Valerie Lake

Originally from the Central Coast of California, I've been in Alaska for about 8 years now and recently purchased a home in Airport Heights. My yoga journey began in 2010 in Bellingham, Washington while studying under a wise, African yogi goddess. In 2015, I got my YTT-200 level certification and I am a registered member of Yoga Alliance. I specialized my certification in chair yoga, and assisted yoga. In 2017, I moved to Anchorage and began teaching as a volunteer yoga teacher for the Hiland Women's Correctional Center. In 2023, I attended a 30-hour Trauma-Informed Yoga training. 

Today, I lead and organize the group of volunteers who bring yoga to the women's prison at Hiland. I especially love kids yoga, yoga for elders, chair yoga, and non-coercive approaches to practice. In my free time, you can find me behind a camera, dancing, cooking, practicing Acroyoga, backcountry skiing, making kombucha, or traveling.

Rose Sierra Hart

I began exploring yoga in 2010 as a high school sophomore in a southern California LA Fitness. My practice has evolved a lot since then and I give all credit to the teachings of yoga for fostering within me a sense of curiosity, acceptance and autonomy through major life transitions. In hopes of deepening my self practice and sharing the benefits of yoga with community, I completed 200 and 300-hr yoga teacher trainings with My Vinyasa Practice (2021) and Turiya of Alaska (2022), respectively, with emphasis on trauma-informed yoga.

Since those trainings, I have led yoga classes at various studios in Anchorage, in corporate settings, and donation-based classes to fundraise for local non-profits dedicated to social and environmental justice. In class, I lead a vinyasa-inspired flow that focuses on accessibility and intuitive movement. You can expect body-positive and inclusive suggestions to customize your practice with the support of blocks, bolsters, blankets and straps. All classes close with a generous savasana, often incorporating elements of crystal bowl sound healing. When not on my mat, I can be found mountain biking, rafting, hiking, camping, and skiing in the great Alaska outdoors with my sweetie and my two dogs!

Join Me:
Flow & Restore on Mondays @ 6PM (begins 10 /28)
All Levels Yoga Wednesdays @ 12

Lynne Opstad

I initially came to yoga in response to a very stressful work environment. Rather than take the western path to stress reduction I decided to try yoga and was hooked from the very first class. The vigorous physical expression yet calming and meditative qualities of yoga helped and continues to help me weather the challenges that life brings us. After practicing yoga for 7 years, I thought it important to share the benefits of yoga with others, so completed a 2-year teacher training program at Inner Dance Yoga Studio. I’ve now been teaching and learning from my students for over 13 years, with over 975+ hours of teaching experience and 350 hours of additional training. Having come to yoga at the age of 48, I understand the challenges of practicing with a mature body and the essential need to keep moving to maintain one’s health. I specialize in teaching students over the age of 50 that may have some physical limitations but want to remain vital and energetic as they age.

Join Lynne on Thursdays for Grandma’s Doing Yoga, 2 - 3 PM

Karen Lease

Hello Everybody! I am looking forward to doing kid yoga and/or Music Together with you.  I have an extensive teaching background, and have taught everything from high school Geosciences, to kid yoga, to Music Together. But more importantly I like kids; I even have three of my own (all boys).  So come stretch, sing, dance and wiggle with me. Three words that best describe me: ukulele, latte, Karen (it actually means loving, pure in nature).

(Core Power 200hr TT 2008; Shiva Rea Pre-Post Natal TT 2010; Radiant Child TT 2012, 2013; Houston Pregnancy Massage and Doula Care intern 2010, Mother 2013; Music Together TT 2017).

Open Space is thrilled to bring Karen back to our space. Look for Music together and Kids Yoga with Karen in January, 2024

Leigh Lubin

I am an exceptional yoga teacher and a seasoned guide who has a gift for showing people how to access their inner teacher. I studied and practiced Iyengar, Anusara, Flow, Hatha and Forrest yoga for over 25 years. I lead insightful teacher trainings, workshops, and group classes in Valdez, Alaska and abroad. I am dedicated to offering yoga that creates space, ease, stability, and appropriate challenges while making yoga accessible and exciting for all bodies.

In my practice and teaching, philosophy stems from my belief that the inner expression of a yoga pose is the most powerful and effective path towards personal growth and a strong asana practice. I thrive on helping people by guiding practice from the the inner body, optimal alignment, and play.

I have guided sea kayaking, ice travel, backpacking, team development, and naturalist adventures for all ages over the last 25 years. I trained Outdoor Professionals in the Prince William Sound College Outdoor Studies program and taught 6th-12th grade Science for many years. I bring this educational background to yoga instruction by using a multitude of ways to connect people to their bodies, environment, or the subject matter at hand. I create a space for self development, community, and growth. The results are deep understanding, integration, and inspiration in my clients and students.

My passion for wilderness, the outdoors, and adventure brought me to Valdez, Alaska. I grew up in Los Angeles, California and traveled, studied, and worked all over the world before building my home in the Chugach Mountains. I continue to explore and play in the mountains and on the ocean with my husband and Alaskan wonder dog.

907-831-0939 / info@yogacurrents.com / https://yogacurrents.com

Amy Conklin

In 1998 I graduated from Logan College of Chiropractic. In my practice I use low force chiropractic adjustments to align the spine and increase immune response. My sessions include scanning all levels of imbalances (structural, electromagnetic, nutritional, emotional, allergies and toxicity) and implementing related therapies into my treatment protocol. I am trained in using the worlds most researched 3LT Lasers. These low-level lasers are non-invasive and are used to help the body heal a variety of different conditions. I have a dedication and passion for education and care for my patients. I love to work with infants, athletes, elderly and overall family care. I am a certified Zero Balancer, and often use Cranial Sacral Therapy, Visceral manipulation, and myofascial release to help facilitate the body’s own ability to heal.

