Yoga has been intertwined in Adi
Strigl’s life for almost as long as she can remember.
“I found yoga or yoga found me,” she said. “It
really supported me though pregnancies and moves, loss and joys, so many
monumental moments in life. To share that gift with the world is such an
unbelievable feeling.”
A longtime yoga instructor, Strigl
decided to use yoga to bring a sense of normalcy back to children’s lives amid
the pandemic. In the fall of 2020, the Israeli native and Doylestown transplant
began offering outdoor kids-only yoga classes. By winter, she had moved classes
inside her Furlong studio. Soon after, The
Yoga Gnome,
Bucks County’s first kids’ yoga studio, was born. Substituting the word gnome
for home, she chose the business name as a play on words for the adages
“there’s no place like home” and “home sweet home.” She also liked the
“whimsical” and “fairytale” feel of the name.
Classes are available for babies
learning to crawl through teenagers and are grouped according to age. Each yoga
class includes mindfulness, meditation, and relaxation.
“Every age has the magic,” Strigl
said. “You just meet them where they are. That’s what yoga is.”
In addition to Strigl, three other
yoga instructors teach classes. Strigl credits her stepson, 18, and daughters,
ages 10 and 8, with supporting her and taking part in classes.
What the new entrepreneur sought most
in launching her business was the know-how to set up an LLC, pay taxes and
provide proper insurance. She found help from SCORE Bucks County mentors Samuel
Twardowski and Marvin Deitch.
“Sam and Marvin have been so wonderful
to work with. They really helped me with more practical things,” said Strigl,
whose brimming creativity sometimes leaves little room for organizational tasks.
“They helped me so much, everything to do with numbers and with calculations.
It kept me accountable. It kept me connected to the purpose.”
Twardowski and Deitch
have provided Strigl with guidance and resources on various topics, including
time management/scheduling and helped her find an accountant and attorney.
“She has done a great
job in moving her business forward,” Twardowski said. “She has been
consistently filling up her class sessions. She has expanded her class
offerings to newer age groups, has brought on additional instructors and has
established an upcoming summer camp program.”
Even as the U.S. heads
out of the pandemic, Strigl intends to keep her yoga studio focused primarily
on kids. Reminiscing about how The Yoga Gnome began – and the impact it has had
on her young students – still resonates with her.
“The kids were really anxious. They
were really craving going back to regular life,” Strigl recalled. “That was the
moment it clicked with me. And I said, ‘I need to do this for the kids, to help
them.’”
The Yoga Gnome is a “safe space.”
“If you’re feeling worried, if you’re
feeling upset about something, you can express whatever is coming out of you,”
she said. “We are all going through that. Humanity is all about riding the
waves and the pulsation of life.”
At the end of the day, Strigl knows
she is making a difference.
“Parents would tell me, ‘you really
saved my kids during this time,’” Strigl said, overcome with emotion. “It is so
touching for me.”
About SCORE
Since 1964, SCORE has helped more
than 11 million aspiring entrepreneurs. Each year, SCORE provides small business
mentoring and workshops to more than 375,000 new and growing small
businesses.?With 50 members across the county, SCORE
Bucks?County?provides over 1,500 free mentoring services annually
to local small business owners through one-on-one counseling and
small business seminars. To stay up to date on news and happenings, join
SCORE Bucks County’s email list. Text SCOREBUCKS to 22828 or visit https://buckscounty.score.org/.
