07/24/2015
There’s a New Yoga Studio on Hatteras Island That Has Locals and Visitors Jumping to Their Mats
In the quaint village of Frisco, tucked on the side of Highway 12, is the new location of Sandy Bay Gallery with a fresh addition in tow. Gallery owner, Linda Hilton, has joined forces with her daughter and son-in-law duo to also bring you Hatteras Yoga. Cena and Wayland Jennette, thriving thirty-something’s and Hatteras Island natives, recently moved back to the charming little sandbar that they’ve always called home. With baby number two came a desire to raise their family around family, ultimately giving their youngsters the unique opportunity that comes from growing up on Hatteras Island, one that few of us are fortunate enough to experience.
The decision to move home was easy; the struggle w
as living without a yoga studio once they moved back. Cena fell into yoga in 2002 while attending UNCW, where she also began dating her future husband, Wayland. From there she studied Bikram at Core Power Yoga Studio in California and eventually in 2010 got her Registered Yoga Teacher Certification in multi-style yoga at Chesapeake Hot Yoga in Virginia. This intense 200-hour certification process includes classes in anatomy, Sanskrit and a required amount of viewing and practicing. She nearly immediately began teaching in Charlotte, NC at the YMCA before they moved down to Jacksonville, FL where she also taught at the local YMCA while studying at Yoga Mix in Neptune Beach, gaining more and more exposure to different styles of yoga and teaching.
Fortunately, when Cena, Wayland and family made it back to the island, things just sort of fell into place and Hatteras Yoga was born. The pair tackledthe new venture with a whole lot of heart and creativity. Really wanting the business to reflect their island heritage, they upcycled a discarded tuna tail from a local seafood shop. Wayland dipped the tail in ink and created a print which would become the “Y” in their logo. They also had locally printed shirts and stickers made, and custom leggings fashioned by another local artisan and seamstress.
Moving coast-to-coast and studying at various different studios along the way, Cena gained an openness to making her students comfortable and a flexibility that makes room for people of all levels of experience. With that, she teaches Vinyasa and Power Yoga to mix things up. Vinyasa is the art of connecting breath and movement with a dance-like rhythm. You move a little quicker and she changes up the playlist depending on the energy of the class.
Power Yoga, however, is about building heat through a series of crunches, sit-ups, bicycle sit-ups and chaturanga dandasanas. There are 72,000 postures in yoga, so she is all about mixing it up to keep things interesting and challenging. Some classes are heated which means you sweat more, allowing you to both detoxify and get deeper into postures as your muscles get warmer quicker. With that, she is very conscious of the studio environment, making the whole experience come full circle with a humidifier filled with essential oils, candles and relaxing rags soaked in essential oils that both relax and rejuvenate.
While her classes are intimate, allowing for more one-on-one time, they are open to men, women and children of all ages and all skill levels, with modifications available. Very excited about their new adventure, they have a vision for the future, to grow the presence of yoga on Hatteras Island.
Hatteras Yoga in a Nutshell
Contact: (252) 996-0713
53013 Hwy. 12
Frisco NC 27936
Located in Sandy Bay Gallery Building (across from Captain Rolos Restaurant)
www.hatterasyoga.com
Classes: Held Monday, Wednesday, and Friday 8:30am – 9:30am
*Please come early to register if you are a new student
FAQs: www.hatterasyoga.com/faqs/
