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Spirit & Destiny
August 2004

“I Walked Away From My £47,000 A Year Job"

MELISSA Freedman, 28, was buckling under the pressure of her high-flying City career. A holiday in India saved her health and sanity – and changed the way she lives her life forever.

When I first started working I was committed to my job as an IT consultant with a large City firm in London. I'd taken the job straight after graduating, and by the time I was 26 I was managing a team of 30 people.

I worked hard and played hard. I often put in a 14-hour day and every night went out drinking with colleagues. I was earning £47,000 a year and was looking forward to getting a new £25,000 Mercedes. I could spend £700 on a jacket and not even flinch as I handed over my debit card.

On the surface, looked happy, but deep inside I was miserable and unfulfilled. After a couple of years, the cracks started to appear. I had sleepless nights and physical sickness. Two months later, I had a breakdown, and I was signed off work with nervous exhaustion.

I started regular yoga classes. The postures and breathing exercises made me feel calm and centred. This and psychiatric counselling helped me claw my way back to stability.

I returned to work after a break of 11 months. It was a mistake. I couldn't focus or make decisions, and cried a lot when I was alone. I was signed off again, got better but then suffered yet another relapse. Over a three-and-a-half year period I was absent from work for 22 months due to three separate bouts of exhaustion.

Every time I forced myself back into that money-obsessed environment, my body objected and I fell ill. I couldn't carry on, but I needed to earn a living.

Finally, my firm offered me redundancy. It only took me one day to decide to take the cash and go on a three-month yoga holiday at the Foundation of Pathanjala Yoga in Kendra, southern India, to recharge my batteries.

I'd never been to Asia before, but a friend had been on this trip and raved about it. I hoped it would give me space to think about my life, work and what to do next.

As soon as I arrived in Bangalore, I knew I'd made the right choice. I was staying in a beautiful guest house with a roof terrace. It was paradise. Every day, I lay in the sun and relaxed, or I'd go exploring the local countryside and museums. It was bliss.

I also had a two-and-a-half hour yoga session every day. My teacher was Master Viswanath, who taught the class vigorous Ashtanga postures as well as Prana breathing exercises.

Gradually, all the stress, which had built up over the years started to leave my body. I soon began to feel centred and in control, which was something I hadn't experienced since my first breakdown nearly four years earlier. The relaxed attitude of the other guests also helped me to chill out. They were great fun and had come here from all over the world. Some were there to improve their yoga, others were training to be teachers.

As I was relaxing one afternoon, I kept thinking how much my friends would love an opportunity to opt out, even just for a few days. People need a haven where they can heal themselves.

I sat bolt upright. 'I could give them that!' The more I thought about a yoga retreat back home, the more sense it made. Slowly, the seed began to grow and when I wasn't training or sightseeing, I was planning my new venture. When I explained my ideas to Master Viswanath, he was very supportive and started my training straight away. He let me teach two classes a week, and then gave excellent, constructive feedback.

He also introduced me to his daughter, Archana, a fashion designer who came up with a great T-shirt design for my business. From then on, everything snowballed and started to fall into place. I met a T-shirt printer and a web designer who did a fantastic job creating my website. Other people took me to local markets that sold good-quality incense, blankets, relaxation CDs and yoga books at a fraction of UK prices.

By the time my holiday was over I was a trained yoga teacher with everything I needed to set up my business, except for premises in the UK. And within weeks, l'd found somewhere. I also began a British Wheel of Yoga Diploma via distance learning.

Now I run Yoga Project, the UK's largest yoga retreat in Cornwall. A week after launching the website for the project in April of this year, the first two courses were fully booked. I couldn't believe the response. Business is booming. Top teachers from around the world come to teach at the centre, and I've even been given a four-star accommodation rating from the British Tourist Board.

I've ploughed a lot of my redundancy money into the business and it's a risk, but life is about taking chances. My spiritual holiday gave birth to an idea that has developed beyond my wildest dreams. Plus, I have an inner calm I never thought possible during my days working in the City.

For details of courses run by Yoga Project, visit www.yogaproject.co.uk. or call Melissa on 07950-203664.

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