My Body Temple
  Sacred Lifestyle Coaching

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About Kazi

Born 1959, in the tropical Republic of Panama. Kazi was raised in the Bronx and Hollis, New York.   Kazi's grade school teachers repeatedly commented on his report cards that although an intelligent child, he spent significant amount of time day dreaming, which had a negative effect on his performance.  In addition to attending public school, Kazi participated in the usual supervised youth development programs: music lessons, organized athletics, UBA Youth Corp, American Sea Rangers, and karate school.

As a child, he spent many rainy days scanning through his parents extensive home library.  He found most interesting the psycho-spiritual books collected by his mother and the collection of socio-cultural titles of his father.  This intellectual foundation was balanced by the continuous infusion of Latin, Calypso, Blues, Jazz and R & B music that filled the home.   The exposure to the spirituality, culture and art of the African Diaspora sparked an inquisitiveness concerning all things "alternative, esoteric and exotic."  This inquisitiveness slowly evolved into a personal style.

During the flowering of his youth, Kazi enrolled in an ancient Asiatic wisdom tradition.  The mytho-historical message which served to inform his worldview, ignited a passion to explore and experiment with such subjects as divine mathematics, mythology, energy anatomy & physiology, religion, cultural anthropology and natural healing.   This experience also revealed a life calling for community service through one to one and group counseling and instruction.  After attending Adelphi University where he earned a BA in Psychology, Kazi began further exploring alternative medicine as a means of health maintenance and disease prevention for himself and his family.

While attending a Self Healing Retreat on the island of Tobago in 1990, Kazi was introduced to Ancestral Meditation Medicine by Afri-Amer-Indian Shaman, Brother Jamal.  The soul evolving catalyst of this practice initiated a life transforming process which guides Kazi's self healing journey to this day.  At the International Center for Scientific and Medicinal Studies, located in Jamaica, Queens; Kazi trained in the medicinal martial art- Yara Mba with Onisegun Professor Milford Graves.   The training was a working integration of meridian medicine, herbology, gardening, medicinal martial dance, physical conditioning, music therapy and oral tradition.   At this same time Kazi trained in Yang Tai Chi Chuan with Master Yusef Bey.


Founding the Harriet Tubman Hiking Society in 1992, Kazi and his hiking partner Sala Nolan introduced many African Americans to the benefits of hiking, backpacking, foraging and communing directly with the forces of nature in the north eastern wilderness.  Through a system of seasonal Wilderness Retreats™, Kazi has initiated many concrete natives into certified tree hugging nature lovers.

To complement his internal arts practice and instruction, Kazi attended the Academy for Applied Personal Training Education at Hofstra University and became a Certified Personal Trainer/Health Fitness Instructor in 2000 and was later certified by the American Council on Exercise.  In 2002 Kazi studied Thai Massage with Royal Thai Medical Massage Master Maria Pattane-Seidman. This training was complimented by his clinical massage studies at the Institute for Therapeutic Massage at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey campus. Becoming certified by the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork in 2004.  In 2009 Kazi received his certification as an Intrinsic Coach.

Kazi launched My Body Temple as the vehicle to formalize and communicate his unique offering of Sacred Lifestyle Arts.  Prior to this, Kazi has served the community as a homeless family counselor, public school teacher and public health research director.