Alyaa
“The girl I used to be years ago is so different from who I am now that I know I would have looked up to who I am today.”
Alyaa navigates life with warmth and positivity. She is determined to be the best version of herself so that she can invest her energy in helping others. She is a friend to anyone and everyone; she’s an empath with a warm heart. Alyaa has become the woman her younger self would have aspired to be. She is a strong leader who is driven by compassion and community. This is her story.
P: Please introduce yourself!
A: My name is Alyaa and I’m a yoga teacher, PT. I’m 27, Sri Lankan by ethnicity (with a hint of Japanese from my maternal grandad), Singaporean by nationality.
P: Describe or define yourself in your own words.
A: I believe myself to be lovely and kind most days. I try to offer my best whenever I can.
P: What is your favourite thing about yourself?
A: I want to offer myself to everyone. Though I guess sometimes that could also be a negative!
P: Tell us a story. Have you had an experience that has defined you or made you stronger?
A: When I think of experiences that have made me stronger, I think they have all come along slowly rather than something that happened and changed me suddenly.
There have been so many smaller situations that have taught me to change and affected my perspective of the world and the people in them that I feel the changes within myself happened gradually as well.
P: What is one piece of advice you would give to your younger self?
A: Things seem important in the moment, like all your focus needs to be on it. But everyone you once thought mattered, doesn’t anymore now. Don’t worry too much about doing things “right”.
P: What does being a woman mean to you?
A: It’s never really been a thing that stood out to me I guess.
The world isn’t exactly the safest or the most welcoming to women still and I feel like there is so much to continue navigating.
I’ve learned so much about how different our individual experiences are that perhaps being a woman means more of having a strong sense of strength.
P: Who is one woman that inspires you? What would you say to her if she were here now?
A: Just myself. I used to look to others but I feel there is so much I have learned through my own experiences and I have changed so much as a person. The girl I used to be years ago is so different from who I am now that I know I would have looked up to who I am today.