Meet Matt Phippen: Stay Mobile to Stay Strong

“Sometimes it takes something dark to push us to create something light.”

As the world grapples with the shift toward social isolation, managing pandemic-related stress, and an uncertain future, we at Wanderlust know that our greatest strengths are the wisdom of our leaders and the power of community.

We have reached out to the lighthouses in our teaching community to share some succinct, actionable insights with our community, as well as to call on us to be bold and envision how this shift can create a better world. Because extraordinary times call for extraordinary leadership. 


COPING IN THE PRESENT

matt phippenI’ve found keeping to a schedule has really helped me manage all the change. I don’t want to be LESS busy than I was before this all hit. My attention has just shifted elsewhere.

I’ve really needed to keep myself accountable, and writing a daily schedule and a weekly schedule has helped me in being organized as I reorient myself.

Every day I’ve set aside a time to do something physical – mainly my mobility work. I have to stay on it to feel strong and stable in all this. I have a whole bunch of free videos on my YouTube Channel if you need some guidance for your home practice.

ANSWERING THE CALL

“It’s like we’ve all been sent to our room to think of what we’ve done” – I read that somewhere shortly after we were all ordered to physically distance and isolate ourselves, and it made me laugh – but it rang true.

I think there’s a lot of self-reflection going on right now in the world, which often sparks creativity. I hope it brings forth new compassionate ways of approaching how we exist together in an ever increasing global culture, where the stakes seem to be getting higher. The environmental problems we’re all facing didn’t seem to motivate the masses, but maybe this will — it’s more personal.

Sometimes it takes something dark to push us to create something light.


matt phippen With a variety of formal training in many disciplines, Matt’s teaching pulls from numerous styles in the Yoga system, and also from the current science in movement. His main influences from Yoga are Schuyler Grant, Carrie Owerko, and Abbie Galvin. He is certified as a Functional Range Conditioning movement specialist (FRC ms), as a Kinstretch teacher, and as a Functional Range Release Practictioner (FR).

Blending the old with the new, and combining tradition with the current literature, Matt offers an intelligent and relevant style for students wanting to improve the way they move, and for teachers seeking insight and refinement in the way they teach.

“Yoga is the love of my life. It’s my deepest motivation. I love the precision of Iyengar, and the way in which it aligns the body. I appreciate equally the freedom and creativity Vinyasa offers, and the way Asana can become a dance once the poses are understood. I blend the two together, and offer an intelligent and fun experience.”

Find more about Matt on his website, and on Instagram, and find him on Wanderlust TV here.