Nick Marolda of Warrenville has the quintessential goat yoga moment when Rose jumps on his back during a Goat Yoga Chicago class at Reverse the Kerrs Farm in Elgin. (Rick West | Staff Photographer)
Danielle Kerrs of Elgin firmly believes in taking something bad and turning it into something good.
So when she and her husband, Brad, experienced the worst moment of their lives -- when Brad's father took his own life -- she wanted to do something to make a positive come from it.
She never would have guessed that her mission to improve mental health and promote mental wellness would involve goats -- lots of goats.
Kerrs opened Goat Yoga Chicago in 2018, three years after the death of her father-in-law, who had battled depression.
The Kerrses started with a pair of goats and had six by the time they held their first goat yoga class at the Elgin farm, which they dubbed Reverse the Kerrs Farm -- an homage to her father-in-law's lifelong love of the Cubs and the team's battle to reverse the curse (which coincidentally centered on a goat).
They now have 17 little yoga helpers -- 15 Nigerian dwarf goats and two mini Nubian goats. They range from 30 to 80 pounds when fully grown at age 2 to 3, and their life spans are similar to dogs at 10 to 15 years.
The goat yoga classes are held outdoors at the farm on Muirhead Road in far west Elgin and indoors at a studio at the Arboretum of South Barrington. Classes are $39 for an hour, with half of the time spent doing yoga with the goats and the other half just playing with them, cuddling and taking photos.
Read more here.
Related: "Zen and the art of Goat Yoga"
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