"I want to thank you for leading and teaching the yoga to our subjects with CF. They all raved about you and loved the yoga classes you taught.  All of them said that they would be interested in doing Yoga in the community if opportunities were there.  Awesome work and I appreciated everything you did for this study.  You truly went above and beyond."  

 

— Scott Russell, PT, DPT, GCS

 
 

"I am so grateful to you for helping me to regain my footing, my strength and my optimism."

 — Sarah Moskovitz

 
 

"You have a gentle, sweet and loving way that reflects your true being. It has been really wonderful to take part in the YESS  study and to know you!"  

— Robert Ricksen

 

 

"I was thrilled when I found Leslie because it was exactly what I was looking for.  I am able to do things now that I couldn’t do before because my legs and body have gotten stronger, and my focus and attention has gotten  sharper.  And I have stopped falling since I started taking Leslie’s class.

 

Previously, I had practiced yoga for many years and was passionate about it because if its physical and emotional benefits to me.  I stopped for a while and replaced yoga with an intense personal training regimen, where I got injured.  I came to yoga therapy after receiving physical therapy for several injuries.  I had hoped to get back to my precious yoga practice and heal completely. 

 

I feel challenged but safe in Leslie’s class.  She is a fabulous teacher and fun and funny, and she gives lots of individual attention so that you know you are cared for.  I was also battling a little depression when I met Leslie and I am much better emotionally as well as physically since coming to her class.  I feel lucky I found her." 

 

-- Linda Miller

 

 

 

 

"I felt seen and understood through Leslie’s amazing sense of humor, compassion and sensitivity, so that I could heal not only physically, but psychologically as well, as she lifted my spirits when I was down due to the effects of my auto-immune illness.

 

I was practicing yoga off and on during my life, tapping into it when I was extremely stressed and stiff but never practiced regularly. In July 2010, I fell ill with a rare neurological disease called ADEM (Acute Disseminated Encephalomyelitis).  In short, my immune system attacked my brain which left me partially paralyzed on the left side of my body. While I received excellent medical treatment in the hospital and rehabilitation in Germany (where I fell ill) so that I was able to move around again, I went back to my home in California to look for non-traditional healing support, and especially for some sort of therapeutic type of yoga. 

 

When I started with Leslie (and Sherry Brourman), I was walking with a walking stick. I got hooked on Leslie’s Yoga Therapy classes. Through my classes with Leslie, I was able to move my toes again and improve my walking. In general it helped to strengthen my left side. Also my back, shoulders and neck were always very tense due to the challenges of walking. Yoga helped me to regain my fluidity of movement.  I love yoga therapy, as it made me more conscious of the anatomy of my body and how breath and proper supported postures are healing. In Leslie I found not only a qualified and studied yoga therapist, but also a very compassionate teacher who truly understood me and supported me in my healing.  In 2012, I moved to Spain to be with my love and we now have a beautiful son together.  I continue yoga therapy weekly. It is essential for my well-being now."

 

 

-- Kora

 

 

 

 

"I love knowing that I am learning to do yoga in a way that I won’t get hurt, so I can relax and enjoy experiencing my body changing for the better.  I came to yoga therapy because I could see that as I am getting older I needed to add something to my exercise program that was more restorative to my body.  I am learning that a small movement can contain a whole world of information about myself, my body and how I relate to the world in a way that benefits me in my life and my goal of getting stronger as I age.  I appreciate Leslie’s kindness, sense of humor and wisdom gleaned from her life experiences, and I feel very happy to have found her class."

 

-- Denise Reimer

 

 

 

 

"Sherry Brourman and Leslie Kazadi are masters at their craft.  The mentorship program that they have created is a completely unique and groundbreaking necessity in the world of yoga and yoga therapy.  Not only is their combined knowledge of the body, healing and yoga astounding, their patience, generosity, guidance, and desire to teach teachers is unparalleled.  I have felt held, honored, respected and challenged to grow myself into the teacher I know I can be."

 

— Chani Nicholas

 

 

 

"Leslie has that great ability of meeting students exactly where they are, disarming their fears and apprehensions, dissolving their tensions and holding sacred, healing space with a comforting demeanor where both silence and laughter come easily.  She supports her students as they delve into the healing journey of yoga. And it's here where all her amazing knowledge and technique facilitate recovery from injury, expansion of movement, and discovery of core support. And yet her level of experience far exceeds the realm of yoga therapy to offer a broad spectrum of practices. Through my association with Leslie Kazadi as her student, colleague, collaborator and friend, my practice has deepened, my injuries have abated, and I may have added a few laugh lines to carry with me through the seasons of my life.  In gratitude to an amazing person who I am honored to know."

 

-- Dan Ward

 

 

 

"Thank you, Leslie. You are inspiring and so clear with everything. I learned more than I can express in your workshop for teaching seniors.  Everything you had to share feels so useful now.  You have so much to share and you teach it so well! Thank you!!!"

— Renee Greiner