AYP Baptiste Power Yoga and Ashtanga Yoga Certified

My name is Kevin Ogutu, I am 27 years old. I was born in Nairobi, Kenya in a slum called Lungalunga. My father died in a car accident when I was very young, and all my life I lived with my mother and my sister. Growing up in the slum was not easy since my mother did not have a job. She did the best she could to provide the bare necessities of life for my sister and me. But with all the stress of a single parents, she grew very sick. All she hoped for was seeing us growing in a better life, but she could not make it and died when I was 16 years old. Luckily, I managed to finish primary school however, from there it was really difficult to go to high school because of money issues. In 2009, I joined Kuruka Maisha Organization. The idea and purpose of Kuruka Maisha was to support youths who were coming from the slums to develop their skills. I developed dance skills then became interested in dancing. Dance for me was like a therapy and it reached a point when I found myself weaving dance movements into stories. The deeper I danced, the deeper I discovered myself; bringing me to a meditative state.

I was introduced to yoga by my contemporary dance teacher. I joined Africa Yoga Project in 2012 after getting the scholarship. Yoga was really what I needed because all I needed was to look into my body to receive its benefits and rewards. I became more interested into the power yoga style because it is more a physical practice incorporated with meditation. It was easy for me to gain self acceptance through yoga. This acceptance allowed me to become a role model to some of the parents and youths who knew me in my community. Africa yoga community has really inspired me when it comes to talking to and interacting with  all different kinds of people in a collaborative manner.

In 2015, I managed to travel to Germany for three months and work with students and refugees from Eritrea. All this happened because of the inspiration I got from the practice of yoga and life as general. Now I volunteer teaching and reaching people who cannot afford the practice through outreaches conducted by the Africa Yoga Project. I also teach at a gym and hold private classes. My mission is to reach as many people as possible. The idea is to create possibility for everyone because I believe am blessed with what I have and should share the blessings I’ve received with as many people as possible.