~Marceline Moukoko

Cameroon

What is your Project/organization you are working on/with?

Not an organization, yet! The project I’m working on is all about people being in a safe environment, with the assistance of yoga and other techniques to help people heal, become stress-free, and help people who have lifestyle problems. To help people lead a better life.

I would like to be working with a few companies at a time to help employees improve stress levels, generate a better team ethic and overall improve the quality of work for that company and those people.

What was your inspiration?

I’m an engineer (normally an engineer). I was working a lot and was looking for a practice I could do in my own home, without going to the gym. When I was researching, I came across yoga and when I was reading up on all the benefits, I fell in love with it. At the time (around 2014) I didn’t know of anyone in my country who taught yoga, so I would learn and watch Instagram videos. When I got pregnant I had to stop because I couldn’t practice without having much experience.

The point I decided to teach others was when I started sharing my practice and people started to ask me questions and advice about it. Someone asked me ‘Why I don’t teach?’, I didn’t think I was ready yet. When I had my Son and my contract ended in my job, I got back into yoga, this time I fell head over heels!

I decided I should have an objective with yoga as it began to feel like a passion. That is when I decided to go to India and do my training.

What have been some of your Highlights in your experience so far… why?

One of the highlights was when I started the training and we started doing yoga therapy, the teacher was great. We learnt about how we can change people’s health, the effects of asana’s and different practices have on health conditions.

Another is how it has Impacted my lifestyle and how I can now share and impact others.

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What challenges have you faced?

Yoga is not common here in Cameroon, many people have preconceived ideas about yoga. For example, some men would say, “isn’t yoga meant for females?”.

I try to bridge the gap between yoga being something mystical, and a lifestyle reality. People here were not at all receptive.

In the beginning, I didn’t have enough money to travel (to India) and to pay for my training, so I did have to wait for almost 3 years before I could go and do it.

What you have found to be your best resources?

Reading! Reading books, Reading online, and looking for articles has taught me a lot.

Surrounding myself with people who believed in me and supported me. One of my best resources has been supportive members of my family, friends and even strangers that have helped the process be better.

What advice do you have for your peers?

I did a retreat with someone who is now a friend, and during that retreat, we did something called a ‘Vision Board’. A vision board is something that helps you visualize what you want. Back then, that is when I first visualized my training trip to India.

If you have a passion you have to live your passion, you have to visualize your passion, breathe your passion.

Whatever people might think, whatever challenges you might be facing, whatever you think is impossible, if that is your passion you have to visualize it and love it.