#IAMPFY: Yogi Dan Matthews Lights Up Chatham
We want to dive deeper into the lives and minds of the people who practice at Powerflow Yoga. These students are our heart and soul, and we are grateful and inspired by them everyday. We want to kick off our year-long #IAMPFY series by telling you more about Dan Matthews, a student whose presence lights up PFY Chatham.
Dan Matthews is such a dedicated yogi that he keeps a spreadsheet of his visits. He likes to keep track of his yoga classes for each month and the year. He started his spreadsheet at first so he could figure out which PFY package he should purchase. But then, he started to get really motivated by running his numbers. In 2016, he averaged more than 20 classes per month and completed 243 classes during the year. “Ninety percent of them were 6 am weekly classes,” Dan explains.
Have you heard of the 240 Club? It’s a little saying some of our most hardcore yogis use. We have a handful of them in each studio. These are the ones who plan ahead and shoot for 20 or more classes a month which will turn into at least 240 classes for the year. If you ever hear some well-deserved bragging about the 240 Club, now you know what it’s all about.
Dan has other interests like mountain biking, family and work, but yoga is obviously important to him. “Yoga is a fun and healthy activity, and it yields many benefits,” he says. He says he listens to his body and takes it easy on his shoulders, elbows and wrists as necessary. He’s exceptionally flexible for a guy, and that also makes him injury-prone. He makes sure to back off when he needs to, slow down and stay strong and healthy. He keeps a positive attitude which helps him avoid burn out.
What are his goals for 2017? “I want to continue and grow in my practice.” He’s working on his balance and inversion poses. “Overall, I want to stay healthy, and I see yoga as a big part of that.” He loves mountain biking, too. Yoga compliments that sport, and both are part of his regular fitness routine.
