EXPRESS YOURSELF

I earned my Music Therapy degree and certification as a single mom of a beautiful 8 year old daughter in 1999. Since that time I earned NYS certification to teach Music K-12, provided MT and taught music in a public school, ran a business offering services to a local preschool while offering Private Piano and Guitar lessons. I left the preschool when my son was born in 2006 and continued to offer music lessons. I discovered passions for photography and jewelry making. I became a Wilton Certified Cake Decorating teacher and ran a business offering cake decorating lessons for a few years. Around that time I discovered Stand Up Paddleboarding.

The sound of the water and the birds. The sun and wind in my hair. The feeling of freedom and sometimes excitement and sometimes absolute stillness bring me back again and again. Stand Up Paddleboarding or “SUP” is my vitamin ‘sea’. It’s my moving meditation. I get to explore places few people can access. My mission is to share with you my love of the outdoors, the beauty of Long Island’s North Fork, and all the amazing benefits stand up paddling has brought me. I want you to see how easy it is and how awesome it is! Also how much happiness and goodness it can bring to you and your life, as it has for mine.

I first tried SUP here in Mattituck in the summer of 2013. Since then I’ve explored every creek in the Peconic Bay from Orient to Riverhead, Flanders to Springs. My goal is to explore every waterway on Long Island! I paddle every chance I get no matter the season, knowing it will improve my strength, balance, and sense of well being. Realizing how great it makes me feel caused me to research why this is so. Over the years I have learned so much about why paddling is so good for you on every level, as well as technique for efficiency and how to be safe while doing so. There are so many science-backed reasons why Stand Up Paddling is good for you. YOU CAN LEARN MORE ABOUT THE BENEFITS OF SUP HERE: .http://kathypasca.com/?page_id=459

KATHY PASCA is a Professional Stand Up Paddle Board Association (PSUPA) Level 1 Flatwater Certified trainer and holds Red Cross First Aid/CPR/AED certification. She brings her experience as a Board Certified Music Therapist, NYS Certified Music Teacher, Certified Wilton cake decorating teacher, private piano and guitar teacher, 17 years of Yoga practice, and photography skills to teaching and leading SUP tours on the beautiful waters of Long Island’s North Fork, one paddler at a time!

I’m a “multi-passionate creative”. When I’m not out on the water, you can find me writing, reading, researching, or learning something new. I might be singing and playing piano, guitar or ukulele, or perhaps my sound bowls and tuning forks. I also enjoy taking photos of the beauty that surrounds me. I could also be at home gardening or caring for my son, husband and cat, Luna. Or perhaps creating something like a cake, floral arrangement or painting – my current love is paint pouring! In addition to Stand Up Paddleboarding, I also love biking and playing tennis, as well as practicing yoga!

ALL TOURS ARE PRIVATE ONE ON ONE EXPERIENCES

90 MINUTE STAND UP PADDLE BOARDING LESSON AND TOUR……….$100

Learn technique to be successful if it’s your first time on the water, or improve your skills and efficiency on the water if you’ve paddled before!

All tours are created to suit your goals: whether you want to learn paddling techniques for speed/efficiency/fitness, spend time on the water relaxing in nature, learn about local flora and fauna, or anything in between.

LOCATION: Tour Long Island’s beautiful North Fork! Tours located in Southold, Mattituck, Orient or Riverhead dependent upon preference, experience, wind and tidal conditions

You will be provided with all you need for a fun, safe and successful day on the water! Paddle board, adjustable paddle, leash, life jacket, water bottle and waterproof phone case all included for your use. **discount offered if you provide your own board/gear!

ALL lesson/tour times include instructor follow up after class and a resource for any SUP related questions you might have!

Whether it’s your first time or you’ve tried SUP before, you will learn the tools and techniques for success, efficiency and ease on a paddle board. It’s Easy and I will show you how!

If you’re looking for a fun way to improve your health, both mental and physical, this is the experience for you!!

*NEW TOUR FOR 2022!

