Meet Our Staff

Mike Curtis - Founder, ERYT-500

Mike Curtis is an E-RYT-500, meaning that he is highly experienced, highly trained, and is certified to train other teachers. He founded The Yoga Place in 1995, and Yoga Central came later. With nearly 30 years of experience, The Yoga Place & Yoga Central are some of the longest running Yoga studios in Ohio, and many teachers in the Northeast Ohio area are diaspora who have been trained by Mike.

He has attended many Yoga teacher trainings as a student, has supervised many Yoga teacher trainings as a teacher, and has practiced Yoga in many countries. Mike believes that Yoga is an incredible tool for everyone’s spiritual journey, and that a regular Yoga practice is an enormous asset in self development. For Mike, learning is one of life's greatest excitements, and learning together is even better. Many adore his lighthearted, gentle, and accepting nature.

Mike is also very passionate about the arts, music in particular. He brings many musical performances to the studios, creating a community space to showcase all types of art, and he loves to integrate creativity into his classes.

Bob Bratton - RYT-500

Bob is a lifelong resident of Massillon. He attended Kent State University and graduated with the degree Bachelor of Fine Arts with a major in Studio Art - painting, drawing, and printmaking. He still paints and submits work to local shows. Bob began practicing yoga in 2001 at Sampoorna Yoga Center. He has completed three 200 hour teacher training certification programs, a 300 hour certification program, and is certified to teach chair yoga. Bob has been instructing Yoga classes since January 2009. He currently teaches a gentle/moderate level class at The Yoga Place at 9:30am on Tuesdays, three classes a week at the Massillon Recreation Center, and he teaches at both the David YMCA in Jackson Township and the Schalmo YMCA in Canal Fulton. From May to October, Bob offers a donation-based outdoor yoga class at Witwer Park. Bob does not teach with goats, cats, alpacas, or any other animals.

Carrie Sibila - RYT-500

Carrie has her YTT-200 with Prajna Yoga, and is currently undergoing YTT-300 with Michael Curtis. She has worked with Prajna Yoga master teachers as well as Mary Richards, Karen Algire, and Nikki Myers. Being in long-term recovery herself, Carrie always felt the connection between Yoga & 12-Step Programs. She became a Y12SR certified leader and felt compelled to lead yoga for others in recovery. Off the mat, she enjoys attending music festivals and concerts, and traveling with her family. To wind down, Carrie likes to travel, knit, read, bake, and hike.

Carrie loves yoga because it helps bring us back home to ourselves; our very core, which is all the good and love in the Universe. She hopes she can impart a sense of acceptance and contentment of the present moment to her students. She likes to incorporate the movement of the breath with asana to create a moving meditation. Carrie also likes to welcome people who have never taken yoga before, and walk with them through the first steps. She likes to encourage the use of props in her practice as well, to make the benefits of a pose accessible to anyone.

Carol and Chet Lenartowicz - Registered Yoga Teachers at Yoga Central, Canton, Ohio

Carol & Chet Lenartowicz - 200 RYT(s), Restorative, Partner, Yin, and Akasha Yoga certification, Reiki Master certifications

Carol and Chet are a husband-and-wife team dedicated to fostering holistic wellness through yoga and energy healing. Both 200-hour registered yoga teachers, they specialize in a variety of different types of yoga including Restorative, Partner, Yin, and Akasha. With a shared passion for guiding others toward balance and inner peace, Carol and Chet also hold Reiki Master certifications, allowing them to integrate powerful energy healing techniques into their teachings. Together, they create a nurturing space where students can explore gentle movement along with deep relaxation to help restore balance to both body and mind.

Off the mat, Carol and Chet have both held careers in education for over thirty-five years, and today they enjoy spending time with their three adult children. They also enjoy traveling, walking hand-in-hand, and appreciating life!

Corinne Zellers - ERYT-500

Corinne has been practicing and teaching yoga for over 20 years. Her very first yoga experience was at The Yoga Place in a vinyasa yoga class. She was hooked, and found herself attending class whenever she had the chance. She
completed her 500-hour yoga teacher training with Mike Curtis. Her favorite style of yoga to teach and practice is vinyasa. She enjoys sequencing yoga poses together, moving from one pose to the next with each breath. While she tends to teach more of a moderate flow vinyasa class, she offers modifications so that each student can make the class their own.

In addition to teaching yoga, Corrine is the Program Director of a Medical Laboratory Science program at Stark State College. She received her Master of Science degree from Akron University, and her undergraduate degree from KSU. While she enjoys teaching her profession to students, her greatest love is teaching yoga to all ages.

Cynthia Winick is a yoga teacher in Canton, Ohio

Cynthia Winick - RYT 200

Cynthia’s practice of asana began over 20 years ago, but her yoga journey goes further back. It started in an unexpected place — the water. As a distance swimmer in high school, she first discovered the power of the breath and what it means to be fully present with only the sound and sensation of the breath.

Over the years, the various forms of yoga became steady companions through life’s changes, offering grounding, healing, and perspective. After a breast cancer diagnosis in 2004 and a traumatic arm injury in 2022, she returned again and again to breath, guided visualization, and gentle yoga movement as powerful tools for recovery and resilience.

Cynthia is a 200-hour RYT with certifications in Restorative Yoga, Deep Stretch, Chair Yoga, and Breath Coaching. She is currently completing her 500-hour certification and continues her studies with respected teachers, including Judith Hanson Lasater and Mike Curtis. She also completed the Yoga Medicine Lymphatics Teacher Training to deepen her understanding of how yoga can support immunity and lymphatic health.

