In the past few years, mindfulness products—energy crystals, essential oil diffusers, and gratitude journals—have entered the mainstream market. But this mindfulness movement has always been rooted in one trademark activity: yoga.
In 2017, Pretzel Kids CEO Robyn Parets capitalized on this rise and created her startup.
“That year, there was sort of a tipping point where all of a sudden mindfulness was a buzz word,” said Parets in a phone interview. “Everyone was talking.”
On its online database, Pretzel Kids connects parents with yoga classes for kids in their area. Families can peruse different teachers’ profiles on the Pretzel Kids website or hunt down classes in the schools their children attend.
Parets said practicing yoga can make children more focused, more social and can even help their academic performance.
The startup also certifies teachers to lead these classes. Only last Thursday, Pretzel Kids' offering for interested teachers went completely virtual. Parets is phasing out the live weekend courses it holds throughout the country. Instead, she’s pushing a ten-hour, self-paced online course where “you can get certified from your couch.” The course for teachers covers the basics of yoga and how to conduct a constructive class.
Teachers can opt to get licensed teachers by joining the company's membership program, which allows teachers to manage their bookings online.
The startup also partners with early education programs around the country, like San Francisco-based WonderSchool that promotes the classes in its network of preschools. Once teachers take the Pretzel Kids training, they can become a licensed teacher and run Pretzel Kids classes in their schools.
Before the startup launched two years ago, Parets ran the Breathe Joy Yoga Studio in Sharon, Massachusetts, which led a kids program titled Pretzel Kids. Eventually, the former journalist sold her property when she realized a children's yoga platform could function as a stand-alone venture.
“All this research was coming out to prove what we had already known at my studio in Sharon for a long time,” Parets said. “It brought me to the point where I was like, Okay, wow, this is the time when Pretzel Kids can make an impact on its own.”
Today, around 400 teachers, mostly located in New England and California, have gained certification from Pretzel Kids. About two-thirds of certified teachers join the startup’s network afterward.
In the future, Parets plans to add a live video conference component to the online course for teachers. She also hopes to expand the Pretzel Kids team, which includes her husband, a London-based development duo and a handful of additional employees.
“There’s power in this—in what we are trying to do here,” said Parets. “Yoga and mindfulness helps kids, and it helps their families.”
