Testimonials

"When my son had his first seizure, his neurologist suggested yoga as a therapy for controlling seizures, along with his medication. Later, my developmental pediatrician suggested that I find a yoga instructor who had experience with children with special needs and helped me to find Candace. My son is on the autistic spectrum, and has regulatory problems; basically I wanted him to learn to calm himself down and be more even-keeled.
Candace worked with Alex for 2 years doing one-on-one yoga sessions. When Alex first started working with her, he had a very difficult time transitioning from one place to another, or coping with new situations and people. From our first session, I saw that Candace possessed that rare combination of compassion, patience, and strength, which is the optimal way to reach any child, especially one with the challenges my son faces. The sessions grew to be so much more as Candace incorporated music, reading, and brain gym exercises. They turned out to be a gift that keeps on giving; Alex now has his own tool box to manage the challenges he faces due to regulatory and sensory issues. I participated in some sessions and learned valuable tools to put in my own tool box in managing my son and his issues. I can honestly say it helped me to be a better parent than I might have been without her help. I think about Candace all the time and bless her for what I have learned from her. Alex uses the skills Candace taught him every day; if he is starting to feel anxious he immediately goes to his breath and is able to relax and face his fears. Candace?s lessons have given Alex an increased awareness of his body, improved focus, and self esteem. His body is more calm and he participated in group sports for the first time this year! The eye tracking exercises have kick started his reading abilities; his eye contact has improved as well. The social skills director in his school said he is like a different child; even his language is starting to come along at a quicker pace. This work has made me realize how the body and mind are truly connected; I did not realize how the body has to be in a good place for the mind to be open to learning. When Alex started his new school two years ago, his teachers were impressed with how well he knew all the yoga poses and how he responded so quickly; I could not believe how well he remembered them! It has been a source of great pride for Alex that he is able to lead his class in a lesson and get so much positive reinforcement. All of this helps to encourage him to go forward and continue to work hard at coping with the challenges he faces and, over time, help minimize them. Every moment Alex has spent working with Candace has improved his daily life and I would recommend her to any parent, especially those with special needs. "
- Gina Barone, Management, Wilheminia Models

"I had the privilege of working with Candace when she provided yoga instruction to my class of young at the Cooke Center for Learning and Development. The twelve students in my class have varying degrees of special needs, from severe to mild, ages 12-5. Candace faced difficult situations with patience and grace. She worked well with the students, adapting the lessons to fit their individual needs. She had the students practice basic yoga stretches, as well as engage them in activities to strengthen fine and gross motor skills. She described the benefits of all of the activities, giving the students interesting information that made the students more engaged in the lessons. Candace developed a positive rapport with the students. They looked forward to her weekly classes, and willingly participated. Candace also worked well with the teaching staff, not only myself as the classroom teacher, but the occupational therapist as well to ensure students' needs were being met."
- C.K., M.S., Sp.Ed.

"Jaden had an unusual total breakthrough of a day on the day following his first session with Candace. He did so many things that were a leap for him, – it was remarkable. He reached for his toothbrush to brush his teeth, which he has never done before; his OT at school noticed an incredible improvement in his grasping and fine motor skills, and he seems more balanced."

"We all look forward to our 'Thursdays with Candace'. When she is with Jaden, she is really WITH him, on a very deep level. I don't always know exactly what she's doing but she gladly explains complex concepts very clearly, but it doesn't really matter...I just trust the quality of their work together. Candace is a healer. She completely focuses on the child and allows herself to be guided by them. That is a precious gift. Their work together has continued to be a solid and complimentary addition to his treatments and therapies helping with communication, tone, balance, and sensory issues to name a few. But the real benefit is this quality, a well-being, a connectedness, something that can't be tested or measured."
- Leslie Weiner

"When Elana met Candace for the first time, she had poor posture and poor motor planning. Yoga, as facilitated by Candace's unique, flexible style and compassionate attitude has had a truly positive impact on the quality of Elana's life and how she is interacting with the world. Candace steadfastly worked on internal balance mechanisms and visual planning techniques. Elana now walks straighter and has much better balance. She walks greater distances with ease. Elana?s vision and ability to scan has also improved; and in fact, because of the work that Candace has done in educational kinesiology, Elana is now immersed in a reading program which we finally believe will lead to her ability to read.

We took Elana to Sesame Place yesterday and she had a blast. There was nothing that she did not want to do. The noise level did not bother her and she was engaged in all the activities. We tried to share a tube for one of the water rides, but it was too much weight between the two of us. As her mom, I got into my own tube and held onto Elana?s. At one point, we lost each other and I asked Elana to wait for me. Instead, she paddled fearlessly away to go down by herself.

"I felt a sense of independence and that after working with Candace, there is nothing Elana cannot do at this point in her life."

"Thanks to working with Candace, my daughter’s gait - the “ toe walking” often seen in children on the Autistic Spectrum – and the internal rotation of her hips and feet has been dramatically reduced."

"Candace teaches me, my husband, and my 8 year old daughter yoga. We look forward to it every week. Besides being a great work out for me, I can’t think of anything better for my daughter. It’s amazing for her to learn to be aware of her body, and of course is does great things for her strength and flexibility. But more important, I think, is what Candace teaches her about the philosophy of yoga. This is not just an exercise class.

My daughter learns to think about her position in the universe. She learns the power of her mind, to appreciate it and to be aware of the tricks it can play on her. She learns to be still, and to concentrate.

She adores Candace, and would do anything for her, so when Candace tells her that the words “I can’t” aren’t allowed, she listens. When she falls down, Candace makes sure she gets back up again; she can’t give up just because something is hard for her. And it’s wonderful for her to have something in her life that she strives to master, but that’s not competitive. It is so easy for children (and adults) to focus on winning and losing, on measuring who’s the best; in yoga, those questions are not relevant. Yoga is also great for my husband, and the three of us sometimes laugh so hard together we can hardly stop. It has been a great experience for us, and we all think Candace is the best."
- E, doctor

"I think that Candace is very good. She makes you work hard in a fun way. She’s very strict, but I still look forward to yoga every week. I really like the “brain gym” exercises she does with me, and I think yoga is really good for my ice skating. When I started, I couldn’t do the wheel, and now I can – it’s my favorite pose. I love doing yoga with my mother and father, too."
- C, daughter and student

"I feel that the experience of yoga with educational kinesiology has been extremely beneficial for my daughter, Ashley, who has cerebral palsy. When giving Ashley a bath the other day, she was able to bare weight on one arm and held her body upright for the first time. Her vocalization has increased. She pronates her wrists less often and her fine motor skills have improved with more accuracy to access the communication device. She is happier and has more laughing outbursts. I feel like my goals of developing that protective extension are finally on the road to being met."