Easy Strength
An in-person Feldenkrais class
Mondays,4:30-5:45, Jan 13-March 3, 2025
at Open Space Yoga Studio
Modern culture puts great emphasis on muscular strength and effort as the source of power, usually overlooking the much greater, almost effortless, power and mechanical advantage available through the adept use of our skeletal structure.
From a Feldenkrais perspective the primary role of muscle is not to generate force, but to offer movement options, allowing us to organize our skeleton for powerful, effortless motion.
As we learn to recognize and release unnecessary muscular tension, the muscles become free to explore new movement options, energy is freed, and we decrease the stress on our whole nervous system. As our skeleton assumes its effortless load-bearing role, we start to discover optimal skeletal alignment and more effortless strength through a wide variety of activities.
Rather than trying to imitate models or ideas of of good posture we recover the ability we had as children (no one taught us to roll over, crawl, walk or run) to feel in our own bodies how it is to move with greater ease, precision, spontenaiety, creativity, and power … with more enjoyment and less effort.
Join us for gentle, fun, movement explorations that facilitate:
• More powerful and fluid movement
• Increased flexibility and range of motion
• Enhanced muscle function and coordination
• Improved neuromechanical efficiency
• Reduced joint wear and tear
• Lower injury risk (by minimizing unbalanced forces on joints and muscles)
• Decreased chronic pain in areas like lower back, neck, and joints
Class series - $178
To sign up for "Easy Strength",
1 - make payment (see options below) and then email Kevin at kevincassity@yahoo.com to be added to the class roster & email list
2 - choose one of the payment options below.
To pay by Venmo go here!
For Paypal:
.To pay by check, mail to: Kevin Cassity, 7926 Old Seward Hwy, Suite C7, Anchorage, AK 99518
Bones for Life
Wednesdays 4:45-6 Jan. 8 - Feb. 26, 2025
a zoom class!
Enhance Your Bone Health, Posture, and Overall Vitality!
What is Bones for Life?
Bones for Life® is a program that develops flexibility, boosts bone and muscle strength, and improves posture, balance, and walking through gentle movement processes developed by Ruthy Alon, a Feldenkrais movement pioneer.
Benefits of Bones for Life:
Stimulate bone growth cells (osteoblasts)
Improve posture and alignment
Enhance balance and coordination
Increase overall strength and vitality
Reduce stress and enhance cognitive function
Prevent injuries and aids in recovery from disability and chronic pain
What to Expect:
Enjoyable, exploratory learning environment
Practical movements and weight-bearing activities
Processes done in sitting, lying, standing, and walking
Personal growth and discovery
Immediate applications to daily life
Why Choose Bones for Life?
Research-backed: A pilot study showed improved bone density in participants after just four months
Natural approach: Uses mindful exploration, rhythm, and gentle pressure
Safe and adaptable: Suitable for all fitness levels and those with movement limitations
Comprehensive: Addresses posture, balance, strength, and fall prevention
Transform your movement, strengthen your bones, and embrace a new level of vitality with Bones for Life®.
Early Bird (first six signups) - $225 (the early bird discount is available as long as it is listed here)
7+ - $260
To sign up for Bones for Life,
1 - email Kevin at kevincassity@yahoo.com to be added to the class roster & email list, and
2 - choose one of the payment options below.
To pay by Venmo go here!
For Paypal:
To pay by check. Mail to: Kevin Cassity, 7926 Old Seward Hwy, Suite C7, Anchorage, AK 99518
Better Balance ...
a Feldenkrais approach
a YMCA weekend workshop
Saturday/Sunday, Jan 18-19, 2025
3-6 PM each day.
We'll explore:
how cultivating new movement options leads to greater stability,
how emotional and physical balance are interconnected,
how to improve whole body coordination for balance,
how to reduce unnecessary tension and move with more ease.
Improve your balance!
Early bird (first six) - $115 (available as long as it is listed here)
7+ $130.
To sign up for "Better Balance",
1 - email Kevin at kevincassity@yahoo.com to be added to the class roster & email list, and
2 - choose one of the payment options below.
To pay by Venmo go here!
For Paypal:
Workshop details: wear loose, comfortable clothing. Bring floor padding (yoga mat(s), moving blanket, closed cell foam camping pad, etc) and a towel for head rest if needed.
Playful power:
Arching, Folding, Twisting, Side-bending
An in-person Feldenkrais class,
Mondays, 4:30-5:45, Sept 9 - October 28, 2024
at Open Space Yoga Studio
The “primitive” spinal movements of flexing/extending, twisting, and side-bending are inborn neurological impulses that form the basis for our vibrant playful exploration of the world as children and potentially throughout life.