Amy offers monthly Elemental Breath Work sessions at Open Space.

Please click here to find out more

Keith Martinez

I am a lifelong Alaskan and raised here in Anchorage. I have been a student of mind/body arts for approximately 20 years including Tai-chi, Qigong, meditation and energy healing.

I came to yoga 4 years ago in search of healing and deeper meaning after a very challenging period in my life. In yoga I found deeper connection to self and universal energy as well as a true sense of community. It was in yoga that my own personal recovery truly began. I have recently completed my first 300 Trauma informed YTT.   My passion and desire is to eventually work in the field of trauma and substance abuse recovery using the science of yoga. 

Join Keith Sundays, 5-6:15 for Deep Stretch & Restore

Annie Moylan

My yoga practice in 2023 has a few of the most precious remnants of my earlier Forrest Yoga mixed in.

But so are some of the strengthening pieces I learned from massage therapists and kinesthetic practitioners I have known from New York to Anchorage. I added Yin and Restorative from Yandara Institute and further expand my practice locally when time allows.

 Practicing yoga today is about dichotomies – the yin and yang. The stuck shoulder and the willingness to work within the means. Zoom classes revealed our tenacity--we gathered; yet in person yoga classes deliver interconnectedness. I have expanded my own repertoire of yoga to include  more breathwork / pranayama,  but, I exhibit less concern for one’s position within the breath.

 I am excited to come back to the  place (Open Space) where I first began my practice. I call it my Yoga Home. It was a life saver for me. Revealing the other side --I am in service to those who wish to return, or want to try it for the first time, or begin to nurture that seed of the self. 

Let’s meet, in a space where we practice and, oh yeah, we laugh, and grow our curiosity in body, mind and spirit.

In kindness-
Annie

Join Annie for All Levels Yoga on Saturdays, 9 - 10:15 AM

Kevin Cassity

I am a Feldenkrais practitioner, Transforming Touch practitioner, musician, writer, and coach.

I made a living for 20 years guiding wilderness trips in Alaska and abroad, and another 15 years teaching guitar, banjo, mandolin, etc. at my studio, Playful Arts, in South Anchorage.  

The destabilizing return of trauma memories in my 30s led to many years of inner exploration and healing work, which in turn led to my teaching peer counseling classes, becoming a HeartMath-certified Educator, Feldenkrais practitioner and Transformational Touch therapist.  

Recently I have also received training to help facilitate public education about, and access to, the healing potentials of ethneogenic medicines.

Kevin offers coaching support and information on:

* natural vision recovery

* musical expression and exploration …music as a social activity

* the Feldenkrais paradigm shift as applied to athletics, music, & other special interests

* trauma recovery

* psychedelics, and particularly MDMA, as a tool for healing & inner development

At Open Space Kevin offers individual Feldenkrais sessions, occasional classes and potentially a summer 2023 ukulele workshop. 

907-350-1715 / kevincassity@yahoo.com / kevincassity.com                 

Margo Sorum

I am the Adjunct Instructor of Yoga at UAA, a Certified Yoga Therapist, C-IAYT, and a Licensed Massage Therapist, LMT. My trademarked style of yoga, Spinal Floss, has touched thousands of students and how they move, think, and breathe in their daily lives. I am the director of yoga for Anchorage Radiation Therapy at Regional Hospital for cancer patients and survivors. You can practice with Margo through several new online platforms: 30 Day Yoga Program, Healing Chair Yoga Library and Margo Sorum YouTube Channel.

Margo is snow-birding down in New Mexico and looks forward to sharing her gifts with the Open Space community once again next summer.

Contact Margo directly at blissyogawithmargo@gmail.com or (907) 947-2030.

Kelly Harvey-Roe (Dance Alley AK)

I was born in England in the U.K. where I began dancing at a very young age. Although I loved performing, I knew teaching dance was what I wanted to do most. During my teacher training and getting certified with the IDTA initially in 2006, I taught classes for all ages from 2 years up-to adult classes. Although ballet is my favorite, I have taught many styles including modern jazz, tap, theater craft, musical theater, street and also strengthening classes such as limbering and dance based exercise. Since moving to Alaska I am very excited to be getting back to my passion of teaching dance to new students in my own studio.

Sohara

I have been belly dance performing and organizing shows for years. I have studied with many recognizable teachers with different backgrounds, but my biggest influence is American cabaret and Turkish style dance. I cross train with ballet and have placed several times in national competitions as well as one international, in Turkey. I welcome all dancers of all abilities.

The dance community is a wonderful community and very supportive for women from all walks of life. This dance is for all ages and sizes as it is by women and for women. I am looking forward to seeing you in class and growing the dance community in Alaska! 

Melissa Sundberg

PT, DPT, OCS, COMT

I graduated with honors from Pacific University with my Doctor of Physical Therapy Degree in 2001. After graduating from Washington State University with my Bachelor of Science degree in Biology. I obtained advanced board certification through the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties in Orthopedics and am certified through the IAOM in orthopedic manual therapy. My interest in pelvic health peaked after the delivery of my daughter over 10 years ago. With extensive training in pelvic health, I have become passionate about pelvic health and postpartum education. I maintain a special interest in treating women seeking pre- and post-natal physical therapy, female athletes, men and women with pelvic pain, and bowel dysfunction. I have been teaching a postpartum Pilates class for over 5 years, and I love to help moms return to daily activities and exercise with less pain and leaking.

Through a combination of skilled manual therapy techniques and specialized training in movement re-education. I am passionate about helping patients achieve their individual goals. I enjoy spending my free time running, hiking, cross country skiing, kayaking, fishing and camping with her husband, two children and their labrodoodle.