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Meet Our Team

The Yoga Tree is home to a select group of yoga professionals, who we believe comprise the finest teaching staff in the Pacific Northwest each specializing in a particular area of study or style of Hatha yoga. We are committed to teaching the highest quality yoga possible with attention to each student's specific needs.​ 
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​Susanne Hutchinson
Owner, Director of Teacher Training
E-RYT 500, Certified iRest® Teacher

Susanne’s early experiences with yoga began as a small girl practicing along in her fuzzy pink pajamas with PBS’ Lillias, Yoga, and You. Many years later she tiptoed shyly into a class at the local gym searching for a way to alleviate stress and anxiety. She has been a devoted practitioner ever since, exploring many different styles and teachers.  

Susanne firmly believes in the accessibility of yoga, and that anyone and everyone can experience its joy as well as its physical and mental benefits. Susanne is a student of yoga first and foremost, studying with amazing teachers from all over. Susanne has been teaching since 2010, and is registered with Yoga Alliance. In addition to Hatha Yoga, Susanne teaches the mindful practices of Yin and Restorative Yoga and iRest® Yoga Nidra.
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With Susanne, you can expect a class that is approachable, balanced, and a little bit playful. You might hear the occasional giggle or “ya’ll”. You will be encouraged to explore and maybe discover something new about yourself or experience a pose in a different way.
Off the mat, Susanne enjoys hiking and traveling with her husband and celebrating life with family and friends.

Jennifer Cabanero
​Studio Manager
​E-RYT 500, C-IAYT
iRest® Senior Teacher Trainer
iRest® Certification Supervisor

“One day you finally knew what you had to do and began...”    ~ Mary Oliver

Jennifer was introduced to Hatha yoga when she was a child by her mother who had learned it in turn, from her mother. Jennifer began teaching yoga in 1998. In 2003, Jennifer was introduced to the deeply healing practice of Yoga Nidra, and specifically to the teachings of Dr. Richard Miller. In just a few sessions, she felt a profound shift in her ability to be at ease amidst the ups and downs of life.  

Jennifer has trained extensively with Dr. Miller in the art and craft of iRest® Yoga Nidra. She works as a Senior iRest Teacher Trainer and as a Certification Supervisor for the Integrative Restoration Institute (IRI) an educational non-profit, that provides programs, teacher trainings, and retreats based on the ancient teachings of Yoga. Come to her Tuesday morning or Wednesday night classes to find out more about this profound practice of restoration and self-inquiry. 
She has also been inspired by the teachings of Donna Farhi, Gary Kraftsow and loves playing with Developmental Movement Patterns, Somatics, and Continuum.

Jennifer’s students describe her as wise, approachable, intuitive and supportive. She infuses her classes with poetry, chanting and with a profound insight into the workings of the body and the nature of the human spirit. 
She encourages connecting the breath with sensation, moment to moment, so that the poses arise from an inner wisdom rather than an outer form imposed upon the body. It is her goal to teach a balanced class so that each student leaves feeling energized, centered, and ready to transition into their daily lives.

She is known for her infectious laugh and her abundant garden (those are her beautiful flowers you see at the studio). In addition to brightening the studio with her plants and personality, she is the studio manager and housekeeper extraordinaire, working overtime to make sure the space is always clean and inviting, and the blankets and mats are folded in just the right way (folds to the front, fringes to the back!). If you’re lucky, she’ll bring chocolate to class for a taste meditation, or just guide you into a state of yoga nidra inner calm that is sweeter than any chocolate. 

In her own life, she has used yoga to heal from a severe back injury and as a way to nurture herself as she supports her husband, who lives with cancer. In her spare time she runs wild with her two nieces, enjoys cooking (she used to be a pastry chef!) and spending as much time out of doors as possible. 

Through the teachings of Yoga, Jennifer has become aware of a deep sense of wholeness that has always been present and with this wholeness, an ability to fully welcome life with all of its ups and downs. How could she not share this with the world?

