NOVEMBER STUDENT OF THE MONTH
Ashley Mattias
WHAT BROUGHT YOU TO YOUR FIRST CLASS HERE AT STEAM HOUSE?
I started practicing in Salisbury, probably 5 years ago. I was having a lot of hip and back pain from working a lot, so I looked into yoga, a few different types and I thought hot yoga would be the best approach. I’ve been doing it off and on ever since. I started coming to Steam House when I bought a house in Nottingham. I jumped around to a couple studios, and now I’m finally in one place, close to home.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE POSTURE OR MOVEMENT TO DO IN CLASS?
I like standing head to knee, I find it really really challenging. When it comes to IHP? I don't love Pilates. It’s something I need to work on, I definitely have a tendency to push myself and over work myself. In Pilates class I’ll push myself and work really hard through the whole thing. Then the next two days I’m really sore. Same thing with yoga, I tend to work really hard and push myself, while I really need to pull back a bit and just come consistently.
WHAT ARE SOME BENEFITS YOU'VE NOTICED SINCE YOU’VE BEEN TAKING CLASSES HERE REGULARLY?
This definitely cuts back on my anxiety, let’s me flow through the day more. I’m not one of those outwardly high-strung people, I’m more of an internally high strung person. It’s more that I’ve got to show up early, I need to have everything done and in it’s place, stuff like that. I am so busy, I like having everything organized, so my job is smoother. With that comes a lot of stress that’s just unnecessary. Coming to yoga regularly helps me cut back on those tendencies. It helps to release the stress and not worry about things that don’t matter so much.
A few months back I was having some chest pains, almost like I thought I was having a heart attack. Backward bending has really helped me to open up my chest. I do hunch a lot, especially when I’m working. I started doing yoga to help my hip and back pain, and that pain comes and goes. I feel it less or more depending on how much I am coming to class. I’ll stop practicing, I’ll have a hiccup where I don’t come as often, and then when I come back I realize, oh wow, I guess this really was helping a lot!
WHAT WORDS OF ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR SOMEONE CONSIDERING COMING TO THE STUDIO FOR THE FIRST TIME?
My advice is just to come and to come regularly. You’re not going to be good everyday or be in the greatest health, especially with cold season! My greatest advice is just come regularly and move! I think the best is; one day when I was practicing super regularly and I was feeling on top of it, my girl friend wanted to go with me, when I woke up for class my allergies were super bad and I ended up just laying there the whole class, meanwhile my friend was doing great. The instructor asked me if it was my first class, I had to say no, it’s not. I couldn’t breathe, but I still came to class!