Today we’d like to introduce you to Nafeesa Islam.
Nafeesa, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I am on a mission to help people live more in alignment with their natural energy and natural gifts for fulfilling lives with more flow and less hustle. My goal is to reframe what it means to be a productive, valuable member of society by helping people live more as themselves.
I was born and raised in New York City, went to college in North Carolina at Duke University, and moved to Los Angeles in 2013 where I worked at UCLA for six years in global health and clinical research. I also fell in love with aerial arts and have been an aerial instructor since 2017. In my free time, I took hard science classes and planned to get a master’s degree in psychotherapy.
Despite my traditional educational background and trajectory, I always had the more esoteric sciences on my mind. As a first-generation daughter of Pakistani and Indian immigrants growing up in arguably the most ethnically and socioeconomically diverse cities on Earth, I grew up with exposure to many ways of thinking. I knew that there was more to truth and being than what was explained by the natural and social sciences.
I have been a lifelong student of Vedic and Western Astrology and was excited to be in Los Angeles where this interest is pretty ubiquitous. Astrology remained an undercurrent in my career and life and has helped me understand myself and my place in the world in relation to others.
In 2019, I found Human Design, which synthesizes Astrology with ancient and contemporary systems from around the globe: Chinese I’Ching, Hindu-Brahmin Chakras, Zohar/Kabbalist Tree of Life, Quantum Mechanics, Astronomy, Genetics, and Biochemistry.
In Human Design, I found what had been missing from Astrology: Human Design gave me a personal roadmap of how to design my life in such a way that I could be the fullest expression of me and meet the least resistance. Whereas Astrology described me, Human Design gave me an idea of what to do with that information.
I started living out my Human Design experiment and saying “no” to things that were not in alignment with my being. Instead of using psychotherapy as a tool to help people and impact others, I realized that Human Design would be a better, more effective tool to use, and started my business in 2020.
Has it been a smooth road?
Deciding to get off of a traditional path and pursue a career in esoteric sciences sounds like it would be the challenge of my path thus far. However, looking back, trying to make myself fit into a traditional path was much harder, and I met a lot of resistance along the way.
The paths that seemed safest and like they were “sure things” were putting me in situations that were dangerous to my psyche and physical well-being. I was constantly trying harder to be more fulfilled and productive and worthy but kept getting blocked either by myself and my natural energy waves or by external circumstances responding to my misalignment. I was constantly trying to think my way into fulfillment and to make sense of my place in a world that seemed to be resisting my efforts.
Taking the first step to get into alignment–by saying “no” to things and experiences that did not truly light me up even if I thought I should do them for xyz reasons that seemed logical and legitimate–was hard, but since then it has become easier and easier.
Starting a business during a global pandemic and while faith in previously upheld institutions and societal norms is crumbling is DEFINITELY not all rainbows and butterflies. However, there is an inner peace that I am experiencing for the first time because in every moment, I am making decisions that are more in alignment with my being–even if they are difficult decisions.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Aligned Readings story. Tell us more about the business.
My business is called Aligned Readings. I give personalized Human Design (and Astrology) readings to help people live more in alignment with their natural energy and natural gifts for lives with less resistance. Through my blog and my readings, my goal is to reframe productivity and the prerequisites to self-worth and help people live lives with more flow and ease in a way that is energetically correct for them.
In my readings, I help people understand their natural energy and way of being. I give guidance so that they can design their lives in such a way that they can be the fullest expression of themselves and meet the least resistance so that they can truly thrive.
During the readings, we discuss what comes inherently easily to the person. These are traits, skills, and qualities that they naturally have, but that they may not recognize as gifts because they come so easily, or because society has told them that these are not traits that have value. I help people lean into those things that they’re good at, and help them realize that they have inherent superpowers that have value.
We also discuss traits, skills, and qualities that they didn’t necessarily come to this planet to embody. The goal is to help the client let go of trying to be somebody that they do not need to be in order to truly thrive. This gives the client the permission to stop trying to be somebody that they are not and instead to focus on their unique gifts.
I also offer relationship readings where I compare two charts. During these readings, we discuss how to reconcile energetic similarities and differences to help people exist more harmoniously together.
A core idea behind this business is to truly evaluate the “shoulds” in society, and eliminate the shame and lack mentality that individuals have about themselves. In addition, I aim to bring Human Design and the mysterious “down to Earth” in a palatable, practical way.
There are MANY great energetic readers (especially in Los Angeles), and I encourage everyone with an interest in Human Design to get a reading from someone whose messaging resonates with them. If that is me, then I would be honored to read for you!
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
The upheaval and unrest that the world is going through is making way for a new paradigm. This paradigm will mark a shift away from leaders that teach people how to achieve based on societal formulas, and towards guides that help people step into their unique individuality, in order to most effectively help the world. Human Design is a particularly useful tool for this shift.
Pricing:
- Reading (1 hour) – $175
- Relationship Reading (1 hour) – $200
Contact Info:
- Website: www.alignedreadings.com
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/aligned.readings
Image Credit:
TC Franklin, Max Masin
Suggest a story: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
