Yogamama columnist Karri Jinkins and Bosco, a Scottish Highlander, at Mecox Farms in Bridgehampton, New York.
Photo: courtesy of Karri Jinkins
Yogamama: How a Cow Rescued Me
By Karri Jinkins
In 2007, after having an unplanned (and unexplained) ectopic pregnancy, I was having a difficult time recovering from the emotional and physical trauma of emergency surgery. And it seemed my health and happiness were on a downward spiral. I sought the help of numerous unfortunately clueless doctors and specialists over the course of a year, until I finally had a consultation with Dr. Robert Svoboda (an Ayurveda doctor I had admired for years after reading a few of his books, among them Aghora and Kundalini).

Dr. Svoboda took my pulse, looked at me, my tongue, and hands, and got my exact date, time, and location of birth. He put my Ayurvedic chart together and came up with a very specific prescription within minutes: I should find a red cow that I could visit every week, preferably on a Saturday, and feed it. “The cow has always fed you, now you need to feed the cow,” he said. I was also told to go to the ocean once a week, again, preferably on a Saturday, and stare at the horizon where the sky meets the ocean for at least 30 minutes. I smiled at him, thinking, Fat chance of that happening!

For the next week I thought about the prescription and talked to my friends about it obsessively; it was, no doubt, a source of great amusement for them. After secretly searching online for a while, I found an article about Mecox Farms and the beautiful Jersey cows that farmer Art Ludlow milked. The farm was conveniently located in Bridgehampton, New York, only a mile from one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. I found Art’s phone number, called him, and told him my story. To my amazement, he didn’t laugh, or question me. “Sure, come anytime,” he said, “I normally milk about 6 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.”

The next Saturday, I was in a car at the crack of dawn driving to meet Art and his beautiful red cow, Bosco. It turned out Bosco was a Scottish Highlander and was mainly a family pet, considering she didn’t give much milk. I fed her grass from my hands and petted her as I reflected on how my family on both sides, for generations, had been involved in farming. My own father was even a veterinarian, seeing mostly cows in his rural practice in Wisconsin. The Saturday visit became a regular ritual for me and I began to feed all of Art’s 12 red cows, although Bosco had a special place in my heart. Things slowly started to feel better in my life, I was mostly happier, and then in July of 2010, I gave birth to my beautiful son, Khash. That summer, Bosco also gave birth to her first— and on my birthday, no less. So much for fat chances!

Karri Jinkins is a writer and teaches Ashtanga yoga. She is also the cofounder of Yogamat Clothing. Contact her at: [email protected].