CALM ON THE WATER ($120)

motion * movement * sound

An Exclusive Stand Up Paddling Experience 

Learn stand up paddling techniques for better balance and efficiency and control on the water

Find better balance and relaxation with basic and restorative yoga poses on the board

Enjoy a therapeutic sound experience including Sounds of nature, sound bowls, and tuning forks

Return with your nervous system reset, restored and ready to face life’s challenges with a renewed sense of calm

TWO hour experience includes: lesson/refresher, paddle to a calm spot, basic restorative yoga and yoga nidra, listening experience, short paddle back to shore. All necessary gear provided.

CONTACT NOW TO GET ‘ON BOARD’!

SEPTEMBER 2022

BACK TO MUSIC

I love SUP for so many reasons. It has brought me so much health – both mental and physical – and happiness. Before the pandemic I was considering going back to music therapy. I was also considering offering stand up paddleboarding lessons and tours. I’d taught piano and guitar lessons for many years and thought it would be wonderful to get outside and share something I love and do all the time. I thought it would be simple, as music lessons had been. I was wrong. And fate stepped in and brought me the perfect opportunity to pivot my aspiration.

As a music therapy student senior year, you must choose the population you will devote over 900 hours interning (learning how and working for free) with. As a single mother I chose preschoolers with disabilities. The site was walking distance from my apartment and I was good (still am!) with kids. This was not my first choice, but the best choice for my circumstance. I worked in the preschool/elementary school space after graduating and although skilled, was unhappy. I ran my own business for a number of years. Then after my son was born I took the opportunity to enjoy learning and experiencing arts I never had time to explore.

I fell in love with photography. And jewelry making. And cake decorating. I painted a few watercolors. And in more recent years I’ve explored and researched how sound and sound healing instruments affect our mind, body and spirit. I’ve also delved into more mystical arts like tarot, nde’s, life between lives, past life regression, astrology, numerology, Abraham-hicks, and how our thoughts create our reality. I enjoy learning what is scientifically proven, what is pseudo-science, and what works for me – which happens to be somewhere in between.

I was trained to facilitate drum circles – a favorite memory from my college years – and learned about the use of tuning forks. The very large crystal sound bowl I’d had for over 20 years broke and I got a full set of crystal bowls in its place. I learned that if I have a migraine headache and put my head over the largest bowl allowing the sound to resonate in and around my head, the headache goes away. I learned that if I use the body tuning forks on my head, the perfect 5th interval, my posture aligns immediately, whether I’m thinking about it or not. Every time. I have an interest in learning that has not abated in my 50 years on the planet. I’ve learned some stuff. I continue to learn each day. And I think it is time to share some of that knowledge, in the hopes that maybe someone somewhere can benefit without doing all the research I have. Also maybe have some fun and chill time while doing so.

All this to say – I’m back baby! (said in the voice of George Costanza from Seinfeld)

JULY 2022

HOW I STARTED SUPing

It’s been so many years now since that first paddle. Local place charged 20 bucks to take a board out on the creek. It weighed like 50 pounds. A big ol’ Bic SUP. A tank. I couldn’t really lift it. Kid gave me a heavy plastic paddle, a pfd and put the board on the water for me. ‘Be back in an hour.’ Not sure if I took that long. Not sure I even wore a leash. I paddled down to a small ‘island’ in that marsh and back. Such a short distance by today’s standards! I still think of it when I’m in that creek now. Balancing wasn’t hard, probably b/c the board was so gigantic and I’m small – back then (2013) I was heavier than I am now too. All I remember from that first time is how when I got home that afternoon I napped the deepest most restorative sleep ever. There’s something to this, I thought. I wanted to try again. I did go again once later that year. The following year I went again a couple of times – my SIL got a board by then that could go on the ocean. What a disaster – I knew nothing about board type and size and how to balance, and was trying to stand up on a much smaller board with ocean waves along my side – of course I fell in! It didn’t help that a couple in the water nearby kept laughing at me. Rude. No matter. We took it on the bay side and that was great. The following Spring I got my first board for my birthday, and I was off to the races! (so to speak). I learned all I could from researching technique online, and when I took a workshop the following year, I got feedback that I knew what I was doing! I also got to try racing and realized it was not for me. I didn’t like the feeling of pressure to go fast and people splashing all around me. I did well, but it wasn’t fun for me. I did, however, push myself from that point on and try to better my speed using a tracking app. I got quite fast but ended up injuring my shoulder to the point of being unable to lift my arm in 2019. Then I learned all about technique to protect your shoulders and why having a carbon fiber paddle without give, a longer paddle length, pushing down the paddle with my hand above shoulder height all contributed to my injury. I have learned so much since that first time, and decided in 2021 to start a business so that I could share it with others to save them the trouble. But that story is for another time…