Before teaching yoga, Cynthia studied science and psychology and spent over two decades as Chief of Staff in her husband’s endodontic practice, where she trained staff and supported anxious patients with a calm presence. She also owned and ran an art gallery and has worked in both pharmaceutical and healthcare settings. These roles — balancing logic, compassion, and creativity — continue to inform her teaching.

Cynthia’s classes are calming, nurturing, and accessible. Her teaching weaves together breathwork, mindful movement, and deeply restful poses. Students often say they leave class feeling lighter, more relaxed, and reassured that “doing what you can” is always enough. She believes yoga is a powerful way to come home to ourselves — with compassion, awareness, and gratitude.

A lifelong learner with an MBA, Cynthia also loves reading, gardening, cooking, walking, and spending time with her family and friends. She tries to live each day with presence and appreciation for the beauty in ordinary things.

“The most important yoga isn’t the poses we do on the mat — it’s how we live, how we breathe through hard things, and how we keep showing up.”

David Finley - RYT-200 & Mixed Movement

David Finley is a mixed movement artist who has studied and practiced various forms of movement throughout his life. His teaching focuses on proper technique, alignment, and logical progressions to building strength.

David's training includes:
Russian Kettlebell Certified (RKC) Instructor
Assistant Instructor at two RKC Certifications
JumpStretch Flexband Certification
Certified Natural Trainer, Jon Hinds 2006
Attendee of two Gymnastic Bodies Certifications, Christopher Sommer 2012
RYT-200 from The Yoga Place, Michael Curtis 2012
RYT-200 Prajna Yoga Certification, Tias & Surya Little with The Yoga Place 2017
Instructor of Budokon® Yoga Primary Series, Cameron Shayne 2016
Instructor of Budokon® Yoga Second Series, Cameron Shayne 2017
Ido Portal’s Creative Movement Tools Workshop, Shai Faran 2017
Ido Portal’s Movement X, John Sapinoso, Zack Finer 2017
Ido Portal’s Motion, John Sapinoso, Liav Baron 2018
And more!

Donna Bishop - RYT-200

Donna Bishop describes herself as a recovering “stress-junkie.” She credits Mike Curtis and “free class” advertised on a sign as she drove by the Yoga Place as changing (maybe even saving) her life. She has found that yoga has brought the calm back to her life, especially during the busy times. She loves Hatha and Vinyasa Yoga the most as they keep her busy mind focused on the breath, body alignment, and in the moment. She has been a Yoga Place student for many years, and was in the very first class ever held at Yoga Central with Bob Bratton. She is a graduate of the 2018 class of 200-hour teacher training. Donna holds a doctorate of organizational leadership. She is a retired school principal, teacher and teaches future teachers and principals as a professor at the University of Mount Union. When not teaching Donna is doing something outdoors, reading, or spending time with her husband, pets, and family.

Jess "Diba" Bennett - RYT-200 & Dancer

Jessica began dancing at the Canton Ballet when she was 4 years old and studied there until she was 18. She completed a dual degree at Ohio State University with a Bachelors of Fine Arts in Modern Dance and a Bachelors of Art in Psychology. After graduation, she danced professionally primarily for the Backspace Performance Ensemble. Her dance career led to her curiosity for Yoga, because many choreographers were using the practice to warm up the mind and body for rehearsals and performances. In 2009, she moved to New York City to continue dancing for Backspace, and her yoga practice became a priority, for not just physical benefits, but for emotional and spiritual health as well. In 2014, she completed her 200 hr RYT at Yoga Vida NYC, a program grounded in Vinyasa with influences of Ashtanga. After 5 years living the NYC life, she and her husband Jeremy decided to move to Los Angeles. The transition was the perfect time to visit India for a month, where Jessica completed an intensive at Parmarth Niketan Ashram. She was able to sharpen her skills and knowledge of yoga philosophy, pranayama, meditation, and chanting. The Ashram was the perfect preparation for teaching, dancing, and acting for Fugitive Kind Live Theater in LA. The calling to start a family brought Jessica and Jeremy back to Canton in 2017 and also inspired her to specialize in prenatal & postnatal yoga. She completed her Prenatal Yoga Teacher Training certificate through Blooma Yoga at Kripalu Center For Yoga & Health that same year.

Jessica's classes are a movement meditation with an emphasis on alignment and breath. When leading a class, she hopes to meet each student where their body, mind, and soul are at! You can find Jessica teaching Vinyasa classes, Prenatal and Postnatal workshops, as well as private dance classes.

Jody Sivy - RYT-200

Jody is a resident of Louisville, where she and her husband raised 3 daughters. They enjoy “farming” on 5 acres, growing many vegetables and fruits, and raising their own chickens.

She attended college at Mount Union, where she received a degree in Medical Technology. She worked for 40 years in Laboratory Medicine, and now is the Hematology Supervisor at Salem Regional Medical Center.

Jody's love for science is balanced by an equal love for movement. Ballet was her passion, but she enjoys learning many forms of dance. She began teaching dance at age 16. Also, she was a floor coach for the gymnastics team for many years.

She was introduced to yoga and The Yoga Place in 1996. Yoga remains a mainstay in her life. In 2018, she completed the 200-hr Yoga Teacher Training program at The Yoga Place. Jody says, "What I have come to appreciate most is that yoga is a constant evolution involving body, mind, and spirit, and that it is adaptable to any person and any physical challenge or situation."

Jody’s style would be classified as Beginner/Moderate with a sense of gentle flow. The use of various props may be incorporated to aid in stability, flexibility, and sometimes even creativity! Her classes are accessible to all skill levels while still allowing freedom to explore some challenges.