Pretzel Kids Yoga Teacher Feature: Meet Michelle!
Meet Michelle Tsimtsos, our November featured Pretzel Kids yoga teacher and our first teacher spotlight for the fall 2018!
Michelle is the mother of two teenage daughters, a certified lifestyle and weight management coach, personal trainer, yoga teacher, and group exercise instructor. She lives in Mansfield, Ma. and can often be found at her daughters’ activities and theater performances.
Michelle, 48, is also the owner of NutraStudio, offering nutrition and fitness classes for adults and kids.
An avid runner, fitness enthusiast and music lover, Michelle has a BA in psychology and a BS in exercise science.
We recently had the pleasure of talking to this accomplished mom and wellness expert about her experience teaching yoga to kids and her journey with Pretzel Kids.
Here’s what she had to say:
Pretzel Kids: Can you tell us a bit more about you?
Michelle: I became a certified group exercise instructor at the age of 22 and a certified yoga instructor after my first child was born when I was 31. I have been practicing yoga ever since. I started practicing yoga with my girls and my love for youth yoga grew along with them. Now that they are older and practice on their own, I continue my love for yoga and children by teaching youth classes.
Pretzel Kids: Tell us one fun fact about you (can be anything!)
Michelle: I rode my bike from Boston to New York!
Pretzel Kids: What do you like to do in your spare time?
Michelle: In my spare time I enjoy running and listening to any type of music. I especially enjoy outdoor concerts.
Pretzel Kids: What drew you to the Pretzel Kids yoga online certification course?
Michelle: I was drawn to the PK online course to help further my expertise and enhance my training to teach youth yoga.
Pretzel Kids: What is your favorite thing or two about the Pretzel Kids yoga certification course?
Michelle: My favorite thing about the course is the amount of ideas and suggested lesson plans. This helped me to expand my current repertoire.
Pretzel Kids: Do you feel the course expanded upon your kids yoga knowledge?
Michelle: I was currently teaching adult and children’s yoga, but this course helped me feel better prepared and expanded my knowledge.
Pretzel Kids: Where would you like to teach Pretzel Kids yoga in your community?
Michelle: I live in Massachusetts and I currently teach kids yoga classes throughout my area. But, I would love to expand my teaching area!
Pretzel Kids: How do you hope to make a positive impact with Pretzel Kids yoga?
Michelle: I hope that by teaching and utilizing the Pretzel Kids yoga curriculum, I can help more kids and help make yoga more mainstream. I feel this could help the daily lives of so many children.
Pretzel Kids: You had the opportunity to create a couple of Pretzel Kids lesson plans as part of your certification process. What was this creative process like? Did this make teaching easier and what was the reception from the kids?
Michelle: The Pretzel Kids lesson plans helped to make teaching easier by having the outlines available and the idea platforms structured. Just by seeing other ideas and thought processes allowed me to enhance the plans I was already using for my classes.
Pretzel Kids: How did you hear about Pretzel Kids? Would you recommend the Pretzel Kids yoga certification course to friends, moms, child care providers and yoga teachers? Why?
Michelle: I heard about Pretzel Kids through connections in the yoga community. I would definitely recommend this course to anybody who is looking for an outlet to teach kids yoga and bring children together. This is a great way to help kids become more calm, build strength, and move!
Pretzel Kids: What’s your favorite Pretzel Kids pose?
Michelle: I love the surfer post because it’s actually a strong warrior pose and kids have fun by becoming surfers.
Pretzel Kids: What’s your favorite Pretzel Kids yoga game for children? What’s your favorite Pretzel Kids yoga theme?
Michelle: My favorites game lately is the lifeguard game. I think it’s super fun to use with a summertime theme. It also helps to keep the kids engaged.
Pretzel Kids: What’s your favorite food (just for fun!)
Michelle: My favorite food is definitely a big giant soft pretzel! (can you see why I like Pretzel Kids?!)
Thank you Michelle and we wish you continued success! Do you want to become a Pretzel Kids yoga teacher? Get Started Today!
We can’t wait for you to join our Pretzel Kids yoga family!