Re-vitalizing these movements through playful Feldy explorations is a powerful and fun way to resolve chronic pain, improve balance, vitality, and athleticism, minimize likelihood of injury and falls, and re-awaken our inborn impulses for expression through spontantaeous, pleasurable movement.
Early bird (first six) - $144. 7+ $178.
Drop-in - $26
To sign up for "Playful Power",
1 - email Kevin at kevincassity@yahoo.com to be added to the class roster & email list, and
2 - choose one of the payment options below.
To pay by Venmo go here!
For Paypal
To pay by check. Mail to: Kevin Cassity, 7926 Old Seward Hwy, Suite C7, Anchorage, AK 99518
Note: Kevin will be away from phone & internet contact Aug. 25 - Sept. 2. You can call or email with questions prior to that. Phone messages or emails sent after Aug. 25 will be returned after Sept. 2
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Workshop in Hua Hin, Thailand
Aeriality Studio (Yoga, Pilates, Aerial Acrobatics)
March 26-27, 2024
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Strong & Agile Spine!
A Feldenkrais movement workshop
YMCA Lake Otis, Anchorage
Sat - Sun, February 24-25, 2-5 PM each day
Gentle movement explorations that facilitate:
Spinal Flexibility, Strength, Energy
Better balance
Pain relief, Injury recovery, Injury prevention
Easier breathing
Improved circulation, Joint mobility
Reduced stress and fatigue
Better sleep, Mental clarity
Easier sitting, standing, walking, crouching, bending, twisting, turning
Empowerment!
For the class: In this workshop I will be introducing an innovative form of movement exploration from a chair and using a staff. Wear comfortable, stretchable clothing for gentle movement and bring layers for warmth.
To register:
1) make payment
2) email your contact info (name, phone) to: kevincassity@yahoo.com
Workshop price: $112
To pay by Venmo, go here!
For Paypal:
To pay by cash, check, or if you have questions ... contact: Kevin (907) 350-1715, kevincassity@yahoo.com
A strong flexible spine can make the difference between independence as we age and decades of increasing misery.
Movement is medicine!
Put the spring back into your spine!
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Monday Night Feldenkrais at Synergy Nutrition
Mondays, 7-8:15 PM, Oct. 16 - Dec. 4, 2023 (8 weeks ... and possibly ongoing)
16410 St. James Circle, on Anchorage hillside off Goldenview & Rabbit Creek Rd.
Attendance in-person or by zoom.
Cost: $185
Drop-ins: $25 (contact me ahead for zoom link or to find out if there is space to come in-person)
For more info, email kevincassity@yahoo.com or call/text Kevin at (907) 350-1715.
Payment by Venmo, check or cash.
To pay by Venmo, go here!
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Feldenkrais for Gardeners - 8 week class
Wednesdays 5-6, July 12-Aug 30
Gardening can be as rejuvenating as hiking, biking, dancing or anything else one does purely for fun.
Gardening offers neurological enrichment way beyond that of classic sports like running, skiing and lifting weights.
With Feldenkrais awareness:
* Gardeners can develop a stronger, healthier, more agile, connected, playful and grounded body.
* We are brought back to our biological inheritance — childlike exploration, pleasure & joy of movement.
* Improve coordination, balance, and athleticism for every kind of physical activity.
* Learn easier standing, squatting, getting up and down, reaching, crouching, shoveling and bending.
End your gardening time feeling energized, nourished and revitalized rather than tired, sore, or injured.
Kevin: A professional gardener came to see me for a back injury two years ago. In our session I showed her how to garden in a way that cultivated ongoing improvement in spinal power and agility.
Two weeks later she brought me halibut and homemade bread and reported, “I feel so good I keep wanting to push harder... I love having my back feel so strong."
I ran into her again last weekend and she said her back is better than it’s ever been.
In this series I will teach the same movement lesson I taught her... and other lessons that can be equally empowering and re-vitalizing.
Full 8 week series - $155
Early Bird - $145 ( first six sign-ups)
Drop-in - $23
To register, make payment and send your name & email address to 907-350-1715 or kevincassity@yahoo.com.
For Venmo go here!
For Paypal:
:
Feldenkrais for Gardeners ...
YMCA weekend workshop
Saturday July 15 1:30-4:30, Sunday July 16, 11:30-2:30
This will be an abbreviated & condensed weekend version of the 8 week class (see description above).
The workshop will cover key lessons from the class.