Colleen Bell
E-RYT 200​​

Colleen began her yoga practice in 2003. Over time she realized how therapeutic yoga was, both mentally and physically. Yoga has helped her through multiple injuries and she has a profound respect for her body now. Yoga continues to be her passion and her healing, happy space. 
Colleen is an E-RYT and completed her 200 hour training with the esteemed Samadhi Yoga in early 2013. She is certified in Yin & Myofascial Release, through Twist Yoga, where she is currently working on her 500 hour. She has also practiced and studied extensively with Jason Crandell, Juan Pablo Barahona, Seane Corn, Lauren Waker, and Amy Ippoliti. 
She enjoys being playful and challenging, while also bringing alignment awareness to her classes. Colleen encourages students to come join her outside their comfort zone and find acceptance of themselves in their practice.
In her spare time, Colleen loves spending time with her cat, Galadriel. She loves to read, watch movies, and go hiking.

​KateCollins
​RYT 200

Kate grew up studying modern dance, which is when she first learned how daily physical activity can help to quiet the mind. That awareness deepened when she discovered yoga in her 20s.  She has since practiced a wide variety of yoga styles such as vinyasa flow, Kundalini, Iyengar and classical 8-limb Ashtanga with many incredible teachers. While each style has its unique approach, the most important takeaway for Kate has been that through regular practice, a deeper understanding and acceptance of self becomes possible. 


Kate completed a YogaWorks teacher training with Natasha Rizopoulos in 2010. Her eclectic background gives her an open approach to teaching and her strongest desire is to help people discover and embrace their individual paths. Her classes link breath awareness with flowing sequences as well as building strength and the ability to focus while holding poses. 


Kate loves to work hard on the physical aspects of yoga, but it’s the exploration of self and the profound practices of pranayama and meditation that inspire her most as a teacher and in her personal practice. Kate has lived in New York, Paris, Los Angeles, Maine, Baltimore and Washington D.C. before happily landing in Seattle with her husband and two teenage daughters in 2015.

​Christina Ellis
E-RYT 200

Christina started practicing yoga in 2002 to reduce stress and clear her mind, but she soon found her practice offered much more. It inspired her to get her teaching certification through Yoga Works in 2008 in order to help others find the peace of mind that she has through yoga. Christina is Yoga Alliance Certified and is constantly learning from all the teachers around her. Her accessible approach combines a Vinyasa flow with a focus on alignment. She would love to guide you on your journey to a healthier and happier body and mind!

Karen Gamble
E-RYT 500

 I am an E-RYT 500 Yoga Instructor, Yoga Tune Up Instructor and Health Coach. I’ve been practicing for over 20 years. I’ve done a lot of deep personal work to ground me enough to offer my services to you. I’m interested in helping people feel at home in their bodies and field the bigger questions in life. Why am I here, what’s my purpose, how do I find peace? There is no one answer to any of those questions, there is however, a practice that can lead us to find acceptance and deeper meaning in ourselves. Sometimes the first step is making your bed every day and sometimes it’s sitting alone in a forest monastery meditating for 10 hours. I’ve done both, you may fall somewhere in between. We just start from where we are. What would you like to work on? Movement, yoga, right livelihood, diet, clutter, letting go or relieving stress? Let’s make a plan, set some goals and grow. ​

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Amy Hirtzel
RYT 200

Amy believes that the first step in creating a healthy world is cultivating self-compassion and an understanding of yourself, and encourages this on and off the mat. She inspires deep self-inquiry with a light-hearted approach. Amy weaves personal stories and jokes into her classes to make yoga concepts accessible and memorable. Her goal is to help you connect deeper to your true self and strength, so you leave feeling centered and inspired. 

Amy is a 200 Hr Certified Yoga Teacher, a Level 1 iRest Yoga Nidra teacher and teaches with NW Corporate Yoga. She geeks out about donuts, dad-jokes, knitting, vegan ice cream, rowing and how the body works. 

