My name is Alyssa. I am originally from Chesapeake, VA but my hometown has been Elmwood Park, NJ since 1999. I am currently a student at James Madison University (JMU) in Harrisonburg, VA. I am a nursing major pursuing a career in holistic and alternative medicine. After graduating JMU, I will have a degree as an RN and plan to work for a few years in the missionaries. I hope to then come back to the United States with greater knowledge and experience and attend graduate school in order to become a nurse practitioner and further build my own practice. I have no idea what the universe has in store for me and these plans may very well change along my journey but for now this is what I aspire to be.

I strongly believe that both meditation and hooping are forms of self-healing and each plays a very important role in my life. I am an active member of a meditation club called Turning In. Not only does this club provide a place for me to meditate with a group of students who have similar spiritual interests, but also these individuals and I have created a family. I have learned so much about myself and about the world through various discussions that we have had in the club. I also meditate on my own which has allowed me to meditate in just about every space I find myself in. In a world full of noise, even when the chaos around me remains, meditation allows me to center myself and simply “be”. Hooping is similar in this way. Two of my closest friends and I started a club called “Free Flow” at JMU. The organization does not only include hooping but other flow sports such as spinning poi, devil sticks, staff, gloving, fushigi, and many more. We meet once a week and hoop with members of our club while at the same time teaching our members and each other various techniques. Outside of the club, I hoop as much as possible. For myself, hooping serves as a form of meditation. When I am in the flow I experience a greater awareness of myself and become completely immersed in a state of inner peace and serenity. Calmness also surrounds me, allowing myself to let go of any and all stress. It allows me to be active with others who enjoy these activities as well both separately and together as one.

http://ignitechannel.com/articles/culture/flow-arts-creative-revolution/

I first became interested in holistic and alternative medicine toward the end of high school and throughout college my interest has largely evolved. I was enrolled in a course c