About
Pip Yoga
Pip Yoga offers children’s yoga classes for kids ages 18 months - 12 years old, focusing on mindfulness, movement and fun!
Classes are currently located in West Hartford (Elmwood Community Center) and Simsbury (Verve Dance) in Connecticut. Originally founded in June 2024 at its former location on New Park Avenue in West Hartford, Pip Yoga moved and partnered with established educational institutions to expand to into two new locations and widen community reach as of September 2025.
Everyone is welcome, as Pip Yoga strives to provide an inclusive, safe space for children and their caretakers. All bodies and abilities are invited to come move and play with us in a non-competitive, non-judgmental environment.
Mission
Our mission is to create a calming space for children to practice yoga, and mindfulness through stories, curiosity and play.
Vision
Our vision is to foster kindness to others and self . We are committed to diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I). We advocate for children’s rights and self agency, creating a safe space for children to build strength of body and mind.
Abby Saunders Nolin (“Ms. Abby”)
Abby Saunders Nolin, founder and teacher at Pip Yoga shares mindful, playful children’s yoga instruction inspired by books, stories and nature. She holds a Cosmic Kids Yoga Certification and has taught children’s yoga at the Montessori school, West Hartford Public Schools, West Hartford Public Library, Quaker Lane Cooperative Preschool and School for Young Children in Connecticut.
Studying Vaganava ballet at the Nutmeg Ballet Conservatory and theater at the Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts, Abby went on to train in modern dance at Rhode Island College. She then performed and toured professionally with dance and theater companies in Providence, Rhode Island. She has studied Vinyasa Yoga since 2013.
As a former librarian and curator of rare books, Abby held positions at Brown University, Roger Williams University, Harvard and the University of Southern California (USC). She writes children’s books and is constantly inspired by stories and books in her yoga instruction.
Abby currently lives in West Hartford with her husband, two young children, a fluffy miniature Australian Shepherd, an even fluffier Maine Coon and lots of plants. Besides yoga, she enjoys hiking, knitting, reading, writing, swimming, gardening, and dance parties!
Pip the Sandpiper
Designed by local artist Jaime La Jones, our logo features Pip the spotted sandpiper. Pip is wild, curious and full of energy. She plays in the waves, and then basks quietly in the sun. Pip embodies a connection with nature and an appreciation for the wilderness that is childhood.
