Tonka Cascais
Tonka was born and raised in Bulgaria where she attended Law School and was introduced to Forensic pathology which sparked tremendous interest in the anatomy and physiology of the human body.
In 1997 Tonka moved to the United States and enrolled in the Physical Therapy Program in Florida International University where she quickly figured out that the conventional therapy approach to body movement and mechanics is not going to be her path.
Pilates was a buzz word in 1998 and Tonka’s curiosity led her to the one and only Romana Krizanowskaya, who was a protégé of Joseph Pilates himself for over 50 years. For the next two years the Grand Dame of Pilates opened a whole new world of possibilities for strengthening and conditioning of the body which Tonka submerged into to discover that we should never look at our bodies limitations but look for the opportunities for expansion and freedom of movement.
During that time Tonka also completed her Fitness Instructor, Fitness Specialist, and Strength and Conditioning Specialist courses at the Fitness Institute in Boca Raton, Florida under the tutelage of Dr. Anthony Abott and in March of 2000 she acquired her certification as an ACSM Health Fitness Specialist at the prestigious American College of Sports Medicine, which equipped her with even more knowledge how to work with injuries and improve dysfunctional movement patterns.
If you don’t have the correct map, you will never reach the desired destination.
In January of 2000 Tonka completed her training with Romana in NYC and returned to Florida to open ProPilates, the first Pilates Studio in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. By the end of the year, she received professional accreditation from the Pilates Guild which placed her at the top of the Pilates Education system as one of the few second-generation Pilates Instructors in the world.
And her hard work began… dissecting every move of her clients Tonka knew she needs to learn more to be able to help correct dysfunction.
In 2003 Romana made Tonka a Level 3 Muster Instructor and trusted her with the training of her apprentices in Florida, which was such an honor and a huge responsibility. Tonka was happy to spend more time with Romana personally and professionally during her teachings at ProPilates Studio and used the opportunity to expose her clients to Romana’s work. Tonka continued to expand ProPilates and her education as well;
December of 2004, Tonka completed a course on principals of posture, acture, and gating with neuro muscular applications at Neuro-Muscular Therapy in Sarasota, Florida to better understand the biomechanics of our postural mechanisms.
January of 2006 Tonka attended the extensive course on Gyrotonic Expansion System in Miami, Florida, under the founder and developer of Gyrotonic, Julie Horvath.
August 2006, she completed the 50-hour lab course on Full Body Dissection at the University of South Florida College of Medicine in Tampa, Florida.
September of 2010, she attended the Designs for Health, Inc. nutrition course called Core II Functional Endocrinology.
October of 2010, Tonka enrolled in courses on Muscle Activation Techniques and completed them in January of 2011.
In 2011 Tonka completed the master courses on Resistance Training Specialist Program. Rounding off her extensive education in 2011, Tonka attended the internship and master courses in Muscle Activation Techniques, which she completed successfully in 2013.
In 2014 Tonka started studying Aerial Arts and was fascinated with the work. She wanted to bring the benefits of Aerial fitness to everyone and the APX™ Aerial Pilates eXercise Method was born.
In 2015 a drastic shift occurred in Tonka’s work. She realized that all this time she was following the wrong map… going after the muscular system!!! Which System CONTROLS all Systems in our body? You guessed it…! The NERVOUS System!
Well, If the CONTROL Panel, our Nervous system, is not functioning well, how can we expect the controlled systems to work well and optimally?
Our Nervous System is the invisible BOSS of everything;
- The proper regulation of your muscle tone;
- 2. Your Posture, which is directly related to the state your Nervous System
- 3. The flexibility of your spine or the lack of it
- 4. Your Balance and Coordination
- 5. Sleep Cycle
- 6. Breathing, Digestion, Hear beat, Blood pressure
Tonka had found the correct map and started studying Developmental Psychology, Neuroscience and Quantum Mechanics.
Here are some of Tonka’s studies:
- Neuro Anatomy & Physiology
- Developmental Psychology & Basic Motor Pattern Development
- Motor Learning Development
- Postural Reflex Patterns
- Breathing as a Reflex
- Sensory & Motor-sensory Learning & Development
Tonka believes that You CAN achieve anything as long as you have the correct map! Back Pain, Weigh Loss, Sleep disfunction, Posture, Balance and Coordination, Stress Management, Brain Fog you name it, can be all corrected and Tonka can help you get your life back with simple but very precise and effective program.
During her career, Tonka worked with people from all walks of life from 2 years of age to 97. She also had the privilege to work with Scotty and Larsa Pippen, Alec Baldwin, Merry and Cliff Floyd, Claire and Dan Marino, Richie Incognito, Lauren and Ryan Tenanhill, Kim Bokaamper and 7 times Mr. Olimpia Phil Heat.
Today Tonka continues to expanded her knowledge in neuroscience and the effects of neurological patterns on movement, coordination and balance as well as strengthening and motor patterns improvement.