By Jennifer Marshall

For over 5,000 years, yoga has been improving people’s lives—mind, body and soul.

Consider the following scenarios.

You knew law school was going to be challenging, but you never expected it to be this grueling. Yet, despite the endless all-nighters, you love the law and can envision yourself owning the courtroom one day. Or…

You’ve been playing tennis ever since you were old enough to stand and hold a racket. You’ve fancied yourself the next John McEnroe, but an injury has sidelined your game, and you’re not happy.

Life, at best, is stressful, and easy answers don’t always exist. But one of the best cures for all of life’s headaches—big and small—is yoga. When practiced regularly and correctly, yoga can improve your entire being. And when the physical body, the brain and the spirit are aligned and wholly healthy, life’s difficulties aren’t so overwhelming, and answers aren’t so insurmountable to find.

Practicing yoga the right way is key to yielding optimal results, and the best way to know you’re doing yoga in its correct form is to get connected with a professional yoga studio like The Foundry.

The Foundry, a local business here in the Phoenix area, is owned and operated by the sister and brother team of Nicole Deacon and Todd Deacon, and they have three convenient locations: Paradise Valley, Old Town Scottsdale and Tempe.

Their flagship studio in Paradise Valley has been operational for 12 plus years at the corner of Tatum and Thunderbird.

“It’s been awesome to have been in this neighborhood for so long,” said Niki Fillmore Studio Manager, “and really it’s just getting better and better.”

About five years ago, the Deacon duo established their second studio in Old Town Scottsdale, and with their third one near the Tempe/Mesa border, they more than adequately cover the Valley. With these three separate locations, they’re giving many Phoenix residents the gift of yoga’s tremendous valuable benefits in a way that’s convenient for people.

Nicole was 13-years-old when her mom took her and Todd to their first yoga class. She connected with yoga that very day, and falling in love with it, she’s been practicing it regularly ever since. More than just practicing it, Nicole has made yoga her career, and teaching others how to harness the power of yoga to become healthier mind, body and soul is her passion and life mission. She trained with the famous yoga instructor Bikram Choudhury, for which Bikram yoga is known, and she’s been teaching his methods for 14 years.

“Yoga has shaped Nicole’s whole life,” said Fillmore. “She now has three studios all from her mom taking her to practice when she was 13-years-old.”

The Deacon’s studio was one of the first yoga facilities in Phoenix to teach Bikram Yoga, and for the first 10 years they were open, that’s all they offered. While Bikram Yoga is still a crowd-pleaser and what The Foundry is known for, during the past two years The Foundry has expanded its yoga and fitness repertoire.

“Our Paradise Valley center has three rooms,” said Fillmore, “and that means we’re able to provide classes all day in a big variety like Pilates, HIIT, Barre Classes and other styles of yoga.”

The Foundry is a full-service yoga studio. All of their teachers and instructors are fully and professionally trained and certified. For those who are new to yoga, The Foundry also contains their own on-site boutique where clients can purchase the appropriate yoga clothing, mats and towels.

Clients can purchase a membership or pay on a class-by-class schedule. For those who have always been curious about yoga and are eager to explore how it can alter their lives for the better, they now have the opportunity to give it a try for free. Check out The Foundry’s Fall Festival taking place November 10-12th where all classes will be complimentary.
The Deacons and their employees are all about creating and fostering a community that supports and nurtures their clients in achieving and maintaining their peak health. They also work to facilitate a strong sense of community among their members and regular attendees. Every day they pride themselves on getting to know all their clients and connecting with them including addressing every client by their name even if it’s just their second visit to the studio.

“One of the number one things people tell us is it’s so nice to be a part of a community,” said Fillmore. “Nicole and Todd are giving a space for people to transform themselves.”

If you’re eager to give yoga a try, then check out the following list of classes offered at The Foundry. To best select which is right for you, Fillmore has graciously explained the composition of each one.

Bikram Yoga
This is very therapeutic, and it works the mind, body and spirit. This is their hottest class at 105 degrees with 45 percent humidity. The purpose of the heat is to warm your body allowing your muscles to more easily stretch, and the sweat created during hot yoga also helps your body to detoxify.

Restorative Basic Class
This is a great class for those who have never tried hot yoga or are looking for a more relaxing and restorative experience. This 60-minute class isn’t as hot as the other classes offered at The Foundry (about 95 degrees and 40 percent humidity). But you will still get a nice sweat! This class is also great for pregnant women or those working to heal from an injury as it has many hip opening postures.

Express Class
This is an abbreviated version (60-minutes) of the Bikram Yoga class. This one will get your heart rate up and build stamina! Offered in the early mornings and on weekends.

Power Yoga
This class is a mix of Vinyasa and Bikram. Set to music, this flow class builds strength and improves flexibility through a step-by-step approach.

Hot Pilates
This Classic Mat Pilates class will work all of the body’s core muscles, helping to lengthen, strength and tone. Considered a more strength-based workout, it is a great class for injury prevention as it works the slow twitch muscles.

Hot HIIT
This stands for High Intensity Interval Training. This is a 45 minute, really high energy class set to upbeat music. Fillmore says it’s super fun Tabata style training, which means you exercise for 20 seconds, followed by 10 seconds of rest, then 20 seconds of exercise and 10 seconds of rest; you do this for 45 minutes. This class raises your heart rate, which supports a healthy heart, and it works to strengthen and tone muscles. A great quick 45-minute workout, this class really burns the calories.

Hot Barre
This is a ballet inspired class that’s a mix of Pilates and Yoga. Clients perform small movements or pulses using a ballet barre that’s mounted to the wall. This 45-minute class is ideal for strength and toning.

Finally, The Foundry offers many of what they call Personal Growth classes. These non-physical classes are geared towards meeting that goal of achieving whole body, mind and spirit health. These include workshops pertaining to health, relationships, finances, spiritually, etc.

“Here at The Foundry,” said Fillmore, “we offer students a lot of transformation on many levels. In the end, we want them to work on the physical, but we also want them to work the emotional, mental and spiritual, too.”

To learn more about
The Foundry, check out their website:
www.Thefoundryyoga.com

Cover and story photos courtesy of Photographer: Evan Villavaso (www.producofilms.com).