Full Workshop - $95
Early bird (first six) - $75
To register, make payment and send your name & email to 907-350-1715 or kevincassity@yahoo.com.
For Venmo go here!
For Paypal:
:
Ukulele for Everybody
Sundays 6:30 - 7:45 PM
July 23- Aug. 27 (Open Space signups please note date range correction)
The ukulele is simple to play, easy to take traveling and camping, and cheerful sounding.
This versatile instrument is enough to relax with alone or carry to a singalong. Some folks perform with just an ukulele and win hearts all over the world.
Ukulele is also a great preparation for learning guitar, which uses the same chord shapes and strumming patterns.
IN THIS CLASS YOU’LL LEARN:
* chords, strumming & picking styles
* popular songs
* how to play socially, with friends, around the campfire, with other instruments, even in bands
* basic music theory, and how to play by ear
* improvising & exploring creatively
* how to find musical friendships and jamming opportunities
* how to use free online music resources
All ukuleles welcome: soprano, concert, tenor, baritone, bass
Guitars are also welcome! — bring a capo! … when capoed at the 5th fret guitars are essentially 6 string ukuleles (same tuning, same chord shapes, same pitch)
Full six week series - $155
Early bird - $135 (first six sign-ups)
To register, make payment and send your name & email address to 907-350-1715 or kevincassity@yahoo.com.
For Venmo go here!
For Paypal:
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Past classes & workshops:
Effortless power: Freeing the Core - $95
To register, make payment (below) & text or email your email address (to 907-350-1715 or kevincassity@yahoo.com)
to pay with Venmo go here!
For PayPal, log in and "Send" payment to:
kevincassity@yahoo.com or (907) 350-1715
or click below:
Current ongoing classes:
"Moving Out of Pain" 4 class punch card - $72, single class - $21
For Venmo, click here!
For Paypal, click below.
"Pelvic power, flexibility, & flow" workshop - $95
For Venmo, click here!
For Paypal, click below
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Summer 2025 Retreat/Workshop - in the planning
Adults re-learning to Play …
re-discovering exercise as Play
... play as a path to health, vitality,
joy of life, and healthy aging:
Nature instills humans and other animal with an inborn love of physicality, play, and interaction with others. It is how we develop physically and relationally.
Nature’s gift of inborn playfulness begins to be obscured by the time we we enter school. We are taught to measure ourselves against others, compete, compare, and accept a system of status and/or derision based on external measures, based how we perform.
Some children come to believe, inaccurately, that they are inherently clumsy, physically inept, incapable, deficient and they lose interest in physicality and play,.
Other children begin, also inaccurately, to associate their self worth with their physical abilities. And suddenly, almost unnoticed, “play” becomes serious stuff. Where the child once explored its body as a source of pleasure, connection, discovery and new possibility, a child who doesn't "measure up” may start to feel ashamed of their body and incapable physically, and the child who discovers an athletic talent will often learn to treat their body as a “thing” that they will push and injure and numb out in pursuit of high performance, winning, status and acclaim.
By the time we’re adults, child-like fun and play can feel like a very distant thing, if we even remember it. It can be hard to find adult group games that are welcoming, friendly and fun. As an alternative we may adopt some mechanical, repetitive form of exercise out of desire to stay healthy … often having to push ourselves to exercise because it may not actually be much fun.
A recent meta study on exercise by Dr. James O’Keefe found that the healthiest kind of exercise is moderate intensity exercise - defined as fun, social, exercise that leaves you a little breathless but still able to carry on a conversation, which is exactly the kind of “exercise" children engage in on playgrounds before they learn to do otherwise. The meta study also concluded that more intense, mechanical, extended athletic workouts that are often viewed as healthy have quickly diminishing returns (are no healhier than moderate exercise) and often actually have negative health outcomes.
Feldenkrais movement explorations will form the background of the retreat. Feldenkrais offers a paradigm shift away from pushing, straining, performing for others and for external measures of and towards a moving for curiosity, exploration, discovery, connection, development and learning as assessed by an internal felt sense of enjoyment and pleasure. Feldenkrais can teach us how to engage any physical or sport activity with more awareness, enjoyment and benefit.
The retreat will offer group games, solo “exercise" games, vocal games, improvisational games and games with and in the natural world.
This retreat is perfect for adults who:
Feel disconnected from their bodies during exercise
Find traditional workouts tedious or anxiety-inducing
Want to recapture the joy of childhood play
Are seeking a more sustainable and enjoyable approach to physical activity
This will be either a retreat or a workshop format. If you’re interested, let me know. I will take your feedback into account as I plan the dates and location.
For more info Contact Kevin (here).