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Jess Jarris
E-RYT 200, RYT 500, C-IAYT

With nearly 15 years of study, my yoga practice has grown into a cherished, patient, and wise guide that has supported the navigation of injuries, life challenges, and self inquiry. I believe yoga to be a journey of self-exploration that can open our hearts to the inner wisdom that enables us to live life with authenticity, dedication, and love.  I am committed to my daily movement, breath, and mindfulness practices as a way of grounding into the undercurrent of the presence (or love) that permeates all living things. It is this practice that reminds me that each moment matters and holds an opportunity to greet life vivaciously.

In my classes, I aim to encourage a compassionately curious, warmhearted, and playful environment where students of all levels can explore and deepen their practice. Integrating inspiration from my many avenues of study, I blend together my knowledge and experience of anatomy, alignment, philosophy, mindfulness, Ayurveda, and yoga therapy. I completed my 200-hr yoga teacher training in 2012, my 300-hr yoga therapy training in 2015, and am certified with the International Association of Yoga Therapists. Currently, I am pursuing a masters degree in Counseling Psychology at Bastyr University in Seattle.
As Rumi once wrote, “Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it.” This is our practice; to come to our mats, exactly as we are, and through the medium of the body and breath, investigate, observe, and lovingly crack open our inner barriers to the wisdom of the present moment. It is within presence that we thrive and live within love. I look forward to meeting you on the mat and exploring this practice together.  

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Jessica Jobaris
​E-RYT 225

Jessica Jobaris received her certification teacher training thru Pacific Yoga in Seattle, WA, having also studied at Samadhi, 8 limbs, Urth Yoga in Los Angeles, and Om Yoga in NYC. Her style is eclectic, drawing from Ashtanga Vinyasa, Iyengar, Anusara, and iRest Yoga Nidra. Jessica is deeply inspired by the powerful yet slow medicine of yoga.  

She aims to empower her students, with compassion and humor, by challenging them to safely find their physical edge, with a strong emphasis on sound alignment, to uncover the Sacred within each of us. Jessica also studied extensively with The Tamalpa Institute, training in Expressive Arts Therapy, a modality of mindful movement practices integrating with art. She has taught yoga extensively in Seattle, most notably at The Yoga Tree, Lotus Yoga Studio, Seattle Pacific University, University Prep Academy, Fred Hutch Cancer Center, Central Park, NYC, Casale Santa Brigada in Umbria, Italy, and at Dock 11 in Berlin, Germany, where she combined dance technique with yoga. She is also a professional dancer, choreographer and instructor of dance, with over 20 years of dance/movement training. Jessica also loves spendign time with her partner Matt, traveling of any kind (this photo comes from Berlin, her second home!) and carries chocolate in her purse and glove compartment. Jessica has been teaching yoga for 9 years now, offering privates, semi-privates, and workshops, along with group classes.

Deborah King
​E-RYT 500, C-IAYT

Deborah King has been teaching since 2001 and is a lifelong practitioner of yoga, having grown up with a mother who taught yoga and creative movement. Her study deepened as she intensified her study of the theatrical arts as a teenager, and when she came to The Theatre School of DePaul University, she discovered the Iyengar tradition. She has studied in many eclectic traditions with many wonderful teachers, and with her first pregnancy, began teaching herself. She received her certification from Eight Limbs Yoga in Chicago, under Per Erez, Miguel Latronica, and Carla Douros, and went on to assist in the Teacher training for 2 years, as well as being the prenatal and postnatal presenter. She taught beginning, advanced, continuing, prenatal, postnatal, and childrens’ yoga, and apprenticed for 2 1/2 years with Gabriel Halpern at Yoga Circle in Chicago in therapeutic yoga in the Iyengar tradition. In Seattle, she studies Vijnana yoga with Kathryn Payne. After some years off with her exquisite children, she returned to teaching in Seattle at the beginning of 2013. Also a professional actress, she has been seen in Seattle at ACT and Seattle Children’s Theatre, and many theatres in Chicago, as well as several films. Her classes emphasize the internal experience of alignment, the use of intent to explore the body’s story, and the practice of yoga as both process and celebration. Deborah is currently enrolled in Integrative Yoga Therapy’s Advanced certification program through IAYT. She has a deep passion for the healing potential of yoga and for making the practices accessible to all people.

