yoga for self care

17 Years of Hot Yoga & Fitness in Arizona!

Dear Foundry Family,

Can you believe it's been 17 years since Nicole first opened the doors of the Paradise Valley studio? We are beyond grateful for the love and support from our wonderful community that has allowed us to celebrate this milestone anniversary. To show our appreciation, we're kicking off a month-long anniversary sale that features discounts on classes and memberships. Join us for our Summer 60 Challenge and challenge yourself to take 60 classes in 90 days. Plus, we have an exciting schedule of events lined up this month, including an Open House this weekend with free classes at all studios, Breathwork, Kids Yoga, Foundry Sol events and more. Thank you for being a part of The Foundry and for helping us make the past 17 years unforgettable.

We look forward to many more years of yoga, fitness, and community.

In gratitude,
Nicole, Todd & the entire Foundry staff

Featured on the cover of The Paradise Valley View!

The Foundry: First Hot Yoga Studio in Phoenix Still Heats Valley

At last, the morning temperatures are in the mid-40s, and afternoons are in the 70s. But inside any of the four Valley locations of The Foundry Hot Yoga & Fitness Studios, the room is 105 degrees and 45% humidity for students coming to the 26&2 Hot Yoga class, also known as Bikram yoga, a set series of 26 postures and two breathing exercises.

“Giving yourself a burst of pressure, called hormetic stress, can help boost your body’s functioning and help you build a tolerance to bigger tensions,” says Niki Fillmore, teacher and chief operations officer of The Foundry. “Heat also allows the muscles to be warmer, which makes it easier to stretch while also increasing blood flow to areas of the body that are deficient in oxygen and nutrients.”

Every boutique fitness studio these days has an origin story, and The Foundry is no exception. Owners and siblings Nicole and Todd Deacon, born and raised in Scottsdale, started practicing yoga in 1995 at the Old Town Scottsdale location, the first hot yoga studio in Arizona. Their teacher, Cintra Brown, studied with Bikram for about a decade before moving from Los Angeles to Scottsdale. Deacon completed her Bikram Yoga Teacher Training in 2005 and continued volunteering and serving as faculty for over 15 trainings. In 2006, Nicole purchased the Paradise Valley location at Tatum and Thunderbird, known as Bikram Yoga Paradise Valley, until they rebranded as The Foundry in February 2017.

The Deacons have remained fi rmly rooted in the 26&2 hot yoga methodology over the 16 years of owning studios, touting how they’ve seen thousands of people transform their lives for the better. “Parents are learning to be more patient with their kids, athletes are healing injuries without surgery, individuals are freeing themselves from medications, and countless others are feeling more empowered in their jobs and relationships.”

THE RIGHT HOT YOGA CLASS FOR YOU

The Foundry strives to make hot yoga and fitness accessible to as many people as possible. “While I haven’t been a new student in a while, I still remember the first time I went and took my fi rst class,” Fillmore says. “Being nervous to try something new is common, but the reward and the possibilities on the other side of trying a class are better health, increased energy, reduced pain and inflammation, and the list goes on and on. So, it’s worth it!”

For students who want to ease into the 90-minute hot yoga class or are recovering from an injury, The Foundry offers a Basic Yoga class sequence. It’s warm instead of hot, 60 minutes instead of 90, and features gentler poses that focus on opening the hips and strengthening the core.

They also offer Hot Flow Yoga, which is a Vinyasa-based practice. In this class, students learn arm balances and headstands while fl owing to vibey music. This class is excellent for learning new poses while getting stronger and more flexible.

“Hot yoga at any level is physical, but it’s also energizing,” says Fillmore. “Students start standing taller out of confidence after just one class.”

But it’s not just hot yoga. The Foundry offers a variety of Hot Fitness classes that have become very popular among its members. Hot HIIT, Hot Pilates, and Hot Barre are available throughout the day at their studios. The fitness classes have louder music, high energy, with hand weights and resistance bands to create more strength and toning.

“We offer many ways to breathe, connect, and transform,” Fillmore says. Beyond their hot yoga and fitness classes, The Foundry offers workshops, meditations, teacher training, retreats, and group challenges throughout the year. “And you’re surrounded by a positive, like-minded community the whole time.”

SO, WHAT DOES THE FOUNDRY MEAN?

The Foundry is named after a metal foundry, which melts metal, and casts and creates pieces of artwork. “The idea behind our name is that The Foundry is a place where people come to transform,” explains Fillmore. “Like the metal that is melted down and cast to create art in a metal foundry, people are coming into our studios, into The Foundry Hot Yoga & Fitness Studios, to melt down, recreate, reshape, and come out a new person. You are both the artist and the art. You decide who you are and what you want to be. The Foundry is where you create that change, that transformation.”

With their original Paradise Valley studio at Tatum and Thunderbird open since 2006, The Foundry has established quite a following. And now they have five studios in Arizona, including a brand-new studio in the heart of Arcadia at Indian School and 48th Street. They also have studios in Tempe-Mesa, Avondale, and downtown Flagstaff .

This year, they started franchising, and the fi rst franchise opened in February in Thousand Oaks, California. Fillmore says The Foundry hopes to open more franchises with “intentional growth.”

Find locations, class schedules, and more online.

New students get four classes for $40.

And be ready to sweat like it’s summer in Arizona.

Visit thefoundryyoga.com

My Experience: 60 Days of Hot Yoga

My Experience: 60 Days of Hot Yoga

My Experience: 60 Days of Hot Yoga by Jenna Ptacek

A few months ago I was talking to a doctor and I told him that I had been really stressed out lately (more stressed than I had ever been); he mentioned that he did hot yoga to help with stress, so I decided to give it a shot.  I can’t begin to tell you how thankful I am that I did.  Shortly after attending a couple classes, I decided to do a 60-day challenge… this experience has been life changing.  

5 Tips to Practicing Yoga....Not Just Doing Yoga

By Andrea Griego

The only way we learn anything in life is TO practice. So how can you make your yoga experience a good and healthy one?

1.  Arrive early to class so you won't feel anxious or rushed physically and mentally.

2.  Begin to see your yoga practice as relationship building time with YOU!

3. Practice AWARENESS moving into, holding and moving out of postures. Simply begin to notice how you move or think.  This is the first step to create change and learn.

4. Slower is better.....notice your breathing and how it works with you to compliment your practice mind and body.

5. Be impeccable with your form. It's not about pushing your body so much that you sacrifice form and alignment.

Be open to simply practice without any judgment!  Be kind and loving to yourself ...... You have the choice to make your yoga practice an amazing experience that can change your life!