Herd mentality: Goat yoga is gaining popularity
BALTIMORE — A cool breeze rippled through the grass as baby pygmy goats roamed inside a fenced-off field in Carroll County one recent Saturday.
The gentle call of birds floated overhead, occasionally mixing with the goats’ bleats, as yogis laid out mats among the pygmies.
That back-to-nature feel — and the goats, in particular — is exactly what brought the small group with yoga mats out to Lil Holler Farm’s first goat yoga class.
Instructors and participants say goat yoga is gaining popularity throughout the Baltimore region and the nation because not only is it calming and good for beginners, but it’s a novelty ... and of course the animals are just so darn cute.
Before the class taught by Erica Chesnik at Lil Holler Farm in Westminster, Md., started, goat food was placed on the end of every yoga mat to encourage the furry friends to interact with the 14 participants.
The pygmies were shy at first, though some grew braver, a few even grabbing a couple of minutes of sleep at the end of a yoga mat. Others were curious, coming up to participants to check for food or sniff them before galloping off.
Chesnik of Owings Mills said people are craving that interaction with nature and animals.
“It’s just a really great way to connect with animals,” she said.
People especially love the baby animal aspect, Chesnik said. The baby pygmy goats are playful and curious, she added.
Chesnik learned about goat yoga through social media. She said multiple people tagged her in videos that started going viral online, telling her she should try to get a class together. She was able to connect with her friend Claudia Konkus, who runs Lil Holler Farm, to offer a class.
And from there, it’s been growing. They’re being contacted regularly with inquiries about classes, she added.
“It’s definitely gaining a lot of popularity. It’s spreading like wildfire,” Chesnik said. “We’re really happy with the path that this is taking.”
Becky Keys of Fells Point took her first goat yoga class this month with Chesnik, and said she would definitely take another.
The biggest difference — aside from the goats, that is — is the fact that the class is outside and has so much involvement with nature, Keys said.
The nature aspect brings it back to the central part of yoga, she said, which is about being one with oneself and the surroundings.
“When you’re trying to balance out your mind and meditate, it’s easier, for me in my mind, to be surrounded by nature and hear the sounds of nature,” added Keys, who said she recently finished 19 months of cancer treatment.
The Filipino American National Historical Society’s Stockton chapter is seeking nominations of local members of the Filipino American community for recognition at their 18th annual awards luncheon.
Judges will consider the nominee’s success and dedication to the preservation of Filipino American history in areas including education, business, athletics, health care, arts, agriculture, politics and community service.
As part of the public review process for the proposed South Sacramento Habitat Conservation Plan (SSHCP), a community open house meeting is being held at the Littleton Community Center in Galt on Thursday, July 6, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
The SSHCP streamlines permitting processes for future development and infrastructure projects in much of south Sacramento County while conserving habitat, open space and agricultural land. The City of Galt is one of the SSHCP partners, along with Sacramento County, the City of Rancho Cordova, the Capital SouthEast Connector Joint Powers Authority and the Sacramento Regional County Sanitation District.
More information is available at