets, up shirts, down pants. They’re very mischievous.”

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“They absolutely love it,” she continued. “They even strike little yoga poses from time to time. It’s stimulating for them, and they need that.”

Although watching a pair of otters curl up for a nap in the middle of an enclosure full of humans doing downward dog can make class more complicated for Sextella, she has found that watching the joy on people’s faces as they interact with the playful creatures has been one of the most rewarding parts of her job. 

“I love seeing the genuine joy, the carefreeness, the laughter, the giggles,” she gushed. “For a couple of hours each month, nothing else matters. It’s super wholesome, unstaged, unfiltered — just natural, genuine joy.”

“Everyone has a great time,” she added. “We’ve had people come back a second and third time because they have such a blast.”