About the Instructors:
Kari Boyd Gardiner:
Kari began her study of Pilates in 2002 while studying art and dance at Bard College in New York.  After working as an organic vegetable farmer for 6 years, a bout with Lyme disease sent Kari back to school.  She graduated with a B.A. in art from Bard in 2003.  Early on in her studies at Bard, Kari found a Pilates class and after her first class was amazed at how good it felt to do something healthy and balanced for her body instead of using it for the physical labor of farming.  Even though she was attending dance classes at least four times a week, it wasn’t until she started doing Pilates regularly that Kari felt she started to fully recover from Lyme disease.  The full body strengthening centered from the core in Pilates made Kari feel strong from the inside out in a way that she had never felt before.  She actually felt stronger and better in her body than she had in her life so far.  Originally thinking that teaching Pilates would be a fun and meaningful thing to supplement her work as an artist and student, Kari became a certified Pilates teacher through Power Pilates in NYC, in March, 2003 and began teaching both group and private classes.  In the summer of 2004, Kari and her husband, Christian, moved back to Orcas Island, where Kari had spent many years of her childhood, to raise their growing family and start the first Pilates studio on Orcas.  In 2006, Kari began her study of Gyrotonic® and became a certified Gyrotonic® trainer in 2007.  Kari credits the team of Bob Liekens and Susan Moran at Power Pilates, and especially Leah Katz as her Pilates mentors and is honored to work with Magali Messac and Debra Rose as her Gyrotonic® mentors.  It is a “dream come true” for Kari to see Pilates and Gyrotonic® grow on Orcas and share with people what has been so meaningful in her own life.  Not only is Kari devoted to her students, but to being a student herself.  Kari continually exceeds the required amounts of continuing education hours.   Kari enjoys teaching not only those students who just want to learn a deeper kind of a workout, but also those whose bodies have special needs and considerations.  Kari continually is inspired by her own practice, her work with her teachers and continuing education, her three children and husband, and especially by her clients. 
 

Tamara Joyner: 
Tamara Joyner is a Registered Nurse and a fully Certified Pilates Instructor.   Her curiosity of physiology led her to nursing, and her interests in anatomy and fitness led her to Pilates.  She believes in balancing her active life with preventive movement (Pilates) to promote longevity, physical strength, and well-being.   Tamara enjoys teaching because,  "Guiding a body to move freely in a mechanically sound way, and watching a Client grow in confidence and strength is very rewarding