If you’re feeling lost, the road to rediscovering your life’s purpose is not an easy one – but it is possible.
For professional dancer and yoga teacher Marka Danielle who had suffered from cervical spinal cord injury, discovering Face Yoga at 65 was a rebirth that allowed her to find a new purpose in life.
10 years ago, Marka came face-to-face with her biggest ordeal in life – getting into an accident that put her in a wheelchair and losing her mobility from the chest down.
How could she continue her passion for dancing and teaching?
How could she find something that will spark joy in her life as a maturing woman?
At 65, turning back time wasn’t an option, and her direction in life was fading out.
But as fate would have it, she came across a video that led her to discovering Face Yoga.
“One of the things about Face Yoga that really drew me to it was the idea of being able to work the muscles of your face, and not necessarily all of the muscles of the body doing poses that some people just can’t accomplish.”
Being a wheelchair user was what made the concept of Face Yoga even more interesting to Marka. She was alreadya strong believer of the Mind-Body connection, but encountering Fumiko’s techniques for the first time revealed the missing link – the Face!
She says “I was just having so much fun. In my third week of Practice, I remember waking up one morning and going into the bathroom and telling myself that for the first time, I didn’t look so tired.”
She remembers taking the Face Yoga Teacher Certification Course during the COVID-19 pandemic, when the future was murky and everything was uncertain.
Suddenly, the world went into a complete stop, and so did her career as a dance teacher.
But Face Yoga helped her find her silver lining.
“The whole Face Yoga method community made me have hope that there was going to be a better world coming out of this pandemic – that there were still things to doand ways to reach people when you think you can’t”, she says.
Her newfound Community allowed her to bloom with positivity and optimism despite the uncertainties of the pandemic.
She quickly made strong connections with other students in the Face Yoga Teacher Certification Course Study Groups, and cultivated relationships that empowered and motivated her to finish the Program.
“It was never anything negative. It was always so positive and supportive and loving.”
As they worked through the Course Modules on mindset together, Marka found the strength to question her beliefs and challenge her negative thoughts.
At first, Marka enrolled in the Face Yoga Teacher Certification Course not because she wanted to teach it, but because she wanted to gain knowledge on it.
But little did she know, it would be one of the most pivotal decisions she would ever make in her life.
Now, she teaches in the Spinal Cord Injury Association and in a ballet school where she integrates Face Yoga into her teaching.
“When you teach you have to give care. You have to be loving, kind, and supportive.”
And she says that she was able to strengthen this mindset with the help of the perfect role model – Fumiko.
“Without a doubt, Fumiko gives so much of herself to this community and to anyone who is willing to open their eyes, open their minds and their hearts that you will only feel like you’re being lifted up as she lifts herself up and gives.”
Despite her limited function and the threat of the pandemic on her career, Marka thrived, flourished, and most importantly, reignited her passion for dancing and transforming other people’s lives through teaching.
“For the first time in my life, I can say I’m proud of who I am.”
Teaching is far more than just a job — it’s a calling.
To all the truth seekers, outsiders, warriors of light, healers, visionaries, guides, and teachers:
You shine your light when others struggle to find their own. You illuminate the way that leads your students home.
As a Certified Face Yoga Teacher, you will carry the torch that lights the fire in the hearts of your students.
You’ll be a part of their Journey to self-love, and with this Face Yoga Teacher Certification, you’ll have every tool you need to guide them along the way.
If you’re looking for what you can still contribute to the world, then this Face Yoga Teacher Certification is for you.
Believe in your heart that no matter at what age and where you are in life, you’re meant to live a life full of passion and purpose.
Give yourself permission to evolve into the person you’re meant to become.
