Today we’d like to introduce you to Naomi Mattay.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
August of 2015, I spiraled down into a dark season of depression. I was living with a roomate at the time but moved back home with my parents to help in the healing process. Along with counseling and medication, my doctor advised regular exercise. I joined a beginner yoga class at a local community college. After a couple months into the yoga class, I realized that I wanted to become a yoga instructor. A co-worker of mine introduced me to Holy Yoga (www.holyyogga.net), a non-profit Christian yoga instructor training program. I thought it would be super cheesy or not theologically aligned with my Christian belief. But after researching with my parents, I surprised myself and everyone else, by beginning my first 225 hours of yoga instructor training through about one year later (September 2016). The initial program was about 3 months long, and a little over a year later (December 2017), I began my second certification through Holy Yoga which lasted for about seven months, bringing me to 500 hours certified as a Holy Yoga instructor.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Hah! Is any road smooth? Becoming a yoga instructor was not something I had ever dreamed about or even worked extremely hard at once I started. When I started my training, I was still a very new yogi and my poses still don’t look like the pictures you see of advanced yogis on Instagram and Pinterest. I was 22 when I intentionally began this journey and I took the step forward because I knew this was next to my journey with the Lord. In the past couple of years, I have often doubted whether I should even continue this direction, fearing my capability. One challenge, which I’m sure many new yoga instructors face is building a student following. You can invite everyone you know to your backyard or to join a studio, but earning a full income is very difficult as a yoga instructor. For me, it’s a side gig that I hope I can use to encourage others in their personal journeys of brokenness, leading to the redemption that only a relationship with Jesus Christ can bring.
When it comes to any young woman pursuing a new venture, just keep going. If it’s something the Lord has placed on your heart, keep at it! God is faithful even when we are faithless. I would also suggest to surround yourself with people who will not only support you when it’s tough but will also challenge you and exhort you to become a woman of integrity and to keep you humbly grounded. We will never know everything, stay teachable. And don’t forget to breathe.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about your business – what should we know?
I currently teach a weekly Holy Yoga Slow Flow class at Sacred Space Yoga (www.sacredspacefrisco.com), located in Frisco, Texas. I typically teach gentle, slow flow yoga because I love being able to encourage others in intentional deep breathe, bringing the nervous system back to a rest and digest state. In time, I hope to use yoga as a way to help refugees in their healing process, from all the trauma they have been through personally. I am a Christ-follower first and a yoga instructor second. At the end of the day, my hope as a yoga instructor is to be a safe space for people to be on their mat before the Lord and to encourage others in their intrinsic value as a human being made in the image of a loving God.
Finding a mentor and building a network are often cited in studies as a major factor impacting one’s success. Do you have any advice or lessons to share regarding finding a mentor or networking in general?
Don’t be afraid to ask. The worst that could happen is for someone to say no. If that happens, ask someone else. Staying teachable is the key!
Pricing:
- Give us a try class (1st visit only/valid 30 days) $10
- Drop in single class (valid 30 days) $20
- 4 class punchcard (cards can be shared)/valid for 6 weeks) $60
- 12 class punchcard (cards can be shared/valid for 90 days) $168
- Holy Yoga 6 Week Series $89
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.sacredspacefrisco.com
- Email: naomimattay@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lionheartyogatx/
- Other: www.holyyoga.net
Image Credit:
Stanley Tongai, Elizabeth Fretheim, Naomi Mattay, Morgan Mattay
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