JUNE 2022

WHY I LOVE PADDLING ON MY OWN

I notice that I notice so much more when I’m out there alone. When I’m with a friend or group, I am interacting with the people I’m with. Yes, they absolutely add to the experience – noticing things I may not, sharing their perspective and viewpoint and having someone to validate my own experience and increasing the level of fun. Just like in life.

But when it’s just me, I have the full use of all my senses – no one there to distract me from the giant fish that went by, or the swan’s nest as I quietly sit leaving them undisturbed-one human able to fade into the background. I can take a moment to feel the breeze on my skin, the sense of the wind in my hair, the sound of the water as it trickles out of the craggy shoreline of the marsh, the smell of lilacs in the air. (I experienced all these on the water this past week.) I can work on my stroke. Or not. I can sit. Lay down even. Do some yoga. My own pace, no requirement to keep up or slow down for anyone else. I get to give my body what it needs. I get to give my mind what it needs. When you get down to it, stand up paddle boarding is a solitary sport. We can share it with others and that is really fun. It is fun to share the adventure of a new spot with someone, not knowing what you’ll find around the next bend. Will we see some cool wildlife? (otter? oyster catcher? deer eating by the shore? giant bass swimming by? sea robin?) Sharing it is so exciting: did you see that? Whoa. A witness to your experience. It is not better or worse, only different.

I am here to show you the way. I am here to give you the tools you need. I am here to show you how easy and rewarding stand up paddling can be. All my attention is on you. Your needs. Your wants. Your comfort. I have a great deal of knowledge and information to share. And caring and kindness too. My intention is that you gain the skills and see how easy and worthwhile it is. And maybe we’ll get lucky and see some cool shit while we’re out there. One person at a time.

MAY 2021

PADDLE WITH A PURPOSE

Fun.  Fitness.  Health. Connection.  Moving Meditation. Reset. Relax.  Recharge.

Stand Up Paddleboarding has a massive list of benefits. It operates on every level of holistic health and wellness. It improves your body, engages your mind and nurtures your spirit with time spent on the water in a natural environment. You can read about benefits here: http://kathypasca.com/?page_id=459

EMPOWERMENT

Standup Paddle Boarding is so much more than a fun activity for an hour. You gain confidence and a feeling of accomplishment from trying something new, perhaps overcoming a common fear of deep water or falling in, and simply being successful.

Life is Good! It’s even better with Paddling!

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  ONE TO ONE (1:1) SUP LESSON AND TOUR
  by Kathy Pasca
  April 14, 2021
  I OFFER LESSONS/TOURS FOR INDIVIDUALS ONLY. LEARN STAND UP PADDLING TECHNIQUES EMPOWERING YOU TO GET OUTSIDE AND CONNECT WITH NATURE, WITH YOURSELF…FINDING YOUR PERSONAL POWER AND ENJOYMENT. You can read about how awesome it is here! https://www.flashpack.com/us/wellness/is-paddleboarding-a-good-workout/ IF THIS APPEALS TO YOU, USE THE CONTACT FORM TO CONNECT WITH ME AND LEARN MORE.