STUDENT OF THE MONTH

Finding Direction In My Life by Alissa

I am not much of a writer, especially about myself, but I will do my best as I hope my story will inspire you. I am an artist and love to express myself visually. All the photos were taken by my talented sister, Ginger, on a cross-country road trip in May.

After college, I took a job at a corporate marketing company working my way up from an intern to a graphic design manager. The days were long and the commute made them longer. I sat in a windowless cubicle with loud neighbors and dealt with stressed out bosses. After the long drive home, I settled in and began my freelance design work on my personal computer until it was time for me to go to sleep only to start the cycle over again. I routinely worked 14 hour days. My neck, back and shoulders ached; the chiropractor only provided temporary relief. I quickly realized this was not a way for a human to live... at least not me. I knew there was something bigger and better out there.

As my freelance work continued to grow, I planned my escape from cubicle life. While still working corporate, I developed All Natural Design - A web and graphic design company that caters to small businesses who normally could not afford to market their products and services in such ways. My business started to bloom.

My friend Kate said she had been going to yoga in Newtown. I had no idea there was a studio close by. As I always wanted to try yoga, she inspired me to take my first class only weeks later, that was March of 2005. My busy schedule was restrictive, but I fit yoga into my schedule as it was important to me. Within 6 weeks of taking an average of 2 classes per week, I noticed changes in my life.

At first, many of the poses were difficult as I was still learning how do to them properly My biggest struggle then, and still is, is my tight hamstring muscles. In downward facing dog, I eventually found myself taking a longer stance and slightly bending my knees which eased the weight on my wrists and straightened my spine. In several postures I have found simple adjustments and modifications to suit my body as we are all proportioned differently. I have learned how to make my practice my own and pull back when necessary as yoga is possible for those who are less flexible.

Many of my teachers have said to listen to your body and to ease off if you feel strain. For me it took some time before I stopped comparing myself to other yogis in class. I was forcing myself to go deeper into poses sacrificing the integrity of the pose and possibly doing more harm then good. With the help of my teachers, now I know what is good for my body and I use props or rest in child's pose when I feel it is necessary. My body and mind yearned to change in other aspects of life as well.

I knew I wanted to quit my job, the question was when? The answer was easy, I just had to be brave and do it! My boss really took a liking to me so I knew this was going to be difficult. She would probably offer me more money if I'd stay as this company was known for doing that. I gave my notice in June 2005 and in my state of mind I decided to 'move' to California to stay with a few friends. I purchased a one-way ticket not knowing when I'd return. My yoga mat came with me.

California was very emotional for me and 2 months later I returned home to CT. It was quite an eye opener in my life: who I was becoming and who I wanted to be. Things began to fall into place. It seemed like my life was unbalanced for too long and yoga helped breathe life back into me as well as give me a direction.

I decided to focus my business in the yoga community, as it was a natural choice. To date I have helped many studios and yogis promote themselves and their businesses as well as massage therapists, herbal body care products, landscapers, musicians, fine artists and anyone dedicated to a positive lifestyle. I find so much joy in helping others by offering my services at very reasonable rates. For me, it is not so such about the money as it is about my community.