To start at the beginning, I was born Lindsey Anne Roper, in Germantown, Philadelphia. At the age of four I moved with my family to quiet, dull country suburbs in Chester County, specifically to the tiny little-known town of Oxford. With my matriculation at Temple University I returned to Philadelphia and thus my city life began.
When at school, your major is equated nearly the same importance as your name. While my given name is always the first request for information, it is consistently followed by the desire to know my major. What am I studying? To what have I committed four years of my life, funds and attention? My answer is Graphic and Interactive Design. The choice of major is such a crucial component in assessing another individual in this academic setting. My chosen major implies several things about myself. I have a background in art and an appreciation of aesthetic beauty. I'm realistic-choosing a major with the highest availability of jobs after graduation in the otherwise scarce job field of fine art. I am organized, competitive, informative, with a quick mind and instincts and a desire to convey information to others.
Who I am as a person has been most radically shaped by my faith in Jesus Christ for my salvation. I was introduced to Christianity at a very young age by my parents and have continued in it to this day. It brings a peace and sanity to my world that nothing else ever has or could. Belief in God and faith and trust in him brings me enjoyment of life and a compassion for my fellow man that does not come naturally. It is something I have to work at every day. I have an extreme tendency towards self absorption and Christianity forces you to step outside of yourself. As a kid I was extremely introverted and critical of others. I am a perfectionist and distrustful of others. But growing up following the teachings of the Bible, you can't remain trapped in yourself and you especially cannot think only of your best interests. I still struggle to put my interests aside and attempt to consider others first. Trusting others is still a very great struggle for me. Being a critical perfectionist makes me unable to trust others to perform up to my standards. But once I realized that life was not about be, I was able to relax. I was closed up so tight inside so I wouldn't be hurt. But hurt happens anyway. Once I relaxed and allowed people to be close to me, allowed myself to be hurt, I was able to make friends and come into relationships with others as an active participator.
My goals for Yoga are to attain clarity, calm and health. My mind is constantly going, full throttle every moment of the day. If I'm not talking or thinking I have my headphones in, absorbing sound and thoughts every moment. I want to force myself to slow down. I need to create space for the thoughts in my head to settle themselves into a clearer picture of the situations I'm in. So often my emotions and reason clash together and create a garbled array of feelings and conclusions. Through yoga I hope to force my mental processes to slow down so I can attain a clear view of my life.
Calm is another goal for yoga. I have rarely engaged in anything so calming outside of listening to music. Besides organizing my thoughts, I want to assure myself that sometimes it's okay to have no thoughts at all. For instance the first day during the resting period at the end of class, when we were supposed to lie on our mats and breath, my first thought was "At last! A chance to figure out everything I've been thinking about! Some quiet time to decide where I'm going next in life and what-" But I was interrupted by your suggestion to think only these words "Breath in, I'm breathing-Breath out, I'm breathing". That was exactly what I needed, and exactly what I did. I emptied my head of anything else except those words and the sensation of the air swelling in my lungs. It was heavenly.
Lastly I hope to improve health through yoga. Being a graphic designer, I spend a majority of my time hunched over the computer. I often worry about my back and my physical well being. I also greatly enjoy running, but during the school year find it very hard to fit into my hectic schedule. My initial draw to yoga was a way to force myself to take time for health, for exercise, for me. I want to achieve flexibility and strength through the practices of yoga.
A little more: Right now I've been listening to a lot of Matt and Kim and Simon & Garfunkle. I'm currently obsessed with the songs below. Click the links to see what kind of music I like!
D.A.N.C.E.My favorite colors: Yellow, orange and green.
I'm a bit of a faux hipster and like to get creative with dress and hair :) (I'm in the brown glasses, my best friend is in the white)
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