Amanda Mitchell
RYT 500 

Amanda has been teaching since 2013, and loves the whole-body support asana provides. She found yoga at a time when her mental and emotional state needed support, and feels that tuning into the body is an essential tool to navigate life's mind-focused culture. Ultimately, Amanda believes in using yoga to nourish yourself, and will often bring in vibration (a singing bowl or gong) to aid that process.
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In her asana classes, you'll experience a slow, deliberate style, with a focus on alignment, mixed in with humor and practicality. You will leave with a sensation of having worked hard without completely tiring yourself out. Amanda always incorporates steady breath work, while bringing in a mental component or theme so you can take yoga where it counts – off the mat, and into your life.

Linda Oshins
​E-RYT 500​​

Linda Oshins, ERYT-500 since 2002, dates her every-day practice of yoga back to 1987, and she has been teaching yoga since 1997. She is also a Reiki Master who studied under Katherine Dufrane and other energy healers, and teaches energy practices as a way self-revelation.

Linda has made the practice and study of pranayama her particular focus for many years, wrote the manual Pranayama: A Compendium of Practices, and teaches a 6-month web-based course on pranayama using the manual as its foundation. She is currently writing a book on healthy breathing.
 
Until she moved to Seattle four years ago, she owned and operated Yoga on High, a large yoga studio and teacher training institute in Columbus, Ohio, and has designed and run teacher training programs registered with Yoga Alliance since 2001. 

Linda is excited to become a part of ongoing inquiries into energy and breath at The Yoga Tree.

Kristin Reed
​E-RYT 500​​

Coming from a background of gymnastics and modern dance, Kristin was first attracted to yoga by its physical benefits and discipline. However, once she began she quickly found the true gift of the practice: peace of mind and emotional health and well-being. Kristin completed her 500hr training from Sunstone Academy in 2009 and has been in love with teaching ever since.  

Kristin’s greatest passion is helping others connect with and find freedom in their bodies so that they can move and live to their fullest potential. Her classes emphasize building a solid foundation with strength and proper alignment, while also finding ease in asana and cultivating careful observation of the body and mind.  Outside the classroom Kristin works one-on-one with students as an LMT and practices Traditional Thai Massage. This combines bodywork and herbal therapies to help bring clients physically, mentally, and emotionally back into balance.

Jenna Walenga
​RYT 200​​

I first found yoga as a moving meditation practice.
My journey as a yogi began in Cape Town, South Africa. While working with the Earthchild Project, in 2010, I saw the power of yoga and mindfulness to bring peace and calm in a chaotic world. Through experimenting with dance and yoga, I began to understand how freeing it was to bring awareness into my body and out of my head. 
Working to feel more connected, joyful, and whole, I deepened my yoga practice while living in Seattle.
In 2014 I completed my 200-hr teacher training from YogaWorks. The YogaWorks method is a unique and practical approach that combines Vinyasa flow with an emphasis on detailed alignment and intelligent sequencing. 

I am blessed and proud to share my training lineage with many of today’s inspiring yoga leaders, including Seane Corn, Shiva Rea, Kathryn Budig and many more.  Continued scholarship is an important aspect of my yoga practice, and I actively attend regular trainings in the Seattle area including iRest Yoga Nidra, sequencing workshops and more!

Ann Zitzmann
​RYT 200​​

Ann has been practicing yoga since 2013.  What she appreciates most about yoga is how it provides the structure to observe and experiment with mind, body and spirit.  It was this discovery that motivated her to become a Yoga Alliance certified teacher in 2018.  She wanted to share with others what she has learned through her own experience with yoga.
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Her goal as a teacher is to create a safe and welcoming space for her students to study their own mind, body and spirit. She encourages her students to gaze inward and observe their present state of being to give themselves the yoga practice they need - even if that means taking savasana for the entire class, Ann insists her students honor their instincts.

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