Alison is one of our cherished community members here at Ignite Yoga. A few weeks ago we got the chance to sit down with her and ask her some questions about herself and her journey with yoga. She inspired us with her honesty about being a mom and being diagnosed with epilepsy, something she originally didn’t know if she wanted to share or not due to stigmas around epilepsy.
We hope you are able to take her story in with an open mind and help erase the existing stigmas around epilepsy. Thank you, Alison, for sharing your story and for letting us share it with the rest of the community. Enjoy.
1. Where can we find you on your mat?
I usually practice in the space I feel most at home, my basement workout area.
2. What is a challenge that has really helped you to grow?
After having my first son 12yrs ago, I was diagnosed with epilepsy. My seizures are currently controlled, but that initial diagnosis changed my life drastically. I learned how amazing my family & friends are. When I was still working on getting my seizures under control, I had to have friends & family drive me everywhere. I got to know those people so well & I probably won’t have done that if I hadn’t been put in that situation.
3. What is one thing you’ve learned on your mat at Ignite?
Ignite was & continues to be a magical place for me. A few years ago when I was changing my epilepsy medication, I was experiencing major neurological withdrawal side effects. Practicing yoga at Ignite helped ground me through that scary time & allowed me to stay positive.
4. What’s been your greatest adventure?
With all of the trials in my life, my greatest joy & adventure is being a mom.
5. Where else are you lighting it up these days?
With my husband working from home, 2 of my 3 boys doing virtual learning, and working part-time, I’ve gotten pretty good at lighting everything I do up.
6. What is one thing you know to be true?
One thing I know to be true is that a tough situation can lead us to positive experiences that we won’t have otherwise noticed.
7. Is there anything else you would like to share?
Over the past few weeks, I have been hemming and hawing about whether I should mention my epilepsy situation experiences, but I have come to realize that Ignite has had too many positive impacts on how I live my life with this condition. I hope people don’t look at me weird for putting it out there. A lot of people have crazy stigmas about what epilepsy is and what people with epilepsy can and cannot do.
If you want to learn more about our community members you can head to our Instagram or read more posts on our blog.
