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Pretzel Kids Yoga Teacher Feature: Meet Heidi Nechtman

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By Brooke Weber, Pretzel Kids content editor

Meet Heidi Nechtman, our December 2020 Pretzel Kids yoga teacher!

Heidi turned her lifelong passion for fitness into an amazing kids yoga teaching career!

Heidi has worn many hats: She’s a mom who has worked as an archaeologist, litigation consultant, and now a children’s yoga instructor! But it was her love of running that led her towards seriously practicing yoga as a remedy for “runner’s hips.” 

When Heidi began volunteering at her childrens’ schools, though, she noticed that a sense of calm was missing from their classrooms – so she created her own solution. After creating her own lesson plans from scratch for a while, Heidi found Pretzel Kids, and the rest, as they say, is history:

“Pretzel Kids offered an easy approach to creating consistent and fun lesson plans.  Their lesson plans incorporate all the things that are important to have in a yoga class: movement, fun, breathing techniques, interaction, yoga poses at their level and the stillness of savasana. Pretzel Kids has truly transformed my classes.”

From her home in Tempe, Arizona, Heidi now teaches Pretzel Kids classes online,providing inclusive yoga and mindfulness instruction to all.

Pretzel Kids: Tell us a bit about yourself!

Heidi: I have been and done many different things – exchange student, archaeologist, auditor, litigation consultant, runner, internal controls advisor, student of martial arts – but the roles I have the most love and passion for are being a mom of three (10 year-old boy/girl twins and a forever 12 year-old son); and teaching mindfulness and yoga to people of all ages and abilities. 

Pretzel Kids: Any fun facts you’d like to share?

Heidi: When my oldest son was in second grade, I decided that I wanted to re-learn to do cartwheels. I actually never did, but this past February we completed a 12-hour black belt test together. So, I decided that was better than cartwheels.

Pretzel Kids: What do you like to do in your spare time?

Heidi: Right now I do all of my hobbies with my kids, so I get to have a lot of fun! Travel, running, martial arts (taekwondo and muay thai), scouting and playing with our dog, Stormfly.

Pretzel Kids: What role has yoga played in your own life?

Heidi: I first did yoga because I had runner’s hips; I needed to get a little more flexible. But as I went through all of these phases of life and, ultimately, later in life, became a parent, it was pretty overwhelming to be a mom with three little kids. As I mentioned, I was a professional; I was a consultant; I travelled the world. When I had my first son, work was my escape, a little bit; it was the time to be me. But when my two little ones came along, I stopped working, and I was fully cut off from the adult world. It was just the four of us. My husband traveled a lot, and so this stress built up. When I went back to studio yoga and had a regular practice again, I noticed how calm it made me. I was a different person on the days that I did yoga. It became my go-to way to bring that calm into our lives.

Pretzel Kids: And how did you discover that you wanted to become a children’s yoga instructor?

Heidi: As I watched my kids grow up and I volunteered in the classrooms, I just saw such a need for mindfulness and yoga for so many reasons – both for those that are “typical” and others with challenges that they’re dealing with. (Knowing how to stay calm is important as just even being in the classroom is stress-inducing), especially for children who have anxiety or sensory issues. It became a passion of mine to bring yoga to people that can’t really access traditional yoga or only have access to fitness yoga classes, but need something that speaks more to inner health and mental health.

Pretzel Kids: How did you come across Pretzel Kids yoga?

Heidi: I was putting together my own yoga classes, and I had found some books, but a lot of them were really little kids’ stuff. So I kept searching, and I just kept coming upon Pretzel Kids in all of my searches. It always had the right answers for what I was looking for. After taking the Pretzel Kids Method course, everything just fell together. There’s a certain pattern that you use, and all different ideas in the whole manual that they provide you.

It’s a really great structure to work from, and it’s so easy. It was really, really worth it to take the course.

Pretzel Kids: How do you adapt your favorite parts of the Pretzel Kids Method to include all students?

Heidi: Everyone needs pranayama, so there’s a lot of breathing techniques. I bring those in at the beginning and end of class, and I also incorporate breathing with movement. I use a lot of imagination. Today, I was doing the Parthenon, so I said, “Our arms are up and our chests are up! The Parthenon is nice and tall and stretched out and really connected to the ground. Be a really strong monument that’ll last for thousands of years!” Using that kind of imagination does two things: it really helps them feel the pose. That’s something that everyone can access whether they’re standing or sitting, have anxiety or don’t.

Pretzel Kids: How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected your teaching?

Heidi: I’m teaching virtually, and I’ve found that many of the things translate to an online kids yoga class. (At the same time), the kids don’t have interaction through games or just being near each other. So I let them have a lot more choice. They need more play, and so I think that lesson plans have leaned a little bit more towards play and interaction.

Pretzel Kids: What Pretzel Kids pose do you love the most?

Heidi: That is the hardest question! I really like the “Astronaut”, and I sometimes call that the sloth pose. For kids, being able to slow down and speed up is definitely learned, and I love that pose because you can really do the Astronaut pose and then do something like the “Rocket” that is faster. When they’re in that Astronaut pose, they can also do a little balancing, and the kids love it! It’s really fun.

Pretzel Kids: Beach or mountains?

Heidi: I live in Arizona, so you will more often find me in a mountain setting. However, even though I do not love to go in the water, I love the power of the ocean waves, so the beach is very often a setting for my classes and guided meditations!

Pretzel Kids: What’s next for your yoga journey?

Heidi: In my pursuit of more knowledge regarding the self-care, mindfulness and healing aspects of yoga, I am enrolled in a Healing Emphasis Yoga Master program and I am also beginning a journey to learn how to teach adaptive yoga to yogis of all ages.

Thanks for talking to us, Heidi! We wish you continued success!