Teachers
Cynthia Land, LMP - Studio Founder and Co-director
Cynthia holds a teaching certificate from The Prana Yoga College (2002). She has also completed advanced teacher trainings with Rodney Yee (2002) and Rod Stryker (2010), but currently calls Tias Little her teacher. Cynthia is also a Yoga Therapist and a Licensed Massage Therapist with a focus on Thai Yoga Massage.
Cynthia encourages students to use breath to gracefully stretch and tune in to their bodies. She emphasizes use of core strength and alignment, helping students get an amazing workout without realizing it. Along with mindful pose-work, she uses a light-hearted sense of humor for overall stress relieving classes. Along with teaching at Expansions, she can also be found at Olympic College and the Haselwood Family YMCA.
Sarah Hamilton, RYT-200 - Co-owner/Co-director
When Sarah graduated from college and moved to Seattle, she happened to take a class at Edmonds Community College. The class was focused on learning individual poses rather than flowing through the poses – a great introduction. She left the class feeling energized and full of life. However, it was not until a few years and a couple of life changes later that Sarah began a regular practice. She chose teaching as a way to spread the benefits and her love of this ancient practice to others who may not think yoga is for them. Sarah now focuses on the breath and on fitting poses to the individual not the individual to the pose. She practices and teaches with the belief that yoga is important but not serious!
Tessa Watson, RYT-200, RPYT
Tessa is a knowledgeable, dedicated, and passionate instructor trained in prenatal yoga at Devi Yoga for Women in Boulder, Colorado. She earned her 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training through 8 Limbs Yoga in Seattle, Washington, is a Yoga Tune Up® certified teacher, and holds a BA from Western State Colorado University in Gunnison, Colorado. She uses her knowledge of yoga to create a nurturing environment for her students. Tessa enjoys sharing movement and centering consciousness with moms-to-be as a path to greater awareness and community during the transformative year of birth. Tessa is a loving wife of a retired submariner, mother to two great children, and lifelong student.
Jolene Culbertson, ARNP, RYT-500
Jolene became a yoga enthusiast in the late 70’s but didn’t start teaching until four years ago when she discovered the urge to share the physical as well as emotional and spiritual practice with others. She completed her 200-hour teacher training with YogaFit and moved on to an additional 100 hours of training with Seattle Yoga Arts. In December 2018 she completed the 500-hour RYT certification with Seattle’s 8-Limbs. “My eventual goal is to offer yoga classes for those dealing with anxiety and depression.”
Heather Carnocki CYT 200
Heather was first introduced to Kundalini Yoga in 2007 when she was going through turbulent life transitions and looked to yoga to help navigate the times (it helped :) She found comfort and connectedness in the pranayama (breathing), kriya (set of movements), mudra (hand positions), mantra (chanting) and meditation of the Kundalini Yoga practice. In 2018, Heather received her 200-hour teacher certification and is currently working on her 300-hour certification. Heather's day job is Oceanographer for the United States Navy; she loves to mix modern scientific knowledge with ancient wisdom. The motto for her classes is, "do what you can do, and feel good about it;" growth flourishes on the edges not in the extremes.
Helen McConkey RYT 200
Helen began her yoga practice in 2009 when she was 54 years old. In the beginning Yoga for her was about becoming more flexible and stronger. As her practice deepened, yoga has become a way to reconnect and appreciate her body. She has a passion to bring yoga to individuals that may think they can't do yoga. In 2019, she was introduced to the I AM Yoga Nidra practice. In 2021, Helen completed the Yoga Nidra III Advanced through the Amrit Yoga Institute. This method of yoga nidra has had a profound effect on her, helping her to reduce stress, sleep better, have more energy and have a deeper connection with her body. Helen took her first yoga teaching training in 2012. Since then, she has taken additional trainings in restorative yoga, trauma informed yoga, chair yoga and yoga nidra. Helen’s other interests include scuba diving, quilting, weaving and knitting.
Kristi Gonzalez YT-200
Kristi is a US Navy disabled veteran who experienced yoga for the first time at the VA Hospital in San Diego. Yoga classes were being offered to veterans with back pain. Kristi experienced first-hand the benefits of yoga both physically and emotionally for veterans of any age and especially those with existing disabilities and/or limitations. Her instructor encouraged her to go through teacher training after learning of her desire to offer yoga classes to all veterans so they too could experience the healing benefits of yoga.
After obtaining her training and certification she started volunteering at the VA hospital in the yogaprogram and later when classes were cancelled at the VA she started offering FREE classes for veterans throughout San Diego County. After moving to Bremerton in 2021 to be closer to family she resumed offering Free Classes to veterans online and in person. Her goal is to offer safe inclusive yoga classes to veterans of all ages and abilities to help improve their lives, as yoga has improved hers. Her classes help veterans build strength, flexibility and balance. When not teaching yoga you can find Kristi playing tennis, hiking and spending time with her children and dogs.